Jasmine Freeman’s job as chief executive assistant to Joan Burge at Office Dynamics keeps her busy supporting Burge’s day-to-day work and developing social media to support the business. A number of tools help her “keep on top of things”:
Administrative assistant Linda Bates was on her way to a ski vacation when she got a frantic phone call: “The copy machine is jammed! What should I do?” Bates says the path to creating a self-sufficient staff begins with teaching them how to use equipment as it comes into the office.
Defer judgment … The more ideas the better … Bosses, don’t hijack the discussion. These are among the top rules of a productive brainstorming session. Before a team even begins the meeting, though, be sure to set up the room for maximum effectiveness:
During World War II, the British Air Ministry tried to figure out why they’d had so many bomber losses. Engineers looked at every bullet hole on every bomber and decided to add armor plating to the areas with the most holes. It didn’t work. Enter Abraham Wald, a mathematician.
Make your email more readable by crafting enticing subject lines … Why wait for an annual review to get feedback? Ask for one-minute feedback at every opportunity … Knock out more of your critical to-dos by whittling down your to-do list each day … Go ahead: Ask for a $100,000 salary …
It’s not merely information overload that’s overwhelming administrative professionals. The data fog is thickening at a time when many companies are asking people to do more. Try these tips for weeding out unnecessary information:
Switzerland’s Anti-PowerPoint Party is seeking support for a national referendum to ban the use of PowerPoint. Author Matthias Poehm believes PowerPoint is the wrong tool for making an effective presentation. His advice? Go back to using a flip chart.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. This old management adage explains why most bosses want administrative professionals to create measurable goals. But how do you measure results in a job that’s often about responding to others’ needs?
One way you can help team meetings run more smoothly is to make sure attendees come to any meeting ready to engage. Try these two tips from Al Pittampalli, author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting:
You may take it as a given that browsing the Internet makes you less productive, just as eating lunch at your desk makes you more productive. According to studies, though, both of those statements may be myths.
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