Administrative Sparkle

or others will do it for you.

Interestingly, I’m hoping this comes across as an inspirational piece. With the old year coming to a close and a new year just on the horizon, some may be looking ahead with a sigh instead of a glint of hope for their 2010 future. So I hope reading this is a gentle reminder of the contribution that you make every day as a professional assistant.

It is important that you take an active role in who you are. It’s easy to get beaten down. Don’t allow other people to define who you are. I tend to be a pretty straight forward kind of person. If I care about you, I will be completely honest with you; not brutal, but honest. On the flip side, if I don’t care what you think, I am more likely not to tell you what I think. There’s a point, really.

There are people out there who are so dissatisfied with their lives that they: 1) let everyone know, 2) make life miserable for anyone who comes within their sphere of contact, and/or 3) try to put other people down by being mean-spirited or doing everything they can to make others look bad, even if that means lying. First let me say, try not to let them get to you. Needless to say, these are the people I don’t bother to give my opinion or voice what I think. In fact, I make great efforts to speedily move on. Limit your contact as much as possible if you can.

I have worked with a variety of different bosses, with different styles. I come from a mid-size family, six siblings, and we all have very different personalities. It’s amazing we are all related. I have friends from all ranges of economic and educational backgrounds. The people we come into contact with have an affect on how we think of ourselves, our value, and our self-esteem.

It’s important that you manage, to the best extent you can because we cannot “control” every person or situation we come into contact with, the people and things that you do choose to bring into your life that greatly influences you. So make them count.

Some things you can do to be the best you believe you are destined to be:

Always Do Your Best.

There are a lot of people who work for very difficult bosses or clients. The first thing that always comes to my mind to say is, “Quit.” After a while people start avoiding them. Nobody wants to hear it, and if they really hate it, then why aren’t they making efforts to find something else, something better. Please go, so the rest of us can get our work done. No pity parties here.

I remember some friends of mine, when I lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that were teachers. I would always hear how they don’t get paid very much, that class sizes are a lot to manage, sometimes they feel like the babysitter or they were the ones that were supposed to teach a kid to be respectful, hard-working, industrious, and to treat others with respect, but they LOVE what they do. They absolutely love teaching. They love the satisfaction of possibly having an impact on a child. So for the teacher who goes into work each day, feeling under-appreciated, you have a major impact on our future. You make a difference.

In the administrative field, we can feel the same way. Our boss treats us like we’re uneducated or that it doesn’t take that much skill to type something up, or organize a filing system, or answer the phone and make each caller feel like they are important and the company’s number one priority, or put together a spreadsheet. I’ve seen some online job sites where the expectation for quality administrative services is requested at maybe $5.00 an hour.

If you love what you do and you are GREAT at what you do, don’t let “them” affect the output of your work. Define yourself by the quality of the work that you do. It’s not about the person, it’s YOUR work. How you submit your work each day or in every assignment is a testament to the quality and professionalism of what you bring to the industry.

Even attorneys get a bad rap. The hurdles, sacrifices, and time; the college, the cost of tuition, the bar exam, and there are people who treat them like they are all ambulance chasers. I used to work as the assistant to two partners of a law firm in St. Paul, Minnesota. One was a man, the other a woman. I have such a high regard for both of them, not only professionally, but how they conduct themselves personally as well. They define the law profession to me. It’s the rest who choose to perpetuate the reputation you want to stay clear of.

It’s the same in the administrative field. Stand out as someone exceptional. Have pride in what you do, your talents and skills, knowledge and education, and who you are. You bring a lot to the profession. We have to undo all the incompetence that bad assistants bring to the profession.

Keep Learning.

Read great information that keeps you informed and on top of your industry; blogs, books, audio, video. Take classes. Go to seminars. Find a mentor. Ask someone you admire how something is done that you don’t know.

Take Pride in Yourself.

I’m not saying to be proud in an arrogant kind of way, just that you are not always going to get that “pat on the back.” So you have to give them to yourself. Surround yourself with people who are proud of you and make you smile in your personal life. You may not necessarily find yourself working in an environment of great leadership, but you can surround yourself with the people who have the qualities and attitude that you wish to aspire each day.

…

In 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball League, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. But greater challenges and achievements were in store for him. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation’s preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South.

At the end of Robinson’s rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he was selected as the NL’s Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

…

http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html

Let me clarify that when Jackie Robinson started, he was spit on as he entered the field with the rest of his team. He was exceptional at what he did and did not let others define him or compromise his ethics when it came to doing what he loved, and what he was GREAT at.

As I’ve said many times before, “Love what you do.”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Gandhi

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