Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

What Morgan Freeman Taught Me About Goals

By - November 25, 2012

Last weekend I watched the film The Bucket List and it reminded me of the whole goal setting process and why it matters to us all. If you haven’t seen the film it stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Without spoiling the plot, two terminally ill cancer patients decide to leave hospital, go on a... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

What Your Executive Needs From You

By - November 25, 2012

Have you ever heard an executive raving about his or her assistant and wondered what that person does that garners such praise? Would you like to be that person? As an administrative professional turned entrepreneur, my perspective has shifted from how to become the admin my executives couldn’t live without, to finding admins I can... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

Gr8 Expectations

By - November 25, 2012

How to manage expectations and come out on top.   Congratulations! You got yourself a new job, you got promoted (worth it or not does not make much difference nowadays), you got a new project assigned that could as well act as your chance to make your next career step! No matter what the case... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

Errors are not the Enemy!

By - November 25, 2012

If at first you don’t succeed, learn from it and try again!   If there’s one thing most of us hate to admit to, that we try to hide and put a good deal effort into trying to minimize, it’s our errors. I’ve never really understood why. After all, we’re all human. So, by that... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

Three Months to Overcome All Your Fears

By - November 25, 2012

Many people are crippled with fear in their business and personal lives, but a simple technique could change their lives says Graham Price For the first thirty-two years of my life, fear was a significant limitation. I was fearful on my first day at school and still fearful on my first day at university. More... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

Swirl that rotating chair of yours!

By - November 25, 2012

Managing anger in the office is simpler than you think – and you can do it sitting at your desk!   9:00am to 5:00pm, stuck on a rotating chair, in front of a screen, making the same small talk with the same people since you started work. Deadlines are looming, e-mails are flying, and the... Read more »
Vector illustration of singer on grunge background
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2012

Ten Tips from Rock Music

By - November 25, 2012

There’s a way to find business brilliance in rock’n’roll, you just have to listen explains Peter Cook
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2012

The Gentle Art of Saying No…

By - September 25, 2012

Saying ‘no’ to people can actually be good for your role, your mental health, and your career says Susie Barron-Stubley We’ve all been there, we’ve got a hundred and one things to do, deadlines are pressing, emails are mounting, phones are ringing, the Blackberry is beeping, and the reminders just keep on popping up, apparently... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2012

Finding your curve at work

By - September 25, 2012

Discovering who you really are as a woman could be the key to success.   Picture this – You are invited for a job interview…   To convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job, do you rely on your looks and sex appeal to speak for you? Or do you... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2012

Developing Your Personal Advisory Board

By - September 25, 2012

Surround yourself with many wise advisors, and you’ll reap the benefits of their wisdom and insights explains Julie Perrine
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2012

Put Intuition to Work for You

By - September 25, 2012

Robert Hosking shows how trusting your gut can be a valuable technique at work, not just in your personal life
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2012

Bosses need boundaries

By - September 25, 2012

Adam Fidler discusses how PAs should set boundaries with their bosses in terms of their working hours, the expectation for them to be checking their e-mails out of hours and their availability when out of the office or on annual leave. One downside of the PA role, if I can use the word ‘downside’, is... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: July / August 2012

PA behaviours – the ‘what’ and the ‘how’

By - July 25, 2012

There’s more to examining your performance than you think says Adam Fidler It’s a funny word ‘behaviours’ and something that often conjures up an image of a parent telling their child, “To behave…”. However, it’s a term that I became very familiar with when it came to full-year and mid-year performance reviews. In fact, in... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: July / August 2012

The “R” Word

By - July 25, 2012

‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T- Find out what it means to me…’ Aretha Franklin’s 1967 smash hit anthem is considered to be one of the best songs of all time. Why? The word hits a nerve. Note: Since 95% of all admins are women, the pronoun ‘she’ will be used in this piece. To all the male admins, I... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: July / August 2012

Building Greater Trust in Your Relationships

By - July 25, 2012

Trust is central to being able to work effectively, and achieve greater success. As an Executive Secretary, trust is likely to be a cornerstone of your success. The degree of trust placed in you by your boss enables you to build an effective partnership. Often, this is a bond which lasts many years and through... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: July / August 2012

Motivation Made Easy

By - July 25, 2012

The three secrets to staying motivated: love the activity, love the result or love neither. But how do you put this into practice? Motivation is rarely a problem when you love the activity. Some people love cooking, running, or making customers happy. Others love eating the things they cook, the way they feel after running,... Read more »