Profiles
Issue: September / October 2013

PROFILE – Victoria Darragh

By - September 25, 2013

An award-winning EA in her own right as well as founder of the visionary and award-winning Hays PA Network, and the biggest conference currently in the UK, Executive Secretary went to find out what makes Victoria Darragh tick. Can we start with a little background information? Where are you from and what is your current... Read more »
Technology
Issue: September / October 2013

Email Security

By - September 25, 2013

Dr Monica Seeley’s top tips on creating and maintaining email security As an Assistant you are often privy to highly confidential information. Yet email is one of the easiest ways to leak information quite by accident. Five common ways to breach security and confidentiality through email are: 1 Sending an email to the wrong addressee... Read more »
Communication
Issue: September / October 2013

The Dreaded Acronym – Beware Confusion

By - September 25, 2013

Have you ever had one of those days when just about everything you touched or came to your attention was bigger, more complicated, more difficult than it, at first, appeared? Someone asks an innocent question or an email arrives and your first answer needs qualifying in some way and then that answer triggers another train... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2013

In Cruise Control, Stalling or Coasting Out of Gear?

By - September 25, 2013

Being the driving force behind a business or individual, facing a multitude of responsibilities and adapting to situations to suit the needs of a business is a common element of most EA and PA roles. Yet no two people are the same… it’s a crazy thought when you really begin to dissect the characteristics of... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2013

“50 Shades of EA”

By - September 25, 2013

“You don’t need to be a “Christian” to do a good job although it does help immensely to have faith and confidence in yourself and your abilities. Confidence can be seen through your body language so make sure you stand straight, hold your head high, shoulders back, take deep breaths, breathing slowly from your abdomen... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2013

It’s about what we can give – Samoa

By - September 25, 2013

I have been having one of those “times in your life” and have been reflecting. From this process has come something for me to give. As a young child I lived in a remote community which functioned in many cases on what we all gave to each other. This need to give to each other... Read more »
Communication
Issue: September / October 2013

Phone Etiquette for Today’s Busy World

By - September 25, 2013

Have you ever been put on hold and then couldn’t remember who you called? Have you dialled someone and then had to stop and think about the reason you made the call? We are often so busy and wrapped up in our own work that we sometimes forget that a real human being is on... Read more »
Career Development
Issue: September / October 2013

Work/Life Balance and Managing Our 24 Hours

By - September 25, 2013

We all have the same amount of time to expend each and every day, so why does it seem like some people have mastered their time better than others? As Assistants I think we struggle with this quite a bit. No matter what we do, whether we work in the corporate world or manage our... Read more »
Communication
Issue: September / October 2013

Executive Assistants or Chief Communication Officers?

By - September 25, 2013

Aside from their vital role to the CEO, perhaps one of the most important roles any Executive Assistant plays is the portal for information to and from the CEO. It is in this capacity that they must be exceptionally effective communicators; and at a higher level than almost anyone else as communication is about understanding,... Read more »
Communication
Issue: September / October 2013

The Power of Praise

By - September 25, 2013

Praise can be a real energizer and motivator. Praise lifts people up, and helps them know what behaviors are appreciated and are desired to be repeated. William James wrote ‘The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated’. Just because praising others may sound easy, all praises may not all be equally... Read more »
Events Excellence
Issue: September / October 2013

Team Building – Getting it Right

By - September 25, 2013

Team building is something most of us will have been involved in, whether it’s organising the event or being invited along to partake. Most of us have preconceived ideas which come to mind when the words “team building” are mentioned but what fundamentally is team building all about? Essentially team building is a concept of... Read more »
Communication
Issue: September / October 2013

Are You a Conversation Stealer?

By - September 25, 2013

Mike: How was your weekend? Sue: Really nice. We went for a ride along the canal on our bikes. Mike: Really? I’ve been planning to do that for years! Every year I keep saying how I would love to do that. I probably haven’t been on my bike for three years. I’m really getting out... Read more »
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2013

What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?

By - September 25, 2013

Bonnie Low Kramen’s guide to taking courage when fear stops us being our best As I speak with Assistants from San Francisco to South Africa, I am struck by the common themes that burst forth – usually within moments and with stark honesty. One of the most loaded themes is Fear. That is why it... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: September / October 2013

Speak Easy!

By - September 25, 2013

Diana Boulter's top tips for working with a professional speaker bureau
Personal Development
Issue: September / October 2013

Stuck in a Rut?

By - September 25, 2013

I’m curious! I wonder how many of you started 2013 with the intention of telling yourself “this is it! This will be the year I get out of my rut and take action to do something about my situation”? Whether it’s boosting your confidence, progressing in your current organisation, going for a new job or... Read more »
Editor's Letters
Issue: July / August 2013

Changing Lives

By - July 27, 2013

Back in the March issue of Executive Secretary, we featured a truly inspiring young Assistant who I met at the BEL Conference in Anaheim in February. Marina Ivey‘s leg had been amputated at the age of 15, following a particularly nasty car accident. Today, two further amputations later and as a single mother of 11-month-old... Read more »