I am putting the finishing touches on a speech I am giving next week to 250+ executive assistants. The conference committee asked that I include some information on research I did in an article I wrote called The DNA of a Star Assistant™.
Here are some questions and thoughts for you.
- Mind Set vs. Skill Set. If you have the right mind set, it will develop the skill set.
- Are you looking for ways for continuous improvement?
- Are you being proactive rather than just being good at responding to needs?
- Are you looking for ways to change or embrace change?
- Are you working to develop your soft skills?
- Administrative assistants are the social network of the company.
Here is an excerpt from my research which was used for several industry articles.
- Overall— the Star Assistant’s DNA must consist of soft skills, hard skills, social and emotional intelligence. There is a crossover because they are integrated.
- Soft skills are emerging in importance over technical skills. Soft skills carry more weight than technical skills. They are hard to teach, learn and change whereas technical skills are not.
- The main component of the DNA is that an individual has the innate talent and then they build some areas around and on top of their innate ability and core attributes.
- The fundamental/foundational skills are still important to be successful in this job. Then add advanced competencies such as negotiating, persuading, presenting, problem-solving.
What attributes, talents and skills are a part of your DNA? Make sure you bring them forth so others can see the star in you!