‘Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics’ ~ Victor Pinchuk
It’s hard to avoid politics in the modern world. Between the 24-hour news coverage and constant social media updates, people hear about every piece of legislation, every scandal, every social injustice — and you can be sure that they’re talking about it, too.
And it’s the same in our businesses and in our profession.
Some people ignore it. Some people revel in it. But personally, I have never understood why anyone would feel the need to dive headlong into the moshpit and to treat everything as a fight against known and unknown enemies?
We work with some incredible trainers and organisations across the world. The majority love of this profession and are passionate about promoting it. However, as the choice of trainers and associations grows bigger, there is an increase in those who seem intent on causing themselves problems by infighting, politicking and going up against anyone who looks vaguely competitive.
There is room in this market for everyone that cares about the profession. A larger choice of trainers and the organisations representing Assistants can only be a good thing. There is no ‘one size fits all’ where training is concerned. We need the full spectrum. The profession boasts over half of a billion Assistants worldwide – quite enough for all of us to serve – and that is the point that we all need to remember.
We are here to serve the profession.
The head of one of the largest associations in the world often teases me and calls me ‘Switzerland’ because I try to work with everyone and refuse to get involved in the politics.
That is because I have never lost sight of the fact that my core belief is that everything we do is about you – the Assistant, and what is best for you. I figure that if that is our mantra then everything else will fall into place. And it usually does.
At a time when the profession is fighting for recognition and reclassification of the role, we all need to be working together.
Both our #OneProfessionOneVoice and Diana Brandl’s excellent #WeAreInThisTogether campaigns have focused for the last three years on finding our commonalities and on driving agendas for the good of the profession on both a local and global platform. World Summit in October should be the beginning of meaningful change for our profession if we remain united.
Yes, agendas in every country are different. We all understand that, but with representatives from 22 countries so far attending Summit, the power of the collective leadership, combined with the opportunity to brainstorm the way forward with some of the best brains in the profession, in person, is invaluable. We want every country to have a seat at the table.
I haven’t been travelling for several months. We are in the process of setting up an office in Spain and the day-to-day business needed some input.
But these last two weeks have been a breath of fresh air. I have been out on the road, speaking at events all over USA for Administrative Professionals Week.
What an incredible time of learning, positivity and input. Spending time with Assistants reminds me time and again how much is possible. The work that all the trainers, associations and organisations that support assistants around the world are putting in is truly changing lives.
This is the work that is important – not just for now but for future generations. We have the opportunity to grab it with both hands and change the direction of the role so that the Assistants of the future are part of a recognised profession.
So, let’s collaborate, share ideas and bring our collective power to bear, embracing our differences. There is no room for egos or politics in this journey.
We must work together to drive the profession forward.
Lucy
