It’s almost instinctive to yell back or to be offended at someone who is yelling at you—be it a co-worker or a manager. But yelling back or arguing accomplishes little. It can destroy a business relationship and certainly dims your professional image. So before you respond to a verbal attack, keep these things in mind. [Read more…]
I was teaching a class two weeks ago from the Star Achievement Series®. Our theme for that day was the attitude component of Star Achievement. Under that umbrella, we addressed topics such as self-management vs. stress management, learning specific difficult people types and how to handle each of them, the benefits of conflict and much more. Of course, we had plenty to talk about and one tip an attendee mentioned was, “setting healthy boundaries.” She definitely got a big star for that one because setting healthy boundaries is important!
So, what kind of boundaries are we talking about and with whom? After all, as administrative assistants and executive assistants, you sometimes feel like you can’t set boundaries or you might get fired or your leader will think you are not a team player. Some people think when I’m talking about setting boundaries, they have to do with sexual harassment in the workplace. [Read more…]
As I’m sitting here on Friday afternoon catching my breath from a very busy week and working on my speeches for our Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence, I am reminded how change is more prevalent than ever in our lives. In the past week, I have personally been through lots of changes; my staff has gone through changes; family and good friends of mine are experiencing change; and the world is changing every day. I’m not saying they are necessarily bad changes. In fact, I have been experiencing some wonderful, good changes. The idea is . . . it’s still change.
I have been speaking on Thriving on Change or Optimizing Change for 27 years. Most of what I have said about “change” has NOT changed. I still use all the strategies I am sharing with you today and they all have worked in good times and in really horrible times.
Change is a part of life. If you do not learn to cope with it, you will be swallowed up by the wave of change. Below are specific strategies to help you cope. You may find that some strategies work better than others depending on the particular situation. Try them all. They are effective. [Read more…]
To end my 4 part series, I wanted to share my quick list of tips with you. In case you missed the rest of the series, you can read part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here. Remember that doing several little things throughout your day can also improve your productivity. You can pick and choose which ones you would like to try. Best of luck. [Read more…]
To continue my series on better managing your day and work, today I am focusing on information overload. I’m sure you can relate. If you missed the prior parts of this series, you can read part 1 here and part 2 here.
There’s just too much information out there! In fact, information processing accounts for half the gross national product—and most of it ends up on paper that someone has to read. You don’t have to fall prey to information overload. You just have to be more selective about the information you choose to take in. Here are five steps to becoming a picky information consumer. [Read more…]
I have been in the business world for 47 years now and one thing that never changes is managing our workload and setting priorities. Everyone I talk to is trying to keep up with the accelerated pace of business and change. At Office Dynamics, we always seem to be in a flurry of activity throughout the year but certain seasons are busier than others. Plus we always have to be thinking 6 – 12 months out because of being in the training industry. [Read more…]