I live by a set of Guiding Principles that have attributed to an enjoyable life that I would consider successful. They are simple and to the point but can have a huge impact on your career and personal life. I’d love to share them with you today. [Read more…]
Ways to Improve the Morale at the Office
According to research from Gallup, only 31.5 percent of U.S. employees were engaged in their jobs in 2014. That means nearly 70 percent of your staff is disengaged or unhappy with their work. Meanwhile, other Gallup research found disengaged employees costs the U.S. between $450 and $550 billion in lost productivity each year.
Don’t wait until poor morale and dwindling productivity tank your office. It’s time to create a long-term strategy to boost morale while giving your employees the perks and recognition they deserve. It won’t just make your employees happier, it could improve your bottom line and give your profits a boost too. Here’s how to get started. [Read more…]
There is Something to be Said for Endurance
JJ Villar, Lauren Birchmeier, and Jasmine Freeman. Who are they and what do they have in common?
JJ Villar is one of the best dancers and choreographers in Las Vegas. JJ is only 1 of 8 of the original performers in the Michael Jackson ONE Cirque show. He has endured several injuries, tough workouts 5 days a week, having to stay perfectly physically fit, and mentally alert. He is in the show 5 days a week and they do 2 shows per night. It is not unusual for JJ to go to the gym at midnight after performing in 2 shows! JJ has endurance and he has endured. There are about 90 performers in the MJ ONE show and only 8 of the originals are left. Think about that statistic for a moment. [Read more…]
Have You Reached A Career Plateau? How to Regain Control
Author: Shelagh Donnelly
Have you paused lately to assess where your career is going? Are you making progress, or have you plateaued? Think about it. Plateaus are generally flat expanses of terrain, and you’ve made either a descent or a climb to reach one. There’s little variation in the landscape unless you want to go downhill or make the effort to move upward.
The same is true for career plateaus. We may feel under-appreciated, wish our job was more challenging, or have lost out on a promotion. Other times, we’re simply drained after being tapped for a major undertaking or high-stress project. You’re glad you were able to contribute, but feel as though you’ve run a marathon.
If you’ve hiked to a plateau, you know it can be a great place to rest and soak up the surrounding scenery. Career-wise, plateaus can be good for us – for brief periods of time. You can regroup, collect and focus your thoughts, assess prospects on your own horizon and generally recharge.
You just don’t want to stay on that plateau too long, because that can imply a period of minimal growth or even a decline. If you find yourself still on that plateau months after arrival, ask yourself why – and how you can build momentum to move forward and upward. How so? Well, that depends on how you reached your personal plateau. [Read more…]
How to Optimize Your Career By Utilizing Your Talents
Love your career.
Optimization is like administrative skills and attitudes on steroids (in a good way!). Optimization means to enhance the effectiveness of something; to make something function at its best. When I read the definition of optimization, I immediately think of two things:
- Part of my “job” is being brought into companies by senior leaders to help make their administrative partners function at their best. I have all the tools and answers to help administrative professionals be successful. Whether or not they choose to listen to me, take my advice, trust me and are willing to adopt new behaviors is another story. I can’t make anyone change anything, as is true for me. I attend educational events, read and am exposed to a variety of talented, smart subject matter experts but it is up to me to make changes.
- Part of my “job” is to work with already-successful executives and their executive assistants to enhance their effectiveness. I go to the client’s facility and work with the leader and assistant one-on-one. I watch everything they do, listen to what they say, learn their processes, absorb their environment and dynamics and, basically, get inside their heads. When I do this kind of work, I can best help that team.
What does this mean to you?
How Administrative Professionals Can Prepare for the Office of the Future
by Brandi Britton, district president, OfficeTeam
This article was originally published in Executive Secretary Magazine and shared with permission by OfficeTeam and it’s author.
Today’s administrative professionals have anything but an easy and boring job. Over the years, their roles have moved well beyond circulating memos and taking dictation. They are being asked to become involved in and even take charge of areas such as social media and corporate responsibility.
In recent Office of the Future research from OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals, 50 percent of survey respondents feel they have skills that are not being tapped at work. Let’s take a look at three areas where admins say they would like to play bigger roles. You’ll see how you can get involved and grow your administrative skills. [Read more…]