MARCH 2014
2
Go on, challenge yourself
I went to the gym the other day; I
got on one of the leg machines and
the person before me had put it on
the absolutely lowest setting.
Now, I'm no Hayley Wicken-
heiser, but even I know that if
you're only pushing 15 kg with
your legs, you're going pretty light.
So unless that person (a) has a
serious injury or (b) weighs 30 kg,
she is probably just not challenging
herself.
I get it. I hate working out. But
we all have to get exercise to stay
healthy. (Blah-blah-blah...)
But you're at the gym anyway—
you changed, got in the car, drove
there, parked, went in, started
working out. And then, what?,
you're going to do the bare mini-
mum?
So like life
We get dressed, go to work, sit at
our desk—and so often we set the
bar on the lowest possible setting.
To outsiders, it looks like we're
accomplishing something. And
technically, we are. But by not giv-
ing ourselves any kind of challenge,
we're cheating ourselves; we're not
going to grow in our job.
Think back to your job interview.
You were so excited about that job
and you worked so hard to get it.
Did you ever think that one day
you'd be sitting at your desk, doing
the bare minimum on a task?
How to raise the bar
One simple way to challenge your-
self is to do a task more thoroughly.
The next time you receive an email
with a request for information, re-
ally think about what that person
needs (not just what she's asking
for) and empty out your memory
bank into that email. Tell them
everything you think that might
help them. And while you're at
it, give them specifi c, shortened
URLs (rather than vague links to a
homepage on some website where
"you can fi nd more information
here"). Don't make them look up
phone numbers—supply it in your
response.
Here's another example: think
about your boss's next meeting.
Does she have everything she
needs? Is there anything you could
research for her, fi les you could
locate, new competitive data you
could look up—anything that might
help her perform better in that
meeting?
The next time you fi nd yourself
doing the bare minimum—in other
words, being comfortable—think
about raising the bar a little. And
when that gets comfortable, raise it
again.
It's how we grow.
Administrative Assistant's Update
is published once a month by
Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
EDITORIAL OFFICE
v joycegrant@sympatico.ca
S (416) 656-7796
U Joyce Grant, Editor
Administrative Assistant's Update
Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
1 Corporate Plaza,
2075 Kennedy Road
Toronto, ON M1T 3V4
CUSTOMER SERVICE
S (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164
T FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041
v carswell.customerrelations@
thomsonreuters.com
Contents copyright. All rights reserved.
© 2014 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
Contents may not be reproduced without
written permission. Brief extracts may be
made with due acknowledgement.
Annual subscription: $189.
Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782
GST# 897176350
UPDATE
Administrative
Assistant's
F R O M T H E E D I TO R
Joyce Grant
AAU – now in full-colour
Nope, it's not your eyes—AAU is now
in colour! It's not the fi rst "update to
the Update" that we've made, but it is
perhaps the most dramatic. We hope you
enjoy our new look. Thank you to layout
designer extraordinaire John Kieffer and
to Production Manager Lisa Drummond
and publisher John Hobel at Thomson
Reuters for helping us make the change.
2014 March AAU.indd 2 2014 March AAU.indd 2 14-02-24 1:47 PM 14-02-24 1:47 PM
