Uncategorized 11:49 am
The Tool Box has upgraded!! Go see for yourself at www.eatoolbox.com.
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THANKS FOR READING — GO CHECK OUT THE NEW POSTS ON THE NEW SITE!!
P.O.W.E.R. Tools 10:51 am
What is a P.O.W.E.R. tool?
A power tool is special practice, strategy or resource that improves one or more of the following aspects of professional life:
Purpose: A power tool may help improve our sense of purpose by providing motivation or a more in-depth understanding of why we do certain things
Opportunity: A power tool may help us find and take advantage of opportunity that would normally go unnoticed
Workmanship: A power tool may help develop skills that will improve our ability to perform the tasks of our jobs
Effectiveness: A power tool may help us become more successful by increasing the impact of the work we do
Results: A power tool may help us achieve more desirable results
What is the weekly series about?
Every week E.A. Tool Box will introduce one P.O.W.E.R. Tool. We will evaluate its use and discuss how we can integrate it into our daily practices.
For now, I am asking everyone to send me one of their ideas of a P.O.W.E.R. tool. What keeps you going strong or gives you an added boost? What little tricks make all the difference in your day? If you were showing someone how to do your job, what would be the one essential tip you’d give them? Be creative – it can be anything!
E-mail me your P.O.W.E.R. Tool today. And keep your eye out for the weekly series, starting next Wednesday.
And remember to subscribe to my feed in a reader or subscribe by email so you don’t miss out.
People Skills and Personal Development 10:35 am
Good people skills are essential for every professional. How you interact with your co-workers as well as clients can impact both your personal and professional growth. I know some people consider him a T.V. quack, but Dr. Phil created a list of 10 things all people have in common (found in his book entitled “Life Strategies”) and when I read it, my eyes were opened. Suddenly, I looked at my interactions with people in a whole new light – a more patient, understanding light. So I’ve listed these traits below and I hope to hear some commentary from all of you readers. Do you agree with his breakdown of the human condition? And if so, are these new things to you? Will understanding these things help you interact with people? Or is he talking out of his you-know-what? Personally, I see myself in each and every one of these personality traits.
1. The number one fear among all people is rejection.
2. The number one need among all people is acceptance.
3. To manage people effectively, you must do it in a way that protects and enhances their self-esteem.
4. Everybody approaches every situation with at least some concern for, “What’s in it for me?”
5. Everybody prefers to talk about things that are important to them personally.
6. People hear and incorporate only what they understand.
7. People like, trust and believe those who like them.
8. People often do things for other than apparent reasons.
9. Even people of quality can be, and often are, petty and small.
10. Everybody wears a social mask. You must look beyond the mask to see the person.
Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
Daily Activities and Organizational Skills and Professional Etiquette 9:06 am
I received an interesting email the other day from a reader who brought up a valid topic for our forum. Below, is an excerpt from her email:
“As a client rather than an Executive Assistant, I would like to address an issue that I feel isn’t always considered by the professional, the appearance of the office. Just recently I have been having to be in an office that is very distracting due to the clutter and chaos of the office itself. The professional with whom I am meeting seems to be unaware of the impression he is leaving with me, the client. He is a very busy man but the number of stacks of papers and folders out on the top of the bookcase is ridiculous, and I have often been sure one of the stacks was going to slide to the floor if I so much as sneezed. The books on the bookshelves are also very haphazardly arranged and messy looking… his personal reading is left out and unread mail left as though I had interrupted his routine. He obviously needs an assistant or someone (perhaps himself?) to take a minute to sit in the clients’ chair and see the whole place from that view point. Looking busy is probably a good thing, but looking slovenly isn’t. Thanks for listening.”
Ok, there are a lot of points being made here but the overall concept is clear: the messy office is distracting from her business with this professional. In my opinion, because I work in a field where the protection and security of client information is absolutely essential, I look at this as an enormous issue of professionalism. Whatever kind of work is being done, I’m pretty sure it isn’t appropriate to allow clients to see what is being worked on for others. The stacks of paper and files are creating a very negative impression of the privacy this professional provides for his clients.
Now, here’s the thing: How much of the office appearance is the responsibility of the assistant? Granted, this professional doesn’t have one, but if he did, is he/she expected to be a maid? Well, I know it’s not in my job description per se, but I am tasked with providing a welcoming atmosphere to our clients. Even though I’m not a waitress, I offer them a glass of water or tea. Even though I’m not a gardener I water the plants in the office. And even though I’m not my boss’s mother or maid, I straighten the work table in his office after he leaves because, inevitably, he leaves a cold cup of coffee and couple of loose piles of paper at the end of every day. It’s a courtesy to our clients more than anything. If someone drops in, I don’t want them to get the impression that the woman above got – that we are so busy we don’t have time to organize ourselves. What would that say about the work we do?
Most larger offices are set up to have janitorial services at night that vacuum and dust and empty the garbage. Apparently, the poor soul above doesn’t so he should get off his duff and do it himself. For the rest of us, I don’t think it hurts or degrades us in any way to tidy up. I used to work in a bank before I started where I am now. That bank had no idea how to organize and protect client information. Stacks of paper were always everywhere. I didn’t know then how unprofessional it looked. But if I had done what the woman above is suggesting – walked in and looked through the eyes of a client – I would have been horrified. So take a minute to do that today and, if you get the creeps by the dust bunnies under the desk and the overflowing filing cabinet, take a minute to do something about it even if it’s not technically your job. Your clients will definitely appreciate it.
Thanks for reading and, as always, I welcome your comments and opinions.
Writing Skills 9:42 am
Professional correspondence can literally make or break you in the business world. While it plays a critical role in getting and keeping clients, it can also have an enormous impact on your own personal career development. Given how important writing is, it’s surprising how many people make very simple, but very significant, errors on a regular basis. The 5 steps listed below are a great “jumping off” point for improving your writing.
1 – Stop relying on spell check
Computers are dumb – this is my overriding theme when it comes to working effectively. Realize this and you’re 2 steps ahead of the game. Why do people still rely so heavily on the spell check function when it’s just not that smart? Where and wear. There, they’re, and their. Your and you’re. These are words that are all spelled correctly but can be easy mixed up. Then, a correct word becomes an incorrect word.
Example: Wear are we going to meet?
Spell check doesn’t catch it because “wear” is technically spelled correctly. But the correct word is “where”.
(Incidentally, my computer would like me to change this sentence to “wear is we going to meet?” Hmmm. How very wise.)
Example: The file is over their.
Spell check doesn’t catch it because “their” is technically spelled correctly. But the correct word is “there”.
I could go on for hours but you get the drift. The solution is simple: stop trusting the computer without turning on your brain. Print a copy of what you’ve just written and read it carefully looking for exactly these kinds of mistakes. Better yet, pass it to a co-worker and have them read it too. If you need help brushing up on these little particulars, don’t be ashamed. Keep a dictionary and a copy of “Grammar for Dummies” at your desk. I know a lot of very successful business people who need help with this kind of thing all the time. In fact, I am constantly correcting my boss’s writing. That doesn’t make him dumb. That actually makes him very smart for recognizing the importance of having someone else (with an anal retentive eye) review and correct his correspondence before sending it out.
2 – Pay close attention to formatting
Nothing screams “Unprofessional” more than a poorly formatted letter. Again, the computer typically wants to auto-format documents and this can cause huge headaches. Bullet points shift all over the page, numbered lists appear where they shouldn’t, margins change from page to page….the problems are endless. Be meticulous in your formatting because this creates the overall “look” of the document, which in turn creates the overall “impression” of your company and/or you. Don’t let small errors pass you by and don’t ignore them because you think they’re no big deal. They are. Small details, like an out of place bullet point or a wacky font, are what stand out the most sometimes.
3 – Beware of giving too much information
It’s tempting to write every detail that could possibly be needed in every piece of correspondence. Some call that being “thorough”. I call it obnoxious. Do you really need to share with the reader exactly HOW you got to the conclusion? Or do they really just want to know the conclusion itself? Do you need to tell the reader 150 different things about your company? Or would 5 appropriate details be more compelling? My philosophy is simple: less is more. Always invite questions and/or feedback. But remember that people are busy and they don’t have an hour to spend reading your correspondence. This also leaves an opening for further communication. If they want or require the detail, they will inquire about it.
4 – Just say “No” to slang
I pretty much think it’s never ok to use slang in professional correspondence. I understand that there are times when people want to show that they aren’t stuffy business robots. They want to show personality in their writing. That is definitely possible to do without resorting to slang. Words like “awesome” have no place in professional written communication. I’ve seen “groovy” used once and it made me cringe. So be creative and pull out a thesaurus if you need to. But don’t go whipping out words from high school.
5 – Keep it consistent
I think it’s nice when clients and associates can expect a certain level of professional correspondence from you. Consistency makes people comfortable. Send correspondence on the same letterhead, use the same font and format each time. Always be meticulous in your grammar and punctuation. The main benefit here is simple – people will feel more confident referring others to you and your company when they know that you pride yourself on a consistently high level of work. Your correspondence is concrete proof of that. It’s not boring, it’s professional.
Thanks for reading.
And by the way, I’m completely aware that the minute I post this someone is likely to jump on and make a comment about a spelling or grammar error I’ve made. It’s ok. I can take it. Bring it on.
Welcome 9:32 am
Well, an angel of a man (a Dumb Little Man) gave me a wonderful, unexpected boost today. He linked to my brand new baby blog on his incredibly popular blog and before I could even blink, I had over a thousand hits! A HUGE “thank you” goes out to him along with a great big cyber hug. And cyber hugs to everyone who dropped by to read me and say hi. I feel like I’ve stumbled on a warm and welcoming family in the blogger world. So, I’ll be following this post with another one for the “Executive Assistant’s Toolbox”. I want to make sure I don’t let you guys down. So check back often and I will be here with more things to share. And I can’t stress enough how wonderful it is to see comments! Please use this as a forum for asking questions that you want others to help you brainstorm on. Let’s make this a supportive atmosphere for learning and growing. Thanks for reading!
Email and Organizational Skills 4:40 am
E-mail etiquette is such a popular topic these days, there’s been entire books written on the subject. Sure, most of us know that writing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of SHOUTING over e-mail. And yes, some people still do it. If you’re one of them, please stop. I’m begging you. But there are so many things people do wrong over email. Most of us think we’re pretty good at getting our “tone” across in writing. The fact of the matter is, it’s a lot more difficult than we think. Because of that, e-mail communication can actually cause a lot of misunderstanding, confusion, and frustration. In real terms, that can mean lost dollars and angry clients in the business world. Below are 5 mistakes I’ve personally made. I hope that, by bringing these to light, I can help prevent some of you from making the same mistakes. And, as always, I ask you to add on your personal e-mail etiquette mistakes in the comments section. Go ahead – share and unburden yourself!
1. Taking an overly familiar and too casual tone.
Example: Hi Mark, I wanted to schedule a meeting for you with James next week. How does Thursday look for you? Let me know when you can. Thanks! Take Care, Chrissy.
Ok, that’s fine if you’re friends with Mark. If you’re not and Mark is a client or business associate, this is way to informal and it just makes you look very unprofessional. Try sprucing it up a bit, especially if you are initiating the e-mail conversation. Once you see how they respond, you can mirror their style.
Example: Dear Mr. Smith, I’d like to schedule a meeting for you with James Edwards in the near future. He has some time available on Thursday. Please let me know if this would work for you and, if so, what time you would like to meet. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time. Most Sincerely, Christine Scivicque.
Reply: Hi Christine, Thursday is fine. Please put me down for 2:00. Thanks! Mark
Reply: Hi Mark, Thanks for the quick reply! Thursday at 2:00 is perfect. We’ll see you then. Chrissy
2. CC’ ing too many people (or the same person too many times).
Only CC the people who really need to know what the email is about. You don’t want to flood your boss’s inbox with things he’s not really concerned about. When I first started, I wanted to show my boss that I was doing what he asked me to do so I always sent him a copy of my emails. Then, the responder always hit “reply all” and before he knew it, he was getting multiple emails that had no action required for him. Eventually, he was totally annoyed with seeing all my correspondence and I had to stop. I only do it now for critical things that he may need to know I’ve corresponded on or things he has to take action on.
3. Trusting the computer SPAM filter.
My computer, like most, throws random email into the junk file at its own discretion. I’ve found important messages in there months after they were sent. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle for email. I check it every day now without fail. There is just too much chance for huge problems to ensue. If you have a SPAM filter, which I think we all do at this point, sometimes the computer is just not smart enough to know what’s junk and what’s not. Double check it. There’s no harm to it.
4. Sending Email Instead of Talking.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of sending email instead of having a real face to face conversation. Building strong social networks at work is important and it just can’t be done over email. As my boss says, “Wear out the carpet!”. That means, don’t be shy about going to visit people’s offices with your questions. Talking face to face gets the point across much easier and much faster most of the time. Send it in email if you need a paper record of the conversation. Otherwise, talk and get to know your co-workers. It makes work more fun and it improves communication immensely. Likewise, if you find yourself writing a page long email to a client, stop and pick up the phone instead.
5. Sending the right email to the wrong person (and vice versa).
Watch out for that “auto-fill” feature that fills in the address of the person the computer thinks you’re sending a message to. Computers are dumb. Don’t forget that. But if you don’t double check the computer, you’re dumb too.
Welcome 1:40 am
The Executive Assistant’s Tool Box is officially launched!
Our Mission Statement: To provide a central source for Executive and Administrative Assistants to find LOTS OF resources on a WIDE VARIETY of topics that will help ensure their success.
The idea for this blog was hatched when I, a humble Executive Assistant, found myself slogging through the wild internet wastelands in search of help. The question: How to effectively organize the management of my boss’s monthly expense reports. The process in place was a frustrating, disorganized mess that caused both him and me to dread the topic. Thus, we found ourselves three months behind and I was charged with finding a new way to tackle the problem and prevent it from happening again. My strategy: I Googled it. And, outside of learning that there is an incredible amount of really useless looking accounting software out there, I gained no insight on how to manage the process. So this got me thinking: Executive Assistants face a lot of unique situations exactly like this. And somewhere out there, an Executive Assistant has a very simple and effective strategy for handling her boss’ expense reports. PRESTO! The EA Tool Box was born as a way to build a community for assistants of all kinds – Executive, Administrative, Personal and Everything In Between – to gather together their best and brightest ideas for managing the complicated and eclectic duites we are tasked with.
So I encourage everyone to share their strategies and resources. Don’t hold back! We have a lot to learn from each other. If you’re like me (and I’m guessing that, if you’re reading this, you are) you realize that your job as an Assistant is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to the success of your “boss” – whatever that is – a company or a person. The desire to do well will come through in your actions. And whatever you want to do with your career – if you want to be the boss’ assistant until the day he or she retires, or if you want to someday BE the boss – the strategies for success are the same: SEEK out opportunities. TRY new strategies. SHARE winning strategies. And always keep LEARNING.
I hope you enjoy this blog, participate, and pass it along.
The Executive Assistant\'s Tool Box 