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Released On:
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
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BYRON RICKS
www.byronricks.com
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STRATEGIC EXECUTIVE SUPPORT
Career Track
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By: Byron Ricks, MA
Welcome to the Career Track and how timely, the 2008 APC is just around the corner. This year’s conference as I am sure you know is in San Antonio, Texas home of the Alamo, Sea World, and the infamous River Walk. If you have ever attended an ASAP conference then you know that there will be lots of learning, laughter, resource information and fun. I hope you all are booked, packed, and ready to go!
I have worked with ASAP for several years now, some of you probably have taken one of my sessions, if you haven’t look for me this year in San Antonio, and if you have drop by and say hi as you explore other learning opportunities. Not only am I excited about this year’s conference I am equally excited about the opportunity to communicate with you via Career Talk. Here we will chat about the plethora of ideas you have, the opportunities, challenges and issues you face as an administrative professional.
Perplexed about what the first topic Career Talk would explore I decided to poll my AP network. They overwhelmingly agreed that strategic executive support should be the first topic, so here we go. It is challenging when you have to support a busy executive with many competing priorities. Your boss has a meeting with the CEO next month and there are important department initiatives that need to be rolled out, everything has a level of importance. The challenge is balancing all that needs to be done while keeping your boss focused on the right things and maintaining a positive attitude. I reached in my suggestion box and came up with this suggestion for said challenge. It is important for AP’s to prioritize. This is not just thinking in ABC’s and 123’s, it is proactively looking at the needs of the department and acting against them by following up and asking the right questions. It is important to be able to visualize the road ahead and think through every step i.e., meetings, analysis, compilations etc. Taking this initiative is a six step process: 1). Find out what’s important – avoid wasted time and rework later by asking questions up front to determine what’s important for your internal and external customers, team members and colleagues and your boss. 2). Look for ways to make improvements – try to find ways of doing things that will increase quality, improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and take less time. 3). Ask for coaching – asking for coaching and feedback is not a sign of weakness or a signal that you lack knowledge or ability. It shows your strength, that you are willing to try something new and is not afraid to ask for advice on how to improve. 4). Involve and support others – seek input from a variety of sources: a knowledgeable peer, your leader, someone from another department, a customer. 5). Measure results – proactively seek measures of performance instead of waiting for someone else to do it. Try: creating a simple survey to assess satisfaction with your work, record results over a period of time to spot any significant trends. 6). Never be satisfied keep learning – by continually updating your skills and refining how you do things, you will be able to respond to evolving customer needs and become a more valuable asset to your organization. No company can offer you lifetime employment but if you take number six to heart, you will assure yourself lifetime employability. More on Lifetime Employability next article see you then.
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