Month: February 2019

Be a sharp pencil!!!

February 18, 2019

Happy George Washington’s Birthday day or as those of us in the State of Illinois say “Presidents Day”.  Several states (California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma) renamed this holiday to Presidents Day.  Should this ever come up in a game of trivia . . . you are welcome!

As you may know from reading my blog posts, I like to proctor exams on the weekends.  ACT, SAT and SSAT exams are all given at my place of employment, Lake Forest Academy.  When I proctor an SSAT exam, I usually am given a couple boxes of number two pencils for students that bring mechanical pencils, or have number two pencils but they do not have erasers.  There is always one in the student body.  There is also always one that comes with 20 number two pencils and they are not sharpened.  And that is where today’s article comes from.  I could have talked about being prepared as an assistant, but looking at all these different types of pencils, made me think about the Administrative profession in general.

When we as admins come fresh out of school, or when we start a new job, we are like the brand new unsharpened pencils.  We are filled with knowledge, everything is new and we are ready to get started.  A pencil, when it is brand new, needs to be sharpened (trained).  On the job, we learn the culture of a company, the political game, and how we fit into the picture.  Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen.

After we have been on the job for a while and we understand what is expected of us, we can become dull (complacent) and need to be sharpened again.  How do you go about getting sharpened?  Here are a few of the ways I like to sharpen:

Books – Has anyone read Joan Burge’s new book, Joan’s Greatest Administrative Secrets Revealed?  It is chocked full of insight that Joan tells like she is sitting with you having a conversation over a great glass of wine.  It is honest and raw with Joan’s many years of expertise behind it.  Lucy Brazier and Executive Secretary Magazine have produced excellent books on personal branding and building an internal assistant network to name a few.  Excellent references for sharpening yourself.  Peggy Vasquez’s Not just an Admin is a must read for anyone looking to grow both personally and professionally.  Vickie Sokol Evans’ 100 Life-Changing Tips Using Microsoft Office for Windows is on my list to purchase.  I have had the privilege of attending a live class and a few webinars of Vickie’s and she is the real deal!!! 

Webinars and Podcasts – I mentioned in my blog post on Professional Development many of the webinars that I watch.  Go check out all the free knowledge you can bring into your arsenal to keep you sharp.  Bonnie Low Kramen and Vickie Sokol Evans, Shelagh Donnelly, and Liz Van Vliet all have fantastic Podcasts you can download and listen to.  I use to listen while I was walking, but I had to stop too often to write down what they were saying.  You need to pay attention because they are divulging pure pearls of wisdom that we all can benefit from.

Networking – Check out Conferences.  Read my blog post on How to find a Conference and then read my blog post on How to get the most out of a Conference and then get busy.  Open up dialogues with industry and organizational leaders that interest you.  Step outside your comfort zone and sharpen yourself.

I don’t know about you, but I love to use a freshly sharpened pencil.  My guess is that your Executive does too.  Don’t let yourself get dull.

Here’s to another great week of making a difference as an excellent ADMIN!!!!

Jackie

Attitude of Gratitude

February 11, 2019

This past week was filled with many moments of Gratitude that I would like to share with you.  Living a life of gratitude is so fulfilling, so easy and brings others joy as well.  I am bursting at the seams with gratitude as I write this blog post!  So much so, that my mind is going faster than my hands can type.  I think I will highlight three things that I am grateful for.  It will help my fingers from getting tangled. 

As many of you know, I work at Lake Forest Academy (okay so I am highlighting a fourth thing I am grateful for – GO CAXYS).  It is an international boarding/day college prep school and everyday is a treat to be a part of this amazing environment.  On Monday, we had a guest speaker for our All School Meeting.  The author of A Chance in the World, Steve Pemberton came to our school to talk about his life.  He talked about his hardships growing up, but the man has an attitude of gratitude for every lesson he learned from his horrible childhood in foster homes.  He is thankful for his life and every encounter he has had and shows his gratitude in everything he does.  What a wonderful role model!  Later in the evening, we gathered in our Theater to watch the movie adaptation of his book.  Steve endured horrific events in his life and still finds the good in every encounter.  I read his book prior to meeting him and I highly recommend it.  Meeting Steve, reading his book and listening to his eloquent talk to our school, I am a better person for this brief meeting.  Thank you, Steve.

On Tuesday, once again at Lake Forest Academy, I had the honor of presenting to my fellow peers, a talk on The Power of an Inner Circle.  Peggy Vasquez is an amazing Admin, author of Not just an Admin and Speaker who speaks on this subject and offered her worksheet for my presentation.  She offered . . . I didn’t ask.  Peggy just offered to send me the link for her hard work to better my presentation.  Almost a week later, I am still speechless on how grateful I am for my friendship with Peggy and for the lessons she teaches me daily that she is unaware of.  Thank you, Peggy, for your unconditional friendship and fantastic worksheet!

And if you are counting, this is my last highlight.  Believe me when I tell you there are many more things that I am grateful for this week, but these needed to be highlighted.  On Wednesday, I received an email allowing me to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Thank you, Ike Saunders and your wonderful organization REACH!!! (If you are in the Chicagoland area and an Executive Assistant, you really need to check Ike and REACH out)  This time I asked if I could extend this opportunity to others in my community and was granted permission.  If you do not know the magnificent Vickie Sokol Evans of The Red Cape Company, you need to!!!!  She is the author of 100 Life Changing Tips Using Microsoft Office for Windows, a speaker and a trainer.  Vickie, like Steve and Peggy, has touched my life in so many ways by being the extraordinary human that she is.  Vickie is the real deal and I am so very grateful for her kindness and gifts she shares with Admins across the globe.

Having an attitude of gratitude is a choice.  A simple choice that bears wonderful benefits such as improving your mental and physical health, self esteem and makes you a person others want to model themselves after.

Here’s to an easy choice!  Cheers

Jackie