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