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As in every aspect of life, relationships are two-way. Both parties have a responsibility and work to do to make it work. In the admin/boss working relationship however you do have an edge since it is you who schedules your executive�s calendar. Schedule yourself in for one-on-one meetings with your boss on a regular basis. Each situation will be different, but either short daily meetings or longer meetings once a week will work. Make your meetings count and come prepared with relevant questions you need answers to or with information your boss needs to know. Also use it as a time to get to know them a little bit better. It makes for a better working relationship when you have respect for each other and respect comes from knowing the other person and appreciating who they are as a person as well as for their position. Give your boss a reason to have confidence in you. Write down any direction or information they give you when you are meeting with them and follow up on items th...

Someone at work was trying to paste something by right clicking and using the paste option.  There were three options to choose from with a symbol for a paint brush, an arrow and the letter 'A'.  She tried one and it wasn't the paste she wanted so she said in frustration, "I never know which one to choose."  Each of the paste options do have a purpose, but for what we were trying to do I told her to just press Ctrl v and that would do it.  I have been using Ctrl keys for years and they are so simple and easy to use. For those not familiar with the Ctrl key, it is located in the lower left-hand corner of the keyboard. To use it you need to press the Ctrl key and while holding it down press the letter for whatever you wish to do.  For example, these are very user friendly because the letter relates to what you want to do: Ctrl s  for S ave Ctrl p  for P rint Ctrl f  for F ind Ctrl c for C ...

Have you ever worked for someone and they under-utilized you or just didn't seem to know how to work with an assistant?  I once worked for a young boss and you could tell he wasn't quite sure what he could give me or what I was capable of doing.  I had enough experience that I just started doing some of the things and when he saw I was ready, willing and able to do it, he gladly passed it on to me.  For other things I spoke to him about it and asked if it was something I could do.  He was very appreciative of the effort.  Another young woman I worked for seemed to be intimidated by me at first because I was the age of her mother, but over time we started to have a great working relationship.  I would often tell her to quit apologizing every time she gave me work to do as she was my boss and I was there to assist her. IAAP has an article on their website about how to work more effectively with an ad...

Office talk, or water cooler conversations, can be just that: what did you do on the weekend, what activities are your children participating in, what great new restaurant have you tried, etc. etc., but what about when the conversation turns to gossip?  Gossip can be vicious and in some cases even lead to disciplinary action or getting fired if you are the one doing it.  Depending on the severity of it, it can be seen as a form of workplace bullying and harassment and  is a very serious matter.  To be the victim of gossip can affect how your co-workers interact with you and if you know the gossip is going on about you, it can affect how you interact with others.  It is e mbarrassin g , humiliating and just darn wrong! Have you ever been the brunt of office gossip?  Have you ever participated in it?    The problem with gossip from the perspective of the person who is being talked about is you p...

Reading, Reading and more Reading Expect to do a lot of reading the first week you are on the job. You will be given information about the organization, what benefits they have and forms that you need to fill out.  Read and learn as much as possible.  This may require you to do the reading on your own time or during break or your lunch hour.  Meeting new people You will also be introduced to a lot of new people and told what they do.  You will most likely be given the staff phone list and an organization chart.  If not, ask for it.  You should keep these readily available to remind yourself who does what as you will need to refer to that often. New hire information When you first start a job, you will be given lots of information that you need to know about your new job.  You should have a time of training with someone who can give you an overview of what you need to do and be available for any questions.  Depend...

I have been super busy at work.  On top of managing the work lives of two very busy executives, I've also been planning a large dinner, board meeting and another event along with my other regular jobs.  Here is how I've been surviving: Keep Organized If it wasn't for the fact that I am organized, I don't know what I would have done.  At least I have my systems and know where everything is and that is half the battle.  You need to be able to grab what you need quickly.  You wouldn't believe how much time is wasted just looking for things. Ask for help Thankfully we have a great admin team who are always willing to help out in a crunch and I have been taking advantage of that.  There is always a small job here or there that if given away will relieve your workload and will definitely relieve your mind.  You know how it is when you know you have to do something, but just don't have the time to do it -- it weigh...

I'm not even going to ask if you have ever made a mistake, because I already know the answer.  Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle it makes all the difference. Acknowledge it Whether it is a big mistake or a small one, you probably should admit it to your boss.  I say "probably" because sometimes, depending on the mistake, you can "fix" it and nobody really needs to know about it and it wouldn't be good to tell your boss about every little thing you did wrong.  For instance if you are organizing a meeting and send the meeting request to the wrong person, you can easily fix it by apologizing to whoever you invited by mistake, cancel that invitation and then invite the correct person.  Other times you really do need to tell your boss because it might have repercussions and it is best to admit it up front.  You can determine whether you need to tell your boss or not, but you absolutely should admit it to yourself. Learn from ...

Hi everyone, I have been offline for a bit and wanted to touch base so you know I haven't left the planet :)  I am planning on adopting a teenager and am going through the stages for that.  As you can imagine, it is not without its hiccups, but hopefully I will be welcoming someone into my home by early August.  As a mother to a 31-year old daughter, and having gone through the teen years with her, I know there will be bumps along the way, but I am looking forward to the challenge.  Teenagers are probably the last age group people look to adopt, but everyone needs a forever family and I wanted to provide some stability to a young lady before she goes out into the world.  As a single mom I thought that was something I could handle. Have a great summer everyone and I will keep you posted on the final outcome of this adventure and how it is all working out in the office with finding a replacement for me while I go on adoption leave and training my ne...

Here is a link to an article that you might be interested in regarding the use of cell phones as it relates to your health.  Since we all use this technology I thought it would be a timely reminder that moderation is probably the best rule of thumb: http://radiologytechnicianschools.net/8-ways-cell-phones-can-harm-your-health/

Someone by the name of Cass posted a comment to my last post (please read it for context) and I thought I would reply as a new post so everyone would have the benefit of joining the dialogue as I think it is a common problem among assistants.  The more organized you are, the less work it seems to others so the less recognition you get.  Or sometimes assumptions are made that all the group helped, when it really was only one or two.  Anyway, here is what my practice used to be at my previous job where I organized a lot of events.  It was a large law firm and had a lot of Departments that I realize most organizations would not have, but I think you will get what I am saying. One of the first things I did when I had a date for an upcoming event was notify those who would be affected: The Mailroom Staff (to give them a heads up that there would be printing and binding required and extra supplies would need to be ordered such as name tags, bi...

My current boss gave me some good advice when I first started working for him and it has served me well.  He suggested that when I set up a meeting or organize travel for him I should ask myself, if I was the one going to the meeting, or on a business trip, what would I need in order to be prepared?  So I do and when he has a meeting I make sure he has the agenda and any back-up materials, the location and directions if needed, the name and title of the person he is meeting, especially if he doesn't know them well, and the purpose of the meeting.  Most of this information you can get in your initial phone call or email correspondence with the other party when you are organizing it.  If they are not sure then they can ask their boss so both of them will be prepared to meet each other.  If my boss is travelling abroad I check to see if a visa is required and make a note to remind him to bring his passport with him. ...

Hi Everyone, Once again I will be presenting on Taking Effective Meeting Minutes .  The webinar is scheduled for January 25, 2011 at 1 p.m. ET.  It is an informative session that will bring you from the pre-meeting checklist to taking the minutes, with ideas for formatting and suggested wording. Please click on the link for more information or to register:  http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/glp/35355/index.html?campaigncode=286EPR I look forward to meeting you live on the webinar. Patricia  P.S. Here is a previous article I wrote on minute taking that will give you a flavour of some of the things the webinar will include: Minute Taking Made Easy

Happy New Year everyone!  The new year is a good time to bring up the Look-Forward Agenda.  One of the challenges the recording secretary will have is to make sure they don't miss items that need to be dealt with at each meeting.  The Look-Forward Agenda is very helpful for this.  It is basically a list of items that are regularly dealt with throughout the year and provides a timetable of when these items need to be added to the agenda.  For example, our senior leadership team review financial statements each month at the first meeting after the 10th business day, and each year they need to set the annual budget in February to bring to our Board of Directors.  As well as business items, I put things such as the All-Staff Appreciation Breakfast and the Christmas Party.  These items are put on the agenda to make the decision on what date we will have it and who will arrange it. Small i...

People don't seem to be as concerned with proofreading as we used to be.  I think with texting it has brought a low expectation for accuracy as lots of mistakes are made in emails and texts and are accepted overall. When I was in school the teachers drilled proofing skills into us as they taught us the goal was to create the best product we could and proofing was part of the process to do that. Does it matter?  I think businesses are very aware of their corporate image and messy reporting reflects badly on the company so an employee who doesn't take the time may be noticed in a negative way. If an admin assistant is preparing a document for their boss, they should ensure it is as complete and accurate as possible before even passing it by their desk.  Some things we won't know, but what we do know we should ensure is correct. Some tips for proofreading that I find work best are: 1. Spell check -  This is the easiest part of proofing a document. As you...

Sometimes I find meeting requests are not as clear as they could be.  I like to see at a glance who will be at the meeting, what the purpose is and where the meeting will be held without having to open it.  For instance: Subject: Patricia, Adele and Rita meeting to discuss Christmas Party Location:  Large Boardroom, 5th Floor If it is a lunch meeting I enter the restaurant name, street address and whether a reservation was made. Subject: Linda lunch meeting with Bob Location: Red Lobster, 99 Bank Street RESERVATION IN NAME OF LINDA When it is a regular meeting or large gathering, it will make more sense to put in the name of the meeting such as Health & Safety Committee rather than listing all the names of the attendees.  You can add the agenda to the meeting request by attaching it.  To add an attachment, click on the Insert tab and choose Attach File or Attach Item.  When you send it to the attend...

I am on vacation and on my home computer I do not have a mouse so rely on keyboard shortcut keys, which reminded me again how helpful they are and how they are a big timesaver rather than reaching for the mouse all the time.  Better for you ergonomically as well.  I must admit that it helps that I learnt to use a computer on the old DOS system and shortcut keys were the only option, but even those who normally use a mouse can transition over quite easily.  Once you see the benefits and get into the habit, I am sure you will not look back. Most of them are fairly easy to remember because the letter relates to what you want the program to do.  For instance pressing the Ctrl key plus the s saves your work.  I have gotten in the habit of doing this frequently during the day and hardly even think about it until the system shuts down for some reason and then I breathe a sigh of relief when I open the document (by pressing C...

I logged onto my computer last week and put in my network password, then to open my Outlook account I had to put another password in for that.  I had to open a different software program and needed yet another password for that.  I then went to check my voicemail and had to enter a password there too.  There are just too many passwords to remember, and that doesn't include my boss's passwords that I also need to know because I have to check his emails as well as my own.  Along with our multiple work passwords, we have a password for our home computer, and if we sign up for Facebook, Twitter or any other website, we have another password to remember.  We have a password for the automated bank machine and if you bank online you have another one for that.  Even if you phone the bank they need your secret passcode or they won't speak to you about your account.  Sometimes I say ...

Do you ever get a meeting request and an agenda has not been provided, or if it is a teleconference the call-in details have not been given or the boardroom hasn't been booked for an internal meeting?  Whose responsibility is it anyway? When booking meetings ownership of the meeting has to be established.  The person sending out the request for the meeting and asking for dates would be considered the meeting organizer.  They are responsible for canvassing the participants for dates and determining the date everyone is available and communicating that information to the participants by sending out a meeting request to everyone or emailing the date (depending on how you or your organization prefers to send notices of meetings).  This person is also responsible for making sure the agenda is sent out on time and will need to set a reminder to the meeting Chair to make sure that is done.  They should also provide call-in numbers for a telecon...

I take the bus to work and I often see people getting on a busy bus and then going through their backpack or purse looking for their bus tickets and holding up the line.  I always shake my head when I see that because I think they should have had that ready before they boarded.  They had enough time as they saw the bus approaching, they know they will need it, but time and time again, they are searching for it.  I like to be prepared and I find life just works better for me at home, work and even on the bus, when I am organized and ready for whatever is coming up.  We really are creatures of habit and I find if I just keep doing it the same way each time, it becomes easier to be prepared.  For instance, I always keep my bus tickets in the front section of my purse so when I am boarding the bus I just reach in and take one out.  I don't have to think about where they are because they are always in the same place.  I find the sam...

I like to work with fixed dates. If I know something is due on February 23rd, then I can work towards the date and prioritize all my work accordingly. The way I like to do that is by creating a timeline to-do list of everything I need to do to get everything done by the required date. If it is a big project I use a calendar and write down all my required to-dos on the dates I need to get them done to make my deadline. I�m a visual person so it really helps me to plan my way to my goal. There are different styles of to-do lists and you can use the one that suits your work style and the type of project you are doing, but the main thing is to have one. By the same token, I appreciate it when someone lets me know by when they will have something for me and if they can�t have it done by that date, then I like it when they get back to me to say when I can expect it. That way I can do a proper tracking as I have a date to work with. So that is what I like, but it isn�t always what I get. If I...