Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

How to Build Your Self-Esteem

By - May 25, 2012

Graham Price shares some practical steps to build your self-esteem
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

Redundancy…Coping with Change

By - May 25, 2012

Redundancy is often seen as the end, but it can really be the beginning of a great new phase in your career.   At the age of 14 my mother pushed me to do a typewriting course, and then a secretarial course so that I would find a career as a Secretary. ‘Being a Secretary... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: May / June 2012

I’m boooorrrrrrrrrrred!

By - May 25, 2012

When’s the last time you were bored? Maybe it’s been too long says Brenda Bernstein Early on a Saturday evening, I admitted to a friend that I had watched a Netflix movie the night before, and was likely going to watch another one that night. For many people, watching videos two nights in a row... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2012

Self-belief: The Key to Success

By - March 25, 2012

“If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” Sam Walton Self-confidence is one of the most important qualities to have in every aspect of our lives. Whether this is in a personal context or a professional one, belief in oneself is often the difference between success and failure. Yet so many people... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2012

Roll with the punches or get punched: Dealing with workplace disappointment

By - March 25, 2012

We all suffer disappointment at work, but it’s how you cope that really matters. Didn’t get the promotion you wanted? Received an unfavorable performance review? These are examples of situations that would cause the ‘emotional Molotov cocktail’ to start brewing. You are filled with anger, resentment and disappointment, and that’s just to name a few.... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2012

How To Become An Influential PA: Six Steps To Success

By - March 25, 2012

Being influential is the key to success, but how do you achieve it? If you want to be a successful PA, or indeed if you want success in almost any aspect of your life, you need to be able to influence other people. Influencing others to like and respect you is a starting point. Getting... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2012

Effective Feedback Made Easy

By - March 25, 2012

Giving feedback can be tricky. Ann Latham talks us through four steps to eliminate awkwardness and give truly useful comments. When you try to ride a unicycle, you get immediate, unavoidable, trustworthy feedback every time the unicycle squirts out from under you. Many trials and errors teach you what doesn’t work, which is almost everything.... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: March / April 2012

It’s hard to say ‘I’m sorry.’

By - March 25, 2012

Have you ever had to apologize for something you did, or meant to do, and didn’t know where to begin? Saying ‘I’m sorry’ and truly meaning it can be an extremely difficult thing to do. If we say ‘I’m sorry’ too quickly in the conversation (or error discovery), it looks like we’re just sorry we... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: January / February 2012

The Secret to Great Meetings that Every Employee Should Know

By - January 25, 2012

What will be different when the meeting ends?   People spend a significant portion of every workweek in meetings, many of them complaining about the wasted time and catching up on email while being ‘held captive.’ I know because I’ve received many of those emails, along with promises to call if the meeting ever ends.... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: January / February 2012

Professional Development – What do Admins Want?

By - January 25, 2012

Eth Lloyd looks at the development opportunities administration professionals want and how they can find them
Personal Development
Issue: January / February 2012

Preparing for Leave

By - January 25, 2012

‘Maternity Leave, Carers Leave, Career Breaks
 But how will leaving work affect your career?   ‘Most of us will need to take an extended period of leave from work at some stage in our careers. In fact, it is to be expected, and companies should support employees through major life events such as having a... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: January / February 2012

Network your Brand!

By - January 25, 2012

Some practical advice on how to take your personal brand to the world. Have you ever thought about how visible you are and how often people talk about you or remark about you to others? Do colleagues and friends have to describe you in a lot of detail for others to know who you are... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: January / February 2012

How to be Cool in a Crisis

By - January 25, 2012

Celebrity PA Bonnie Low Kramen explains how to plan for and deal with a crisis CRISIS – A condition of instability or danger. Dramatic upheaval, the point at which something must change. As administrative professionals, we know that there are degrees of crisis. There is your life and death crisis (such as the events of... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2011

Stepping up … and giving others a helping hand

By - November 25, 2011

Claire Lister, Managing Director of Pitman Training, talks about taking charge of your own career development and training as well as that of others.   In previous articles, I’ve talked about how the role of top level secretaries and PAs has expanded to include many other elements such as finance, marketing and human resources. If... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2011

Practical Parenting

By - November 25, 2011

Reviewing your family work/life balance This morning, when dropping my 4-year old off for his pre-school session, we saw one of his friends in floods of tears, trying to drag his mum back towards her car. His mum was clearly upset by this, saying that her son goes there 4 and a half days a... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2011

How to deal with an unpleasant boss

By - November 25, 2011

Your boss is criticising some work you’ve done when you know the problem lies with his/her instructions. You try to explain but he cuts you off. He provides no support or encouragement to his staff, employing criticism instead. He gets little support in return and responds by being harsh and dominating. He gets angry a... Read more »