Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/407758
UPDATE PM #40065782 P r o f e s s io n a l D e v e l o P M e n t f o r C a n a Da' s o f f iC e s u P P o r t s ta f f Administrative Assistant's ocTobEr 2014 UPDATE Sources of stress According to the 2013 Sun Life Canadian Health Index, here are the top things people stress about. Personal or house hold finances . . . . . . . . . . . . 41% Budgeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29% Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . 29% Health issues . . . . . . . . . . . . 28% Unexpected expenses . . . . . . 26% Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25% Saving for retirement . . . . . . 23% Family health issues . . . . . . . 20% Time management . . . . . . . . 19% Government spending/cuts . 15% The economy . . . . . . . . . . . . 14% Finding a job . . . . . . . . . . . . 14% Caring for children . . . . . . . . . 9% Caring for dependents . . . . . . 7% Commuting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% InSIDE Small indulgences . . . . . . . . . 2 Life's "affordable luxuries." Viral videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 You can't just "create" one. They have to happen organically – and that's out of your hands. MS Word tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Eight great formatting shortcuts. Staying calm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 It's not easy to stay calm when there's craziness happening around you. Expert Ulla de Stricker offers some advice. Continued on page 4 Project management… Managing when you're not the manager Good news—you've been doing so well at your job that your boss has asked you to take charge of a project team. It's a great opportunity for you to stretch as an administrative profes- sional and show your potential. There's just one thing you're con- cerned about: some members of the team outrank you and you're not sure whether they'll follow your lead. If you exhibit the qualities of a leader, you can effectively manage coworkers even though you're not their manager. Here are some specific ways to gain their respect. Communicate clearly Before you get started, make sure you understand what your manager and other stakeholders want from the project and when they want it. This will allow you to give clear and consistent information to your team. Verify that your team members' supervisors are aware of their com- mitments to the initiative, so there are no scheduling conflicts down the road. Then, set up a schedule for proj- ect milestones that everyone finds agreeable, and ensure that people can access that schedule for the length of the project. Allow some wiggle room in the timeline so you can accommodate any work that's taking longer than expected, with- out compromising your goals. Provide ongoing updates on the progress of the project. If any impor- tant issues arise, let everyone know immediately; don't wait until the next team meeting. No one wants to feel blindsided or out of the loop. Listen to your intuition when it's telling you there's a potential problem building. It's far easier to address issues proactively than to deal with them after they've snow- balled into bigger concerns. Listen to the team Good leaders focus their attention on the group and its goals, rather than making it all about themselves and bolstering their reputations through project management. Remember, it's not about con-