Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2010 Administrative Sparkle Blog
Nothing is perfect and, really, would we want it to be? What would we have to challenge us? What would inspire us to push past our comfort zone and do or be what we may not believe is who we are or capable of? Isn’t it the discontent of achieving beyond our limitations that inspires us? Isn’t the mere fact that “limitations” shouldn’t even be in our vocabulary.
I want to inspire you today to GO FOR IT! Stop dreaming, pining, wishing and DO IT! I am truly excited for you and WITH you. Why? Because you deserve it. You really do!
Why am I writing this today? I have had my challenges to overcome for quite some time. Thinking, “Okay, when is the pendulum going to start swinging my way?” This has become a transformative year for me. Relocating back to California, again, was scary and I had a lot of work to do to get on my feet and start over. It’s nice to be able to wipe the slate clean and just kind of start over, but you bring along with it some of your past that may need to be resolved and, in essence, some baggage to clear up.
I had a laundry list of stuff I had to do.
- Help my mom through the difficulty of losing one of her children, my brother, to cancer one week coming into the California border. I had my own emotions to sort through to process the death of my “big” brother. Not a close relationship, but fond and admirable nonetheless.
- Help my mom through her second hip surgery. Surgery went great, but recovery wasn’t going so well and me and my siblings almost lost our beloved mother at age 84. I convinced the facility to send her home where I would personally care for her. I even helped her to start walking again after 10 years of getting around in a wheelchair.
- Find a job. Through aggressive pursuit, I landed a job with the State of California. I did this with my mom trying to tell me that California is just not hiring. I would tell her to stop with such talk and convince her that there were great opportunities for someone with my skill and background.
- Find my own place. I happened to fall in the perfect place, for where I was at in my life, at the perfect moment.
All of this within the first six months coming back home to California. That, in and of itself, was quite an accomplishment.
I have been back in California for a little over two years now and this year has “success” written all over it. I had some mishaps along the way. For example, while working full-time and taking a college course and in finals, I failed a promotional exam. I was carrying a lot on my mind and just didn’t have the focus to blow up the exam. I didn’t beat myself up and think I must be stupid as hell. I still had a lot to do and knew that the perfect opportunity would arrive. I passed the exam with flying colors the next time I took it, but I was also able to make it my focus and nothing consumed my brain when the time came.
I believe we are presented opportunities when we are ready. When something that I want does not come through or I feel like I am beating my head against a wall to get it, I resolve to let it go knowing that it is not in the design, at least for the moment.
My point is, DO SOMETHING. You can’t set the wheels in motion unless you take action that gets you from where you are today to where you want to be. Interestingly, you will find other opportunities just showing up out of nowhere.
I started writing this blog on accident. I had set up a website to explore my own business. Holding down a full-time job and taking classes, I wasn’t able to market or work that part of it. I started writing. Now I have people from all over the world I get to know and interact with. I wouldn’t have had that if I didn’t start writing here. I fell into something I enjoy doing by taking action on something I wanted.
You see, we may see something that we want, but we can end up getting something better.
- Determine. What do you want?
- Brainstorm. What do you need to do to get where you want to go?
- Take action. Just take that first step to get you going in your intended direction.
- Focus. Keep going. Do the next thing.
- You hit a roadblock. Do something else that moves you toward your desire.
- Determination. Keep going. It’s okay to take a break and recoup, but set a limit and plunge back in with conviction to accomplish the next series of steps.
- Celebrate. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the moment of accomplishment. Do the happy dance. Let the joy surround you in the moment and the people you are with.
- Move on. If you have people who you feel aren’t excited with you, know when to limit or sever your time with them. You are moving in directions they allow fear to hold them back. You have courage to jump when they are held motionless. Move on to people and circumstances that will start coming your way because you have opened your world up to and expanded your vision.
Watch your world open up! It is truly exciting and you are truly courageous to put yourself out of your comfort zone, believe that you are exceptional, and have the faith that you deserve all the great things life has to offer you.
I’m cheering for you. Let me know what you’re doing in going after the “brass ring.” NO, let’s make it the “platinum ring.”
###
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
###
Management is about people skills. I have experience working in a variety of industries, working with great managers and many more very bad managers. Great managers garner the trust and respect from their staff. Great managers have a knack for tapping into a person’s unique gifts and talents and know what makes them shine. They seem to have a way of polishing a “diamond in the rough” that allows them to shine and grow in their position, as well as in self-confidence. They know how to challenge their staff without crushing their spirit. Staff feel they are heard and understood when they talk to their manager. Great managers realize the conduct and actions of who they oversee is a direct reflection. Ultimately, the expectation of the office culture flows top down.
If a manager treats his or her direct reports with respect and professional courtesy, but allows the direct reports to disempower their staff, whose responsibility is it? If there is a high turnover rate, what processes should be in place in creating a conducive, productive, and collaborative environment?
Reactive management responds in the following manner:
- They are reactive: they doubt themselves and blame others.
- They work without any clear end in mind.
- They do the urgent thing first.
- They think Win/Lose.
- They seek first to be understood.
- If they can’t win, they compromise.
- They fear change and put off improvement.
Stephen Covey states,
The more a leader is honored, respected, and generally regarded by others, the more legitimate power he will have with others.
Stephen Covey gives us his ten suggestions “for processes that will increase a leader’s honor and power with others:”
- Be persuasive: commit to stay in the communication process until mutually beneficial and satisfying outcomes are reached.
- Be patient: maintain a long-term perspective and stay committed to your goals in the face of short-term obstacles and resistance.
- Be gentle when dealing with vulnerabilities, disclosures, and feelings that followers might express.
- Be teachable: appreciate the different points of view, judgments, and experiences that followers may have.
- Show acceptance: withhold judgment, giving the benefit of the doubt.
- Be kind: remember the little things (which are the big things) in relationships.
- Be open: give full consideration to followers’ intentions, desires, values, and goals, rather than focusing exclusively on their behavior.
- Be compassionate: in confrontation, acknowledge errors and mistakes in a context of genuine care, concern, and warmth, making it easier for people to take risks.
- Be consistent: do not use your leadership style as a manipulative technique in order to get your own way.
- Show integrity: honestly match words and feelings with thoughts and actions.
Really these are skills that we should all strive to employ in all our interactions with everyone we come into contact with. Rather universal. It about communicating with one another that sincerely elicits respect and encourages building relationships.
