Administrative Assistant's Update

JANUARY 2018 P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O R C A N A D A ' S O F F I C E S U P P O R T S T A F F Administrative Assistant's UPDATE UPDATE PM #40065782 INSIDE Managing emotions � � � � � � � � 2 9 things emotionally intelligent people avoid to increase EQ Writing tips � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3 Cut to the chase by editing out your excess verbiage IQ and EQ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5 One of them is the "strongest predictor of performance" Upgrading to C-suite � � � � � � � 6 It's not the right move for everyone – is it for you? By Jennifer Lewington AAU Associate Editor Admin professional Rena Schill was skeptical when she first heard about emotional intelligence – the skill of reacting calmly in the heat of the moment. "We kind of down - played it at first," re- calls Schill, corporate services and records management coordi- nator for the City of Williams Lake, B.C. "I thought it was fluffy and who would need that?" But she and other admin profes- sionals increasingly see value in learning to identify their emotional trigger-points – and those of others – to defuse stressful situations. Emotionally intelligent admins are well placed to assist a stressed- out boss unexpectedly called to a crisis meeting; fill in at short notice for an absent colleague; or deal with disgruntled customers at the front counter. "Reading other people's signals and reacting appropriately is something we can all do," says Sherri Biluk, executive as - sistant to the director of corporate services and the manager of real estate for the City of Vernon, B.C. "It [emotional intel- ligence] is something administrative assistants can use to our advantage." Last fall, Biluk and Schill both chose to pursue professional develop- ment of their emotional intelligence skills when they attended a workshop on the topic at the administrative professionals' conference held by the Local Government Management As- sociation of B.C. Workshop leader Stacey Holloway, senior consultant and principal of Vancouver-based Holloway Group, says emotional intelligence is "a rela- tively new concept." But, she adds, "Once you start to learn what it is and what it means, people suddenly realize they are very emotionally intelligent or somewhat emotionally intelligent and never learned to recog- nize it, appreciate it or understand the importance of it." In her work with diverse organiza- tions, including municipal govern- ments, Holloway says administrative assistants face particular demands to manage their emotions for the good of the organization. Getting ahead Admin professionals who are tech- savvy and well-informed on the latest business software are well placed to stay ahead in an evolving job market. Last year's (2017) "hottest administrative jobs" required knowledge of accounts payable and receivable, payroll administra- tion and bookkeeping, according to Randstad Canada, an international recruitment firm. "The role of administrative staff has not dimin- ished; in fact, quite the opposite." Analysis by the firm concludes: "Adding accounting skills to your resume is a sure-fire way to boost your employment prospects in the administrative field in 2017 and beyond." – Source: Randstad Canada Continued on page 4 Harnessing emotions for better results Credit: Macrovector (Shutterstock) Rena Schill Sherri Biluk

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