Admin Chronicles

ASAP (American Society of Administrative Professionals)

The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), like AdminChronicles, is a free on-line professional development resource for administrative professionals. 

Included among the many career development tools offered by ASAP are webinars from featured industry experts in the areas of leadership skill building, professional development, team building and life coaches. 

ASAP's experts provide guidance in the areas of jump-starting your career, developing your personal brand of leadership and putting yourself on the path to promotion. 

If you're interested in paying ASAP a visit, I recommend that you begin your journey by viewing their three-part series, Advanced Skills for Today's Top Assistant.  I'm sure you'll find it worth the trip!

Grammar Girl: Top Ten Grammar Myths

One of my favorite sites is Grammar Girl.  GG provides short, friendly tips to improve both your communication skills, both written and spoken.  

Covering the grammar rules and word choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers, Grammar Girl makes complex grammar questions simple with memory tricks to help you recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules.

Whether English is your first language or second language, Grammar Girl’s punctuation, style, and business tips will make you a better and more successful writer. Mignon Fogarty, the creator and host of Grammar Girl, is an admins best friend. 

Be sure to check out Grammar Girl's Top Ten Grammar Myths. 

10 Ways To Become Indispensable To Your Boss (Well, Almost).

All you have to do is read the newspaper, watch television, or check the balance of your 401(k) to know that we are living in harsh economic times. As a matter of fact, the world economy is facing an economic crisis of potentially epic proportions.   

If you haven't already lost your job -- and if you're anything like me -- you're wondering if you'll have a job tomorrow. While you can't change the course of history, you can do everything in your power to prevent becoming a casualty of our economy. 

And while nobody can guarantee that one thing vs. another is the solution to avoiding a downsizing, I came across this great post at Adeccousa.com,that offers clear suggestions on how to survive in today's economic environment. 

These tips may not only help you keep your current job, but may also help you develop a job strategy that will help you distinguish yourself from other candidates. 

Monster.com: How to Write Better Memos and Reports

Although I've always loved to write, I can remember my panic the first time I was asked to write a memo on my boss' behalf.   Unfortunately-- at least for me --  she was on an international business trip and the time zone and her itinerary made it extremely difficult for her to handle this communication herself. 

She briefed me on the issue, and asked that I provide her with a draft within the next couple of hours for approval.  After I "whined" for about 20 minutes, I reasoned that if she had enough confidence in me to assign this project to me, I should have enough confidence to give it my best.

After taking a few minutes to draft the key points based on our conversation, I met with a number of her direct reports to clarify and flesh out those points.  After a re-write based on those conversations, I was able to provide her with a draft -- within the assigned deadline.  The memo was reviewed by the senior leadership team and released company-wide with only minor changes.

By having the courage -- I don't know if its called courage if you basically have no choice -- smile -- to reach out of your comfort zone, you often surprise yourself!

To learn more about writing better memos and reports be sure sure to check out this post on Monster.com. 

What is a Board of Advisors and Why Every Smart Professional Should Have One (Part 2 of 2)

In Part 1, we discussed the what and why of having a Board of Advisors.  Here, in Part 2, I'll shre with you important steps in selecting the members of your Board.

Follow these tips to choose the members of your Board of Advisors. 

Start assembling. Once you have come up with a list, you will want to start asking these folks what they think of your idea and how they feel about making your arrangement a bit more formal.

You’ll also want to:

·         Praise them. Be sure they understand how valuable and valued their counsel has been.

·         Access them. Make sure they understand what you are asking and that, while you aren’t seeking daily or even weekly advice, you want to be sure they can reply and help when needed.  

·         Keep it on the down-low…for now. Keep these conversations, whether by phone or e-mail, low-key – don’t start sending press releases or telling everyone you know that so-and-so is on your new personal B of A.

Keep in mind that this designation is not for everyone and not every candidate you “vet” will be willing or able to commit. That’s OK!

Going forward, you will want to determine how and how often to tap into your board. You may send a monthly (you can determine the frequency) e-mail to each (separately) with questions you have been “saving up.” Or, you might go the “old-fashioned” way and make a weekly call to one of your advisors, so that, with a board of four or five, you are touching base every month or so (frequency is up to you).

Some people I know even create an online “space” for sharing and exchanging information between you and your B of A members.  

Get started, get moving and get to succeeding! Whatever you do, remember that no man (or woman) is an island. The better you use the expertise, resources and goodwill that are already available to you, the sooner your career and your life will reflect your ultimate vision of what it could and should be.

Good luck!