Build teams with 3 Cs
When assembling a team, ask the group to pick a commander, a collaborator and a communicater. The commander is the leader, the collaborator builds teamwork, and the communicator serves as spokesperson.
Year: 2011
What’s fair to expect of an admin?
Is it wrong for the boss to ask an assistant to handle his water bill? Should a boss’s personal tasks be part of an administrative pro’s duties? Our readers weighed in on the topic, revealing a range of opinions on what’s fair to expect of an admin.
Are you an Asker or a Taker?
Encouraging admin professionals to ask clearly and directly for what they need is a core strategy for success. Some individuals are very comfortable asking others for what they want, but they’re not Askers. Instead, they’re Takers. Let me describe the difference.
Issue an invitation with food
On an employee’s first day at one company, a huge tray of breakfast food is placed near her desk. An e-mail invites all employees to come get some goodies and say hello to the new team member.
Stand up for comfort–and more energy, too
Standing up—not only when you take a break but also while working—can keep you comfortable and energized throughout the day. Studies of people using sit/stand workstations in the past few years indicate that the ability to shift position easily several times a day can reap many benefits:
Gum-popping co-worker drives me crazy!
Question: “I work in a small office with a woman who loudly cracks and snaps her chewing gum. This lady is pushing 40 years old, so her behavior seems very unprofessional. The popping noises drive me crazy and make it hard to concentrate. I’ve tried earplugs, but they get in the way when I need to answer the phone or talk to people. I spend my breaks with the gum chewer, so I don’t want to aggravate her. How do I handle this?” —Need Some Quiet
Tackle the assignment you dread
You’re a model of efficiency … except when it comes to that one task you dread. Whether it’s filing, completing an assignment for your “difficult” manager or approaching the boss about a raise, you fall prey to the procrastination monster. You know the answer is “Just do it,” so push yourself along with these tactics:
Rebound from blunders
When you make a faux pas, don’t ignore it and don’t expect others to. Instead poke fun at yourself with an undercurrent of seriousness. Say, “What I just did is an example of what not to do.” Then move on.
Lateral steps aren’t always missteps
Don’t limit your career choices to staying in place or climbing the ladder. Sometimes, a lateral move represents the best—or only—option. Here’s when to accept a new position at the same level:
Sage advice
“Finish every day and be done with it,” advised essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. “You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; but forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, and you should never encumber its potentialities and invitation with dread of the past.”