Ask a person if he likes criticism, and he’ll probably say no. Most of us would prefer constant praise. But most of us also want to know that people take our work seriously. We crave feedback that is thoughtful and thought-provoking. The trick is learning how to give and receive meaningful feedback. Here’s how:
Think you might have what it takes to lead—whether it’s your admin team or a committee of volunteers? Take this quiz from CareerBuilder.com to rate your skill level. Ask a trusted peer to complete it and assess your skill as well.
“My senior admin recently asked us what we should discuss during our monthly admin meetings,” a reader wrote. With time at a premium, this is a good point, as there’s an ever-increasing need for groups to get more real work done during regular meetings. Suggestions for making your next admin meeting more productive:
At work, numbers speak volumes. If you can’t show, quantitatively, that something is improving, then how can you really know it’s improving? It’s not surprising, then, that more admins are being asked to set SMART goals to be evaluated against.
Q. The Gregg Reference Manual says to use a comma to set off abbreviations that follow a person’s name, such as “Jane Doe, CPS.” I recently proofed a newsletter where some names did not have the comma. A: An argument could be made for doing it either way.
Have an important meeting coming up? Need some etiquette and protocol tips to help you shine? It really is all about how you present yourself. Self-promotion is key in moving up the business ladder, and manners never go out of style.
Question: “Although I am considered the lead supervisor in my department and have practically run the place for the past year, the company recently chose someone else to be department manager. An executive who is new to our company made this decision. He didn’t offer me an interview or make any effort to get to know me. I am having trouble accepting the situation and feel very resentful. How can I get past this? And when I talk with this executive, how do I convince him that I would have been the right person for the job?” — Passed Over
Question: “We have an employee currently on maternity leave who comes into work to check her e-mails, make work calls etc. This person has paperwork signed that she is on Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for 12 weeks due to pregnancy complications. She is currently in her third week of leave. How should this be handled? Are there liability issues? We do not have a doctor’s release yet for this person.” — Anonymous
Question: “Due to a reorganization, an administrative assistant that I have worked side-by-side with for 10 years was reassigned from Operations to HR. She still continues doing most of the work she did previously, even though I should now perform most of those duties. She had no choice in the reassignment and doesn’t feel secure in her new position. How should I tactfully tell her that I should now handle the duties for the Operations department?” — Mary
Question: “I’m concerned that my new boss may have unrealistic expectations about my abilities. After joining this company, I worked for three managers who all gave me outstanding appraisals. However, my most recent supervisor, “Ms. Jones,” decided to lay me off. Fortunately, I have been offered a position by a manager in another department, “Mr. Smith.” After hearing about this, Ms. Jones said, “Mr. Smith will soon find out that you don’t walk on water.” When I mentioned this remark to the HR manager, she said the glowing reviews in my personnel file create the impression that I can do anything. I asked if these comments could be removed to avoid misleading people, but she said no. Now I’m worried about disappointing Mr. Smith and losing another job. How can I lower his expectations?” — JPK
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