Wishing all my listeners a safe and happy Christmas. This episode is a wrap up of my year. I hope you enjoy listening to it and look forward to bringing you more episodes of Being Indispensable in 2020.
Today's episode is all about why it’s essential to understand your manager’s preferred communication style. How to think about and evaluate this and some tools and resources to help you explore this area of knowledge for yourself.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Being Indispensable Ep 32: Building A strategic partnership with your exec
Being Indispensable Ep 48: How to interview your boss to clarify expectations
Being Indispensable Ep 57: Five tips to help EA’s manage up
Being Indispensable Ep 64: Indispensable Skills: Managing your manager
HBR Article "Figure Out Your Manager's Communication Style"
Office Dynamics Communications Style Quiz
Fast Company article "These are 4 styles of communication that you need to know"
Find out more about how I can tailor a training workshop for your company's needs at www.beingindispensable.com
The sixth in a series on POWER Skills for Indispensable Assistants. These are often called 'soft' skills but they are anything but soft.
I believe that you can be functionally competent and you can even be strategically competent and know who’s who in the zoo and understand the intangible power dynamics that operate in all organisations (both competencies are essential in my experience to being truly on your way to being perceived as indispensable). But if you soft skills are lacking or you're simply not investing in constantly developing them then you are missing the vital element that’s going to really allow you step into the space of being a truly indispensable assistant.
Resources discussed in this show:
https://hbr.org/2015/12/assessment-whats-your-curiosity-profile
https://hbr.org/2018/09/curiosity#the-business-case-for-curiosity
The fifth episode in a series about the essential POWER skills for Indispensable Assistants.
Recorded from my hotel room in Freemantle Western Australia where I've been presenting and sponsoring the 2019 Australian Institute of Office Professionals Conference.
Resources discussed today:
Jonas Altman https://qz.com/work/1270483/management-today-requires-these-four-types-of-leadership/
Adam Grant TED talk: Are You A Giver Or A Taker
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/are-you-a-leader-at-work/
AIOP 2019 National Conference - Liz has two tickets to giveaway. If you have the ability to get yourself to Freemantle, Western Australia then email liz@beingindispensable.com. Giveaway is for conference and workshop entry only it doesn't include travel and accomodation!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/first-look-oprah-and-dr-edith-eva-eger
https://www.bustle.com/p/how-to-be-more-assertive-at-work-in-3-days-according-to-experts-18755104
Welcome to the third episode in my mini-series focused on POWER skills for indispensable assistants. This week the topic is Influencing Skills.
Being able to get things done needs cannot be reliant on de facto positional authority that comes via who you support. Instead I coach and train EA's and Office Professionals to build their personal and professional reputation capital and develop strategies that allow them to effectively influence.
Resources discussed in this episode:
https://www.inc.com/molly-reynolds/how-to-spot-visual-auditory-and-kinesthetic-learni.html
https://www.drloisfrankel.com/
The first episode in a series of episodes I'm doing on what I call Essential POWER Skills for Indispensable Assistants. Otherwise (and inadequately) described as 'soft' skills, these are the skills that differentiate you from the pack.
You can be functionally competent and great at the bread and butter aspects of your role (essential in my opinion). You can be totally across the strategic implications of things going on in the sphere of your manager and business unit. But if you are not developing and improving your POWER skills you will not be delivering the value and effectiveness that will help to catapult your manager to their next level of effectiveness and capability.
As the enabler of your manager, demonstrating and developing these POWER skills is vital and will position you as an Indispensable Assistant.
Links to topics discussed:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140716064410-14771168-do-you-have-conversations-or-yoursations/
https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/pdf_files/4part_nvc_process.pdf
https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits.html
This weeks episode is the first in a series of episodes that will focus on what Liz describes as POWER skills for Assistants. In this episode she outlines what are your POWER skills and why are they essential to being perceived as an indispensable assistant.
Join her in the coming weeks as she brings out episodes focused on the POWER skills that you need to develop in order to differentiate yourself and be seen as relevant, effective and irreplaceable.
Connect with Liz on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
My philosophy is 'progress over perfection' and remembering to be kind to ourselves. But I'm also all about being self-aware and I came across this way of thinking about our mindset and how we 'show up' and I use it extensively in the face to face corporate training I deliver...so I wanted to share it with you my lovely podcast listener!
Tools mentioned in this episode:
https://discoveryinaction.com.au/above-or-below-the-line-where-are-you/
Road rambling including audio of me narrowly avoiding random elderly driver in a Suffolk country lane!
Hot on the heels of Part One, here is Part Two of my interview with Lucy Brazier, CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Secretary Magazine – a global training magazine dedicated to the professional development needs of senior and aspiring administrative professionals - Lucy works with the best trainers of Executive Assistants from around the world to deliver the most up to date and current training in the market.
Lucy just also happens to be a thought leader and subject matter expert on the EA/Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant profession. It was a delight to interview her. One of the key discussion items was the upcoming Executive Secretary LIVE Sydney and Wellington events. In Part Two we also talk about the important initiatives that are happening at the World Administrator Summit and the 2020 event which is taking place in Wellington, New Zealand.
To book your place at Executive Secretary LIVE Sydney, please go to
and enter the code SYDNEY2019 to receive a 30% discount.
Connect with Lucy:
lbrazier@executivesecretary.com
Visit the Executive Secretary website
www.executivesecretary.com
Information on World Administrator Summit
http://www.worldadministratorssummit.com/https://mailchi.mp/executivesecretary/wasummitcommemorativesupplement
http://executivesecretary.com/the-10th-world-administrators-summit/
http://executivesecretary.com/world-administrators-summit-2018/
Thrilled to bring you Part One of my interview with Lucy Brazier, CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Secretary Magazine – a global training magazine dedicated to the professional development needs of senior and aspiring administrative professionals - Lucy works with the best trainers of Executive Assistants from around the world to deliver the most up to date and current training in the market. Lucy just also happens to be a thought leader and subject matter expert on the EA/Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant profession. It was a delight to interview her. One of the key discussion items was the upcoming Executive Secretary LIVE Sydney and Wellington events.
To book your place at Executive Secretary LIVE Sydney, please go to
and enter the code SYDNEY2019 to receive a 30% discount.
Connect with Lucy:
lbrazier@executivesecretary.com
Visit the Executive Secretary website
executivesecretary.com
Part Two of my interview with Andrea Clarke, author of Future Fit, How to Stay Relevant and Competitive in the Future of Work.
Find out more about Andrea and her company CareerCEO here:
Download the first chapter of 'Future Fit' and order the book here:
https://majorstreet.com.au/products/future-fit-br-i-small-by-andrea-clarke-i-small
Connect with Andrea here:
https://www.instagram.com/careerceo/
Part One of my interview with Andrea Clarke, author of Future Fit, How to Stay Relevant and Competitive in the Future of Work.
Find out more about Andrea and her company CareerCEO here:
Download the first chapter of 'Future Fit' and order the book here:
https://majorstreet.com.au/products/future-fit-br-i-small-by-andrea-clarke-i-small
Connect with Andrea here:
https://www.instagram.com/careerceo/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/careerceo/
https://www.facebook.com/careerceo
Also discussed:
Carole Sae Yang who can be found here:
A reflection on an instance of what can only be described as male entitlement. Enjoy! Back to normal programming next week with Part 1 of my interview with Andrea Clarke, author of Future Fit and founder of CareerCEO.
This episode is a book review focusing on Chapter 4 of Future Fit by Andrea Clarke. I think this is a must-read for you because I believe that what will allow you to adapt and navigate the change that is going to continue to come at you as Executive Assistants is your 'power skills' or the human skills that Andrea outlines in the book.
Functional competence (the stuff you can get done)and even strategic competence (your awareness of what and why stuff is happening in your team and the broader organisation) are not sufficient for Executive Assistants to be perceived as indispensable to their business leader and employers. It's the soft skill proficiency that's going to help you stand out and stand up.
What I love about Chapter 4, Tapping Into Adaptability is that whilst Andrea lays out all the reasons why we must be able to adapt to change, she also reminds us to be kind to ourselves. Again, this is so aligned with my own advice to the people I coach and train. We are human beings, no human doings and reminding ourselves of
this is a great way to start being kind to ourselves.
Connect with Andrea at https://www.careerceo.com.au/ where you can find out more about her work and buy the book.
In this weeks "Being" episode Liz reflects on a comment that was made by a participant in a workshop she ran last week. The workshop was about equipping you with the words that describe the value you bring to your role as an Office Professional...in other words, your brand attributes. An audience member admitted that she found this challenging because it felt like self-promotion.
In this episode Liz shares why self-promotion is something that you shouldn't fear and getting over your discomfort is vital for reaching a place where you can be given the affirmation that what you do does matter and it is valuable. That affirmation starts with you being able to talk about the value you bring.
In this episode Liz shares the four step approach outlined by Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley in their brilliant book "Working With You Is Killing Me" to disconnect yourself from the emotions of difficult situations and confrontations. This technique highlights why Emotional Intelligence as a blanket term actually consists of four parts and self awareness and self management are two that are bought into play in this technique and topic.
Resources mentioned in the episode are:
https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-to-control-your-emotions-during-a-difficult-conversation
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence
In last week's episode I mentioned Amy Morin and her books on mental strength. This week I'm riffing on an Instagram post where she mentioned five tips for believing that you're good enough and how I've applied these in my own life.
If you want to be the first to know when I'm opening the doors to my first online course to be delivered via Zoom then head on over to this link:
Follow Amy Morin: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amymorinauthor/
Previous Episodes of mine mentioned in this episode are
Episode #56
Episode #45
I've created a new reading list on the 'resources' page of my website of books that I have read and found incredibly useful.
Go to www.beingindispensable.com/resources to find the list.
I'd love to know what your favourite books for self development are...drop me an email or say hi on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter!
Receive a 10% discount on the ticket price by entering the code vspeaker10 at checkout
Follow this link to reach the website:
Listen to this episode to get the lowdown on what a SWOT analysis is and how it can be one more tool in your self development kitbag.
Stephen Covey was a huge proponent of self reflection and the simple two by two matrix of a SWOT analysis makes it perfect for getting a handle on your personal Strengths and Weaknesses and the Opportunities and Threats as they currently stand.
In my soon to be released course I will be taking students through a step by step guide to conducting your own personal SWOT. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in exploring and want to 'Know Your Self' then sign up to hear when the course is available to purchase.
A special episode dedicated to Kelly Exeter. If you would like to read Anthony Exeter's six rules of life go to this link:
https://www.mamamia.com.au/anthony-exeter-rules-for-life/
Kelly has subsequently expanded on the original six and written this blog post also:
https://kellyexeter.com.au/12-rules-for-life
Kiss your loved ones and tell them you love them.
The day to day reality for Executive Assistants is that they are required to get stuff done with no formal authority to give them clout with the people that they need to engage in order to get that stuff done. Influencing without authority is what this is called.
In this episode Liz outlines the six principles of influence that Dr. Robert Cialdini outlined in his ground breaking book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Understanding how to adapt all or some of these principles is something that Knowing Assistants invest the time to do.
You may never read this book cover to cover but understanding what he means by each of them can help you think about the way you can influence people to move them in the direction you want them to go.
I hope this episode is helpful.
A short and sweet episode this week recounting my experience at a coffee meeting yesterday to give you some insight into what it's like trying to look professional whilst doing a fair imitation of the melting Wicked Witch of the West "I'm melting"!