One of the greatest benefits of building a strategic partnership is you see precisely how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Instead of sitting on the side lines, you’re part of the process. Learn the differences between a partnership and a strategic partnership.

• Build an exceptional level of trust.
• Help your executive maintain a competitive edge.
• Understand the role of chemistry in building strong partnerships.
• Get engaged in the scope of your executive’s work.
• Be more involved in decision making.

Administrative Assistants are the center of influence and should be utilized as such. They are flow managers and help facilitate progress. An assistant has the power to keep things moving at an optimal pace provided there is a constant stream of information flowing back and forth between an executive and assistant.

• Be a conduit for keeping information moving.
• Gain a more holistic point of view of your executive’s work.
• Develop the ability to anticipate needs.
• Act as an alter ego for your executive.
• Create interdependence between you and your executive.

Establishing rapport is critical to successful business relationships. While everyone retains competency on leading-edge information technology tools, too many ignore interpersonal communication skills.

• Select the appropriate medium for maximum impact.
• Be influential; understand communication styles.
• Bridge the multi-generational differences by altering communications.
• Tactfully voice your opinions.
• The power of persuasion skills: Why? When? How?

To truly become a World Class Assistant you must learn to anticipate the future today. What is on the horizon of your leader’s calendar? What new projects will need to be implemented to keep your organization competitive? How do you become more valuable to your executive by planning the next step and the three steps that follow?

• Develop front-brain thinking; be a visionary thinker.
• Seek opportunities and propose solutions.
• Identify and perfect approaches that guarantee future success.
• Ask the right questions to help you forecast future events, projects, and tasks.
• Block potential problems.

You reflect your organization and yourself. You are a calling card. How do you want to be perceived? Professionalism isn’t a particular business “uniform” nor is it just savvy technical skills! World Class Assistants are poised, polished, and professional.

• Wield the power of a professional image.
• Cognitively choose to present your signature trademark.
• Refine your overall professional image as a leader.
• Learn which visual distractions hold enormous negative power.
• Explore how to create a signature trademark.

What is executive presence and why should an administrative professional care? You will learn the answers to these questions when you attend the World Class Assistant course. You will learn how to project gravitas—confidence, poise under pressure, and decisiveness.

• Be taken more seriously.
• Become a welcome, visible presence commanding respect.
• Exhibit executive presence through body language.
• Deliver information in headlines.
• Communicate with passion and energy.

The Career Portfolio is NOT about job hunting. It is a professional journal created to detail how You Inc. has capably and measurably demonstrated professional contributions to your organization and leader’s overall successes. You will build your own Career Portfolio in a hands-on exercise designed to spur your creativity.

• Discover new ways to promote your valuable skills and build alliances.
• Market yourself with pizzazz.
• Find out where and when to use a Career Portfolio.
• Show your leader your proactive and creative capabilities.
• Show people what you are capable of doing.

There is one must-have skill you need to thrive in today’s workplace—the ability to be resilient. Building resilience is important in your administrative career because there will be turmoil, upheaval, and unwanted change throughout the years.

• Bounce back faster after a setback.
• Take daily workplace changes in stride.
• Move in tandem with your executive.
• Exhibit nimbleness as you adapt to change.
• Generate innovative solutions to problems.

Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence says, “Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection, and influence.” A World Class Assistant needs to know when and how to use emotional intelligence while managing day-to-day situations.

• Learn the 4 Dimensions of EI: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Social Skill.
• Recognize how feelings affect performance and relationships.
• Understand other perspectives.
• Apply the acumen of emotions.
• Step forward to lead as needed.

Adminology combines the Art + Science of the administrative profession to achieve maximum success by incorporating and leveraging your time and talents. Created by administrative visionary, Joan Burge, Adminology addresses critical time competencies blended with new skills and attitudes.

• Optimize your effectiveness.
• Grasp the holistic approach.
• Increase your effectiveness by working with precision.
• Implement your skill processes at mastery level.
• Be prepared for the future.

Professionalism is a 360-degree awareness of the impact that your behavior, words, and actions have on the people you support, as well as your overall effectiveness. Professionalism is accepting responsibility for your actions because it affects how others view your employer, your executive and, ultimately, your performance.

• Examine how you fit into the big picture.
• Impact your company’s and leader’s success every day.
• Create action plans to address items for future change.

Joan Burge is well-known as the groundbreaking pioneer of the administrative training industry. After working 20 years as an administrative assistant and C-Suite executive assistant, Joan identified a gap in the level of training and information being provided to administrative professionals.

In 1990, Joan created a business in an untapped niche, overcoming monumental obstacles involving corporations’ and managers’ attitudes, prejudices and stereotypes about executive assistants and administrative professionals. Joan dedicated herself to inspiring excellence and encouraging administrative professionals to reach for the stars! Her company, Office Dynamics International, is a global industry leader that offers a broad range of solutions and provides high-performance, sophisticated executive and administrative assistant training and coaching.

Julie Reed is an exceptional facilitator who exudes confidence and energy. Julie knows what it takes to be a World Class Assistant as evidenced in her outstanding career in the administrative profession for 20 years, most recently working with the President and CEO of Huntington Bank. Julie implemented Office Dynamics’ Star Achievement Series^® for the administrative staff, a cultural movement that changed the perception of the role at Huntington, gaining the participants a seat at the table, and not to just take the notes!

Joanne Linden is President and Master Trainer at AdminUniverse™. She has a background that spans more than 30 years as an executive assistant. With the majority of her career in Silicon Valley, she has worked with and been part of both successful start-ups and billion-dollar corporations. She is President and Master Trainer at AdminUniverse™, which provides consulting and training for administrative professionals. Joanne previously held the title of Chief Executive Assistant at Synopsys for over 19 years.

A true activist for professional administrators, Joanne, along with other CEO assistants, developed the first certificate program for administrative professionals with UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley. Joanne served on the advisory board and has been an instructor for that program. Joanne is a member and past Chairperson of Silicon Valley Catalysts Association (SVCA) and past President of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), San Jose and Crossroads Chapters. She is currently Founder and Chairperson for the Administrative Center of Excellence™ (ACE-EA).