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 »
Personal Development
Issue: July / August 2012

Two heads are better than one!

By - July 25, 2012

Rona Cant explains why working together really is the best path to success – whether in an office, or on a yacht. It is an old adage but as true today as it was years ago. Whether you are working in an international organisation in a big city or a small business close to home... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

How to ‘Hire’ the Right Mentor

By - May 25, 2012

Taking a recruitment perspective to finding the right mentor is often the best way to finding the right ‘match’.   For many people considering the essential ingredients to a successful career, having a mentor isn’t high on the list. Reasons range from being intimidated by the prospect of identifying and approaching someone of influence, to... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

The Law Of (Office) Attraction

By - May 25, 2012

Attracting the working environment that you want is all about mind-set.   The phrase ‘what you think about you bring about’ has been proving itself over and over to me this month. Take this week for example: a couple of unhappy employees in the office who were sitting mumbling under their breaths and making negative... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

Confidence at work: Are you aware of your own abilities?

By - May 25, 2012

Taking an audit of your own strengths and weaknesses is the key to building confidence.   In all aspects of life, confidence is acknowledged as a positive quality to possess. Confidence enables us to effectively communicate our personality and abilities to others through the way we act and handle tasks. It is therefore a valuable,... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

Your Training Business Case

By - May 25, 2012

By building a request for personal development into a business case you may have more success in gaining your employer’s support explains Julie Perrine It’s a common complaint: my boss won’t approve my training or professional development requests. But it may not be your boss’s fault. It may be the way you’re asking or failing... Read more »