The trait that I admire most in exceptional leaders (think Oprah Winfrey and Brene Brown) is the time they dedicate to learning new things. I love that they read, take on new ideas and concepts and never stop growing. This is something that I always try to find time for, and I think it is […]
Working for someone who is a micromanager is hard work. There is no denying it, and it is especially true for Assistants. We are there to save our Executive’s time and the organisation money. It is hard to do that part of our job if our Executive is involved in everything that we do. Micromanagers […]
Every business is started by someone with a vision. They are the driving force behind the business, and they want to change the world. You might not work for the person who started the organisation. But, if you work for an Executive who is the creative thinker in your organisation, someone who innovates and drives […]
Many Assistants are being asked to look after their company’s online profiles and their organisation’s social media messaging. It can be a time-consuming task that requires some thought because social media platforms change so rapidly. There are so many different platforms and options that can pull your focus. If you have been given this task, […]
Problem-solving is one of the critical skills that will be needed by office employees by 2020. You will see this skill more and more on job applications for Assistants (if you aren’t already) because we are often called upon to put out fires and deal with problems that nobody else in the office wants or […]
Managing travel can be a headache. You might still be writing long emails back and forth to your travel agent, wasting time searching for the best deals yourself, or having to wait for your travellers to send you the booking options they want. Every time they travel! And expenses—what a nightmare. You get thrown hundreds […]
When an Assistant organises an event or a large external meeting, the venue they choose will likely be among the most expensive things on their event budget. So with that in mind, we asked William Thomson from Gallus Events to share his 15 tips on how to negotiate the best deal at a venue at […]
A few years ago, I worked with a Director who did everything on paper. He rarely turned his computer on let alone sent an email or scheduled an appointment in his diary. He took his planner with him everywhere and expected it to be up to date with meetings, he wrote all of his notes […]
Just think how much time you spend organising travel for your Executive or your team? It’s a lot, right? Maybe 20% of your week? Maybe more? That time will be taken up by meticulously planning trips with the hope that nothing will go wrong while their Executive is away from the office. But from missed […]
Not my circus, not my monkey (Original Polish translation: Nie mój cyrk, nie moje malpy) In simple terms this means ‘Not my problem’ but let’s be honest, ‘not my circus, not my monkey’ is a whole lot more colourful to say and will get you noticed when you say it. This thought or attitude draws […]