Lynn Holgate, an Executive Assistant at High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTI) in Reston, Virginia, has been awarded the 2010 Stevie® Award for Support Staffer of the Year.
The Stevie® Awards is a prestigious award honouring the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide. The fact that they have a category for Support Staffer of the Year is recognition of the important role support staff play in any organization.
Lynn was in good company as some notable winners of the 2010 Stevie® Awards included:
- Executive of the Year: Lawrence J. Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle
- Best Overall Company of the Year: Apple Inc.
- Business Turnaround of the Year: Ford Motor Company
- Best Home Page: CNN.com
- Environmental Responsibility Program of the Year: The Timberland Company
- Customer Service Team of the Year: Cigna
- Most Innovative Company of the Year: Mozilla
- Fastest Growing Company of the Year: Yodle
- Communications or PR Campaign of the Year: Hilton Hotels
- New Product or Service of the Year: Chase Card Services, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Lynn has worked at HPTI for 8 ½ years and was thrilled to be recognized at this level. She says it has added a jump in her step to come to work in the mornings knowing that her peers have recognized her in this way and that her colleagues who nominated her feel that way about her. Lynn has been in the administrative field for 28 years and to be honoured like this has confirmed that her efforts and hard work have been appreciated.
Ms. Holgate is the Executive Assistant to the President, she also reports to the Director of Human Resources and manages a staff of four. Lynn has organized strategic events such as the company's internal trade show, all-hands meetings, the annual awards banquet, internal events and leadership off-site meetings. She said that receiving the award has made her proud to do the work that she does. Her family and friends were also very excited for her.
On the night of the awards Lynn reports she was sitting at a table with nine of her colleagues from HPTI including the Senior Vice-President. When she was announced the winner, the Senior Vice-President sent a text message to the President about her win and when she sat down after making her speech she saw a message from the President congratulating her.
It was an exciting night for HPTI as Jonathan Goodnight was also awarded Technical Professional of the Year and they were finalists in ten other categories, including Best Recognition Event, Best Corporate Communicator, Best Product Developer and Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year.
Congratulations again to Lynn Holgate for a job well done!
12 July 2010
9 July 2010
Taking stock
Whenever I finish a project I always ask myself, or get together with those who assisted me, and ask the question, "What went well and what could have gone better?"
It is always good to take stock and congratulate each other on a job well done, but also to point out areas that could be improved or brainstorm the best way to do it better. On my most recent assignment everything went very smoothly. I mentally checked off that the checklists of what to bring to the various functions were critical to have. This meeting was held out of town and those are a bit more hectic because I can't easily go to my desk to get what I need. Before I left I went over my checklists a few times to make sure I had everything and it was stress free each day as I reviewed the lists and checked off the items to bring.
I also made templates for the minutes of the various meetings and those were wonderful to have. I was in a meeting all day taking minutes and then had a side meeting scheduled at 4 that I had to take minutes at, but in this case the minutes had to be transcribed, printed and put in the meeting packages for the next day. I also had a reception and dinner to attend that night at 6. By using the template I was able to accomplish everything with enough time to change, touch up my make up and hair and then off to the next event.
One thing I noted could be improved was I found myself scrambling a bit to make sure I had information for the varioius participants that needed to be signed or given to them and decided folders with each of their names would work better. Using coloured folders works great when you are busy in a meeting, you can just grab the colour you want. For instance my signing folder is blue so for the next meeting I will be sure to make the appropriate number of blue folders with a clear label with the name of the person that it pertains to. I will put things that need signing, but also other items that I need to give to that person. It will make my life easier.
Planning ahead and being prepared is a necessary exercise for a busy admin and this meeting especially proved that to me. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates. Now I am on holidays and preparing for a big move to a new home. You can be sure I have checklists for that as well. Did I phone to get my electricity turned on? Whew! Yes, it is ticked off on the checklist and the lights did turn on when I pressed the switch.
Have a great summer everyone and enjoy your holidays when they come. Having down time is a needed time to recharge your batteries and change the pace from work. My boss finds chopping wood relaxing. I mentioned to him that that didn't seem relaxing to me, but he said it was something he could do that he didn't have to think about, just chop, chop, chop. His job is all about thinking and strategizing so a task that is not related to work, seems like time out because it is not what he normally does week to week. My idea of relaxing is reading a book on my new deck so I will leave the chopping to those better qualified than me :)
It is always good to take stock and congratulate each other on a job well done, but also to point out areas that could be improved or brainstorm the best way to do it better. On my most recent assignment everything went very smoothly. I mentally checked off that the checklists of what to bring to the various functions were critical to have. This meeting was held out of town and those are a bit more hectic because I can't easily go to my desk to get what I need. Before I left I went over my checklists a few times to make sure I had everything and it was stress free each day as I reviewed the lists and checked off the items to bring.
I also made templates for the minutes of the various meetings and those were wonderful to have. I was in a meeting all day taking minutes and then had a side meeting scheduled at 4 that I had to take minutes at, but in this case the minutes had to be transcribed, printed and put in the meeting packages for the next day. I also had a reception and dinner to attend that night at 6. By using the template I was able to accomplish everything with enough time to change, touch up my make up and hair and then off to the next event.
One thing I noted could be improved was I found myself scrambling a bit to make sure I had information for the varioius participants that needed to be signed or given to them and decided folders with each of their names would work better. Using coloured folders works great when you are busy in a meeting, you can just grab the colour you want. For instance my signing folder is blue so for the next meeting I will be sure to make the appropriate number of blue folders with a clear label with the name of the person that it pertains to. I will put things that need signing, but also other items that I need to give to that person. It will make my life easier.
Planning ahead and being prepared is a necessary exercise for a busy admin and this meeting especially proved that to me. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates. Now I am on holidays and preparing for a big move to a new home. You can be sure I have checklists for that as well. Did I phone to get my electricity turned on? Whew! Yes, it is ticked off on the checklist and the lights did turn on when I pressed the switch.
Have a great summer everyone and enjoy your holidays when they come. Having down time is a needed time to recharge your batteries and change the pace from work. My boss finds chopping wood relaxing. I mentioned to him that that didn't seem relaxing to me, but he said it was something he could do that he didn't have to think about, just chop, chop, chop. His job is all about thinking and strategizing so a task that is not related to work, seems like time out because it is not what he normally does week to week. My idea of relaxing is reading a book on my new deck so I will leave the chopping to those better qualified than me :)
2 July 2010
We don't know what we don't know
We really don't know what we don't know do we? One person can be great at software programs and know all sorts of tricks to get things done quickly and another might be excellent at organizing and managing their email account.
I have always been a believer in sharing ideas and have received my best education from other assistants. Our strength is what we know collectively and we should have some way to share our knowledge with each other.
Here are some ways I have found can help:
A roadblock often is we don't share because we don't know what we are doing is special, we just know it works for us. Try sharing your ideas and learning from the experiences of others. Dofasco Steel has long used the phrase "Our strength is in our people" and how true that is. Try starting your own information sharing at work. You will be surprised at how much you learn when you work together and exchange knowledge with one another.
I have always been a believer in sharing ideas and have received my best education from other assistants. Our strength is what we know collectively and we should have some way to share our knowledge with each other.
Here are some ways I have found can help:
- The web is a wonderful tool for sharing. I have been on some interactive sites where assistants ask questions and get answers and I learn from them as I have some of the same questions. Sometimes I even have the answers and by helping someone else it reinforces what I know. The web also has anonymity and sometimes people receive information better from people they don't know.
- Lunch n learns are also a good way to learn from each other. If you are the presenter you have to study and know your subject well which helps you to be more confident in what you know and you also gain experience in making presentations which can help you in your career.
- If you are part of an administrative team you can use your meetings to share knowledge with each other or give tips on something new you have discovered.
- Administrative newsletters or bulletin boards where you can post tips or suggestions is a good way to learn.
A roadblock often is we don't share because we don't know what we are doing is special, we just know it works for us. Try sharing your ideas and learning from the experiences of others. Dofasco Steel has long used the phrase "Our strength is in our people" and how true that is. Try starting your own information sharing at work. You will be surprised at how much you learn when you work together and exchange knowledge with one another.
5 June 2010
Playing nice in the sandbox
When I was younger I had a bicycle with a chain that would skip a link after about ten pedals and then it would fall off. I would have to stop and get off the bike and put the chain back on time and time again. I must have rode that bike for miles, pedaling and then getting off to fix the chain. How frustrating!
Sometimes it can feel the same way in the office. Some people don't play well in a team and can be like that link in the chain that keeps skipping. It is frustrating to the rest of the team because they are trying to meet certain goals and when there is a problem it takes time away from the manager who has to deal with it, but also the whole team as they see the time ticking and production at a standstill. They know that once the issue is resolved, they will then have to scramble to make up for lost time with the person causing the slow down seemingly unaware that what they are doing is hindering everyone else.
I remember when my daughter was young and I would ask her to clean her room. She would spend more time complaining about it and whining than cleaning. She could have cleaned the whole house in the time it took her to get her room tidied up. It also kept taking my time away from what I was doing as I had to go back and try to get her focussed on the task she had to do. I'm sure in my daughter's case she was not thinking that she was taking me away from my work when I had to go and tend to her, she was just thinking that she didn't want to do the job and wanted to let me know it.
What can you do if you are part of a team that is not playing well together? I'm sure we've all had to deal with people problems at one time or another in our work life -- there is no perfect office.
Sometimes it can feel the same way in the office. Some people don't play well in a team and can be like that link in the chain that keeps skipping. It is frustrating to the rest of the team because they are trying to meet certain goals and when there is a problem it takes time away from the manager who has to deal with it, but also the whole team as they see the time ticking and production at a standstill. They know that once the issue is resolved, they will then have to scramble to make up for lost time with the person causing the slow down seemingly unaware that what they are doing is hindering everyone else.
I remember when my daughter was young and I would ask her to clean her room. She would spend more time complaining about it and whining than cleaning. She could have cleaned the whole house in the time it took her to get her room tidied up. It also kept taking my time away from what I was doing as I had to go back and try to get her focussed on the task she had to do. I'm sure in my daughter's case she was not thinking that she was taking me away from my work when I had to go and tend to her, she was just thinking that she didn't want to do the job and wanted to let me know it.
What can you do if you are part of a team that is not playing well together? I'm sure we've all had to deal with people problems at one time or another in our work life -- there is no perfect office.
- Be sure you are not part of the problem. Are you doing your part and contributing to the goals of the team or are you getting bogged down with situations? Each of us is responsible for what we do, not what others do or don't do. Yes, it may not seem fair that Lois or Harry down the hall isn't pulling their weight, but you only need to be concerned with what you need to do.
- Try modelling to your teammates what you think a good team player is by demonstrating it in your own work life. Good team play can be contagious. My mother used to always say, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I think that is a good rule to work by.
- A little encouragement can go a long way. My boss is a great encourager. Because he is, it pushes me to want to perform better to meet his expectations. Why don't you try a little encouragement with your teammates? You might be surprised at the results.
16 May 2010
Whose meeting is it anyway?
Do you ever get a meeting request and an agenda has not been provided, or if it is a teleconference the call-in details have not been given or the boardroom hasn't been booked for an internal meeting? Whose responsibility is it anyway?
When booking meetings ownership of the meeting has to be established. The person sending out the request for the meeting and asking for dates would be considered the meeting organizer. They are responsible for canvassing the participants for dates and determining the date everyone is available and communicating that information to the participants by sending out a meeting request to everyone or emailing the date (depending on how you or your organization prefers to send notices of meetings). This person is also responsible for making sure the agenda is sent out on time and will need to set a reminder to the meeting Chair to make sure that is done. They should also provide call-in numbers for a teleconference and ensure someone is the moderator for the call and that the appropriate information is sent to that person (this would be the Chair or the person who called the meeting). They would also need to book a boardroom and make other arrangements as necessary.
If you are not the organizer, you still have a responsibility to provide available dates in a timely manner, set a reminder to make sure there is an agenda and if there isn't, email to ask for one. You also need to make sure your boss is aware of the call-in numbers and if they are the moderator that number is made available to them.
I love having a checklist so suggest for each meeting you start a checklist to make sure you cover all the bases. This checklist should have the following information:
When booking meetings ownership of the meeting has to be established. The person sending out the request for the meeting and asking for dates would be considered the meeting organizer. They are responsible for canvassing the participants for dates and determining the date everyone is available and communicating that information to the participants by sending out a meeting request to everyone or emailing the date (depending on how you or your organization prefers to send notices of meetings). This person is also responsible for making sure the agenda is sent out on time and will need to set a reminder to the meeting Chair to make sure that is done. They should also provide call-in numbers for a teleconference and ensure someone is the moderator for the call and that the appropriate information is sent to that person (this would be the Chair or the person who called the meeting). They would also need to book a boardroom and make other arrangements as necessary.
If you are not the organizer, you still have a responsibility to provide available dates in a timely manner, set a reminder to make sure there is an agenda and if there isn't, email to ask for one. You also need to make sure your boss is aware of the call-in numbers and if they are the moderator that number is made available to them.
I love having a checklist so suggest for each meeting you start a checklist to make sure you cover all the bases. This checklist should have the following information:
- Meeting name, date and name of person you are arranging the meeting for (if you work for more than one person)
- Names of people that are required at the meeting
- Purpose of the meeting
- Time required for the meeting and location
- Canvass for available dates (I usually don't give more than 3 or 4 dates)
- Has an agenda been provided?
- Is the boardroom booked?
- If it is a teleconference have the call-in numbers been provided and moderator code provided to the appropriate person?
9 May 2010
Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time
Assistants are in contact with other assistants on a daily basis. It is important to build relationships with those we work with, but what about assistants we don't work with?
I breathe a sigh of relief when I get someone's assistant on the phone or receive an email from them. If I hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them? Our bosses know the value of building work relationships and I think it is valuable for us as well.
My former boss was a lawyer, so building client relations was very important to him. As his assistant I kept that in mind when dealing with his clients and their assistants. I had always made a point of getting to know the various assistants I worked with as I found it to be useful for both of us. I could help them and they could help me, but I also found it to be good networking. I heard about my current job from an assistant I dealt with regularly. She received a job posting that she thought I would be interested in so passed it along to me and I have done the same for others.
I also get good tips from other assistants. If I deal with someone and can see that they have organized something well, I will make sure to ask them about it. Or if I know they have a particular expertise, I will ask them their secret to success. I have learnt some great tips that way.
Knowing assistants and having a working relationship with them is very important and can make the difference when you need to set up a meeting or if your boss needs to have a quick phone call with their boss.
I never underestimate the value of my interactions with other assistants both on and off site. They are a valuable resource and I appreciate them.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I get someone's assistant on the phone or receive an email from them. If I hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them? Our bosses know the value of building work relationships and I think it is valuable for us as well.
My former boss was a lawyer, so building client relations was very important to him. As his assistant I kept that in mind when dealing with his clients and their assistants. I had always made a point of getting to know the various assistants I worked with as I found it to be useful for both of us. I could help them and they could help me, but I also found it to be good networking. I heard about my current job from an assistant I dealt with regularly. She received a job posting that she thought I would be interested in so passed it along to me and I have done the same for others.
I also get good tips from other assistants. If I deal with someone and can see that they have organized something well, I will make sure to ask them about it. Or if I know they have a particular expertise, I will ask them their secret to success. I have learnt some great tips that way.
Knowing assistants and having a working relationship with them is very important and can make the difference when you need to set up a meeting or if your boss needs to have a quick phone call with their boss.
I never underestimate the value of my interactions with other assistants both on and off site. They are a valuable resource and I appreciate them.
17 April 2010
Keeping focussed in a busy environment
There are so many distractions in the office -- the telephone, your co-workers, email and your boss! How can you keep focussed when there is just so much going on?
I learnt a valuable lesson many years ago when I cleaned houses and I have taken it to the office with me. I am a single mom, but wanted to stay home to raise my daughter, but I needed a job too. What I did was take on odd jobs such as house cleaning, babysitting and homecare for seniors.
My first day housecleaning, I had a large house to clean. I set aside four hours to clean it, which seemed reasonable to me. I mean, I had been cleaning my own house for years, how hard could it be? I started in the bathroom, cleaning here and there, and then I needed a cleaning supply so went in the kitchen to get it. While there I started cleaning the kitchen sink. To finish up and make it shine, I used a glass cleaner. That got me thinking about the glass tops on the tables in the livingroom so I went in there to do that. Can you see the problem here? I was not focussing on one task and finishing it, but was going from here to there and everywhere so after a few hours it still looked like I hadn't accomplished much and I started to panic that I wouldn't get the house cleaned on time.
What I learned very quickly was that I had to finish one room at a time. I had to be prepared and have all the cleaning products I was going to need to finish the job, but if I did have to go and get something, I had to resist starting on something else and return right back to the task at hand. It's the same principle in the office. With all the tasks coming at you and all the things you have on your to-do list, it can seem overwhelming and sometimes you can feel paralyzed wondering where to start. Having a to-do list can be a life saver. Prioritize the tasks you need to do for the day/week/month and then do them one item at a time. If you have to answer the phone, deal with an email or attend to something for your boss, do so, as that is the nature of the admin job -- multi-tasking, but once you have done it, go right back to your to-do list, re-focus and continue what you were doing.
Sometimes you are just not sure what is sapping up your time and I have found a time log will help you determine where you are going astray. When I first started at a law firm I was in unfamiliar territory and was finding it hard to focus on one task so was all over the place. I knew I was crazy busy, but when my supervisor asked me what was taking up my time, I couldn't really pin point one particular thing. It just seemed like it was everything and nothing seemed to be getting done. She suggested I keep a time log for a time so I could identify what it was. I left the office thinking, "Great, one more thing for me to add to my already huge list!" But I did it by keeping a notepad by the phone and each time I started a task I would write it down. In a very short time I started to see what the problem was -- telephone calls.
In a law firm you can spend a lot of time on the phone with clients, other law firms, setting up mediations, court dates, etc. Being on the phone was a very important part of my day and it was still going to take a big part of my time, but I could better manage it by scheduling a time to make my phone calls.
As well, I received lots of voicemails and others that my boss forwarded to me and I had to transcribe them, which also took a lot of my time. Once I had identifed the problem, I could make a plan on how to deal with it. I went to my boss with my newfound knowledge and she arranged to get me some new technology to make transcribing voicemails less time consuming. Whew! Now that I knew what was taking the time, I could do something about it and make adjustments to organize my day better.
So don't let all that work get you down.
I learnt a valuable lesson many years ago when I cleaned houses and I have taken it to the office with me. I am a single mom, but wanted to stay home to raise my daughter, but I needed a job too. What I did was take on odd jobs such as house cleaning, babysitting and homecare for seniors.
My first day housecleaning, I had a large house to clean. I set aside four hours to clean it, which seemed reasonable to me. I mean, I had been cleaning my own house for years, how hard could it be? I started in the bathroom, cleaning here and there, and then I needed a cleaning supply so went in the kitchen to get it. While there I started cleaning the kitchen sink. To finish up and make it shine, I used a glass cleaner. That got me thinking about the glass tops on the tables in the livingroom so I went in there to do that. Can you see the problem here? I was not focussing on one task and finishing it, but was going from here to there and everywhere so after a few hours it still looked like I hadn't accomplished much and I started to panic that I wouldn't get the house cleaned on time.
What I learned very quickly was that I had to finish one room at a time. I had to be prepared and have all the cleaning products I was going to need to finish the job, but if I did have to go and get something, I had to resist starting on something else and return right back to the task at hand. It's the same principle in the office. With all the tasks coming at you and all the things you have on your to-do list, it can seem overwhelming and sometimes you can feel paralyzed wondering where to start. Having a to-do list can be a life saver. Prioritize the tasks you need to do for the day/week/month and then do them one item at a time. If you have to answer the phone, deal with an email or attend to something for your boss, do so, as that is the nature of the admin job -- multi-tasking, but once you have done it, go right back to your to-do list, re-focus and continue what you were doing.
Sometimes you are just not sure what is sapping up your time and I have found a time log will help you determine where you are going astray. When I first started at a law firm I was in unfamiliar territory and was finding it hard to focus on one task so was all over the place. I knew I was crazy busy, but when my supervisor asked me what was taking up my time, I couldn't really pin point one particular thing. It just seemed like it was everything and nothing seemed to be getting done. She suggested I keep a time log for a time so I could identify what it was. I left the office thinking, "Great, one more thing for me to add to my already huge list!" But I did it by keeping a notepad by the phone and each time I started a task I would write it down. In a very short time I started to see what the problem was -- telephone calls.
In a law firm you can spend a lot of time on the phone with clients, other law firms, setting up mediations, court dates, etc. Being on the phone was a very important part of my day and it was still going to take a big part of my time, but I could better manage it by scheduling a time to make my phone calls.
As well, I received lots of voicemails and others that my boss forwarded to me and I had to transcribe them, which also took a lot of my time. Once I had identifed the problem, I could make a plan on how to deal with it. I went to my boss with my newfound knowledge and she arranged to get me some new technology to make transcribing voicemails less time consuming. Whew! Now that I knew what was taking the time, I could do something about it and make adjustments to organize my day better.
So don't let all that work get you down.
- Break it down into chunks and prioritize your work on a to-do list.
- Pay attention to what might be taking all your time by keeping a time log and then try to manage it, rather than letting it manage you.
- Don't be afraid to ask someone else's advice on how best to make some changes -- your boss, a co-worker, someone from your professional association or a friend. Someone else just might have the answer that will help you.
- Keep your desk organized with a place for everything. Not having to frantically look for things all the time will definitely help you.
- And most importantly, prioritize your work and keep focussed on what needs to be done first.
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