Get ready to go from chaos to control with the excellent tips that Julie Perrine shares in this free webinar.
The Top Skills Executives Want From Assistants Today
Office Dynamics often surveys managers and high-level executives as to the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that are most important for an assistant to possess. Here are some non-edited, direct quotes from them. See how you measure up. If you are doing these already, then ask yourself . . .
- “How often do I do this?
- Am I doing this every single time?
- Over a year’s time, what percentage of the time do I do this?
- How can I get better at this?”
Be Bold Enough To Be An Owner
Do You Have An Owner’s Mentality?
Hello from my office to yours.
Did you know that you do not have to own your own business to have an “owner’s” mentality? Did you know there are benefits to thinking like an “owner” vs. an employee? Do you know the key characteristics of owners?
“Owners are fundamentally different from employees,” says Daren Martin PhD and author of A Company of Owners. They have a psychological stake in the success of the company that drives their daily behavior. They treat the company as if it were their own. Daren goes on to say that owners . . .
- Take losses personally.
- Celebrate successes as if they were their own.
- Have an enterprise mentality versus a silo mentality.
- Owners are priceless and establish themselves as indispensable contributors.
4 Ways to Increase Professional Effectiveness
I spend a lot of my time in the training room with administrative professionals all over the country, I am often taken by the words of wisdom that are shared by the savvy assistants in my classes.
In fact, I was struck by the words of one particular assistant who seemed savvy beyond her years.
She was a reminder to me – and to us all – that wisdom in the best companies and organizations resides in the support staff as much as, if not more than, members of the management team! [Read more…]
Administrative Competency Assessment
Use this assessment for assistants as a tool to measure your skill level.
Several years ago I was preparing for my first annual review with my new executive, Joan Burge, Founder and CEO of Office Dynamics International. I wanted to be ready for anything when we sat down together to discuss my progress and my skill set as her Chief Executive Assistant.
As I was looking for some ideas on how to prepare, I came across a document that labeled and provided measurement of the core administrative competencies. The assessment listed several main functions under each competency to measure an individual’s performance. I remembered this document from some one-on-one coaching that Joan did with her high-level executive assistant clients. She would have the assistant and the executive fill out separate assessments and they would meet afterward to discuss the ratings.
I decided I should do a self-assessment before my big review. [Read more…]
The Future of the Administrative Profession
The Future of the Administrative Profession – Surviving or Thriving?
By Joan Burge, Founder and CEO, Office Dynamics International
Changing the Lives of Administrative Professionals Since 1990
It’s important to recognize the difference between surviving and thriving, because the key to success is available to those who successfully manage to cross the bandwidth between the two.
The global economic meltdown brought sweeping changes across many continents as companies made drastic changes to many sectors of employees, including the administrative profession. So encompassing was the economic climate that no vocation was immune.
Before the crisis, the administrative profession operated differently. Training budgets were ample; opportunity for advancement sparkled like diamonds for the taking. Administrators handled many tasks, and had backups, cross training, and team-shared projects.
Post-crisis, many people lost their jobs, and took any available position, even ones they were far overqualified for. Others could no longer afford to retire. Single income households became dual income households, often due to pay cuts and shorter hours. Training budgets dissipated, opportunities dried up, and assistants had larger workloads without staffing backups. Single support executive assistants now juggled multiple managers.
We’ve come through and now, the economy is healing. Much has changed for the executive assistant and administrative professional, and in order to thrive in this new working environment, it’s up to both to operate wisely, using savvy to make the right decision regarding the right question at the right time.
It would be easy to simply throw up one’s hands and say, “It’s okay to just survive!” but we know that excellence goes far beyond the basics. Success is met when we exceed expectations; when we go the second mile, and when we work diligently to remain relevant and competitive. Thriving is where we find contentment, advancement and opportunity.