Editor's Letters
Issue: November / December 2014

Excellence and the Assistant – doing ordinary things extraordinarily well

By - November 25, 2014

Striving for excellence is an important part of professionalism in any job explains Lucy Brazier
Cover Story
Issue: November / December 2014

Grow Your Career – Expand Your Responsibilities

By - November 25, 2014

Going through the motions? Cathy Harris has a cure… Taking stock of your profession at a point where you feel routine has taken over, when you feel like a robot that gets switched on at 8am and off at 5pm, and when your profession has now become a sense of duty rather than a passion,... Read more »
Business Strategy & Acumen
Issue: November / December 2014

The #1 Workplace Problem That No One Talks About…

By - November 25, 2014

Bonnie Low-Kramen shines a spotlight on workplace bullying Complicit silence is destroying companies, gulping profits and here’s the clincher: CEOs either have no idea or are looking the other way. Workplace bullying is a global epidemic that chases good people away – a lot of them. Really, you might ask? A global epidemic? How is... Read more »
Career Development
Issue: November / December 2014

An Admin’s Guide to Creating a Strategic Career Plan

By - November 25, 2014

Creating your strategic career plan should be an empowering and rewarding experience, explains Julie Perrine
Career Development
Issue: November / December 2014

Moving to the Next Level as an Assistant

By - November 25, 2014

Have you been considering how you can extend your current role with new challenges? asks Kathleen Drum
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

A Limiting Human Trait and How to Reverse it

By - November 25, 2014

One of our most limiting human traits is practiced by most of us for much of our lives. Most never learn how limiting it is. In the absence of that awareness, it nearly always seems like the right and sensible thing to do. And so we continue to practice it, missing the opportunity to become... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

The Five Big Mistakes Workers Make When They Take Vacation

By - November 25, 2014

Vacation days are a vital part of workplace sanity; use your vacation time wisely says Robert Hosking
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

How “Crunch, Crunch” Oblivious Are You?

By - November 25, 2014

Look around you. Is anyone nearby – close enough to hear or smell you? If that’s the case, you may want to pay more attention to how your actions are affecting others.   The world seems to be filled with people who are oblivious to the ways in which their actions affect others. These oblivious... Read more »
Leadership
Issue: November / December 2014

#CareerSelfie: Assist, Manage and Lead

By - November 25, 2014

As we all know, 2014 is the International Year of the Secretary and Admin Assistant (IYOTSA), and presents the perfect opportunity to really get to grips with how much the role of the assistant has evolved not only over the last five years since the recession, but over the last 30 years. It’s also a... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

Making Tricky Decisions

By - November 25, 2014

Have you ever had that situation where you have to make the right decision? It can feel rather life or death in the moment and that, of course, makes it even harder.   That sticky stuck feeling, and the accompanying frustration, all lead to hours sitting before a list of ideas trying to discover the... Read more »
Communication
Issue: November / December 2014

Turning Around a Soured Relation With the Boss

By - November 25, 2014

“I really dislike my new boss!” Mena told me in her office the other day. So, what should you do if you really don’t get on with your immediate manager? One option might be to ask for a transfer to another department, but that is not always possible and, in any event, you could lose... Read more »
Communication
Issue: November / December 2014

5 Sins That Will Send an Audience to Sleep

By - November 25, 2014

Richard Edwards details his surefire ways to pep up any talk or boring presentation We’ve all been there – politely sitting through a number of presentations mentally compiling shopping lists or daydreaming about the summer holidays instead of actually listening. The topic sounded interesting, and the content is probably useful, but the presentation itself seems... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

The Helpful Executive PA: Why Saying “No” is an absolute “Yes”

By - November 25, 2014

Lindsay Taylor explains the power of the “No!” Being helpful is, you tell me, a top attribute of a successful Executive PA and I totally agree with you. The very nature of your role is assisting and being helpful to ensure your manager(s), office and organisation are operating as smoothly as possible. You are very often... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: November / December 2014

How Personal Accountability Can Get Our Career Ahead

By - November 25, 2014

What does it mean “I am holding myself accountable”? It means that I take ownership of the situations, projects, feelings, actions, choices that I am involved in. It means me, as a person, taking responsibility for everything happens, good or bad, strong or weak, success or failure.   If someone is successful or not in... Read more »
Health & Wellbeing
Issue: November / December 2014

Let’s Do Lunch

By - November 25, 2014

Rosie Gray discusses the benefits of managing your energy and taking regular lunch breaks
Communication
Issue: November / December 2014

Samoa – the End of an Adventure!

By - November 25, 2014

My reactions were confused: one minute it is “I can’t believe it is all over” the next it is “Let’s get this done and dusted, I want to go home!” It was so confusing to feel this way but it indicates to a large extent how my time here in Samoa has been. It has... Read more »