A Personal Tune-up for Peak Career PerformanceIf you’re feeling more energized than usual these days, that’s because it’s Spring. As humans, we’re hard-wired to feel the boost that comes with warmer temperatures and fresh, new beginnings everywhere! Even in the cities, there are blooming flowers and baby birds. Life bustles – and we can’t avoid responding. [Read more…]
Dana Buchanan is a 20 plus year professional assistant and coordinator with a passion for writing. Last year Dana attended our Conference for Administrative Excellence but in order for that to happen, she needed to justify the budget and explain the benefits to her executive. In her latest blog entry, “Professional Development Value,” she explains what she did to win her executive’s decision and how Office Dynamics helped her become a better assistant and writer! Read “Professional Development Value” and follow her blog by clicking the link!
“I have a real problem saying no at work. How do assert myself when I can’t take on any more?” This is one question I frequently here from administrative and executive assistants. I’m sure you many of you have encountered this, so I’d like your advice.
“I have a problem saying ‘no’ to anyone. In the past, climbing up to the position I presently hold, it was an asset and it helped me to get noticed and promoted, but now I find it has labeled me as the go-to person. With all the duties I am expected to perform, I just can’t help everyone, yet I find myself doing it anyway. How do I decline without sounding difficult or rude?” [Read more…]
As with all working mothers, my biggest concern was for my children. I knew that the time with them had to be quality time well spent. I needed to maximize every moment we had together, just as I know you want to maximize your time with your children.
Drive time seemed to be the best opportunity since it seemed that a lot of time we spent together was in the car. I decided not to let the kids play with their video games, I turned off my cell phone (NOTHING was more important than my children – whoever it was could wait), and any other distractions. [Read more…]
I have been speaking about office dragons for years and how to professionally deal with the dragons. Dragons were huge, dominating, fictitious creatures. Medieval writers had vivid imaginations for big, scary things. For many people, work is like a dragon. It can be overwhelming and certainly dominates well over half of our waking hours. Sometimes the people we work with can be pretty “fiery” creatures to deal with, too.
I bet that like many people you thought meetings would go by the wayside because of technology or at least there would be fewer meetings. Not true! The reasons meetings
have increased are due in part to the rise in teams and requisite team meetings and technology such as video-conferencing accommodating slashed travel budgets.
Approximately 11 million meetings occur in the U.S. each day! Meetings are essential to an organization’s success yet all experts agree that the main reason meetings are such a waste is because no one really prepares for them and that some may be unnecessary.