The Extraordinary Assistant WB

The Extraordinary Assistant
INTRODUCTION ACTIVITY
Take 5-7 minutes and interview a fellow participant. Find out the following information and record on this sheet. In a few moments, you will be asked to introduce this person to the group. 1. Name: 2. Current employer: 3. Current job title: 4. Favorite hobby or way to relax: 5. Favorite restaurant: 6. Favorite vacation spot: 7. What are three (3) challenges or issues you face in your role as an administrative professional?
True Colors Activity: Answer the following questions briefly. 1. What is your Primary Color? 2. What is your Secondary Color?
3. Which trait do you consider your greatest strength?
4. What brings you the most joy?
5. How does your Primary and Secondary Colors relate to your position as an Administrative Professional?
The Extraordinary Assistant: Traits and Characteristics that Guarantee Success

Most people, except for Administrative Professionals, do not realize it, but an administrative assistant is one of the most important positions with any organization. After all, the administrative assistant is often times the first person to interact with a potential Customer or Client and establishes the tone for the remainder of the customers interaction with an organization. In fact, most would argue that this position plays such an important role in the Customer's Experience with an organization that the terms receptionist, administrative assistant, and executive assistant don't do justice to the impact this individual can have on the customer. Instead, maybe the preferred title should be Director of First Impressions. There are specific personal traits and characteristics that are necessary to realize the results for which this position is responsible. These traits take the form of one's behavioral style, values and motivators, and their personal skills and attributes.
Behaviors
Customer Orientated - Administrative assistants have to live to serve the customer. This can be a customer of the traditional sort visiting your office for an appointment, or it could be an internal customer from another department. Whatever the case may be, customer service is at the core of this position. Frequent Interaction With Others - With the high degree of emphasis on customer service, there comes frequent interaction with others. It is important that an administrative assistant enjoys frequent interaction with others. Organized Workplace An administrative assistant is like the nerve center of an office. It is absolutely critical that you have great organizational skills to ensure the smooth flow of information throughout the organization.
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Self-Assessment - Rate yourself on the 1 2 3 4 following statements. Ideas to develop my proficiency in this key area: I know who the internal customers are and live to serve them. I know who the external customers are and live to serve thm. I place a high emphasis on customer service. I enjoy frequent interaction with others. I am the nerve center of the office. My organizational skills are excellent. I ensure the smooth flow of information throughout the organization.
Values/Motivators
Traditional / Regulatory - A successful administrative or executive assistant is someone who focuses on doing things the "right" way according to his or her organization's culture and standards. Utilitarian / Economic - With the wide variety of tasks and duties an administrative assistant takes on, it is important that you be focused on efficiency and making the best use of your time. Theoretical - The most effective administrative assistants are those who have a good understanding of their organization's business and "how things work." This requires a thirst for knowledge and the desire to learn something new each day on the job.
I focus on doing things the "right" way based on the company culture. I consistently enforce and adhere to company standards. I stay focused on efficiency and making best use of my time. I have a good understanding of my company's business and "how things I have a thirst for knowledge. I have the desire to learn something new each day on the job. I have identified my personal values and adhere to them in my job. My coworker/supervisor can state what my values.
VALUES/MOTIVATORS
BEHAVIORS

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Personal Talents and Skills

Self-Management An administrative assistant often works without direct supervision and is expected to accomplish tasks without constant delegation. For this reason, you must be skilled in managing your time at work effectively. Flexibility - An administrative assistant can be called on to do any number of wide and varied tasks. You must be flexible and able to respond effectively to these requests. Planning and Organization - Again, organization is critical in this position. An unorganized administrative assistant can literally cripple an organization's operations. Interpersonal Skills - Given the high frequency of interaction with others, administrative assistants must have great interpersonal skills that make visitors feel like they are welcome guests to the organization. Diplomacy and Tact - This position often serves as a gatekeeper to upper managers and executives and can also bear the brunt of an upset customer's anger. For this reason, it is important that you be able to handle difficult situations with diplomacy and tact.
I am able to work well without direct supervision. I manage my time at work effectively to ensure tasks are completed. I am always ready and willing to respond to any number of wide and I am flexible and able to to respond to varied and unique tasks. My interpersonal skills are exemplary. I make visitors feel like they are welcome guests to the organization. I control my emotions when confronted with difficult customers. I handle difficult situations with diplomacy and tact.
Personal Talents & Skills
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Customer Analysis
As you become more successful in your career, the actions you take and the work you do will affect more and more people. The more people you affect, the more likely it is that your actions will impact people who have power and influence over your work. These people could be strong supporters of your work or they could block it. Customer Management is an important discipline that successful people use to gain trust and win support from others. It helps them ensure that their efforts and work succeed where others fail. Customer Analysis is the technique used to identify the key people who you affect and vice versa. You then use Customer Planning to build the trust and support that helps you succeed. The benefits of using a customer-based approach are that: * By communicating with customers early and frequently, you can ensure that they fully understand what you are doing and understand the benefits of your work this means they can support you actively when necessary * You can anticipate what people's reaction to your work may be, and build into your plan the actions that will win people's support. How to Use the Tool: The first step in Customer Analysis is to identify who your customers are. The next step is to work out their power, influence and interest, so you know who you should focus on. The final step is to develop a good understanding of the most important customers so that you know how they are likely to respond, and so that you can work out how to win their support you can record this analysis on a customer map. After you have used this tool and created a customer map, you can use the customer planning tool to plan how you will communicate with each customer. The steps of Customer Analysis are explained below: Step 1. Identify Your Customers The first step in your customer analysis is to brainstorm who your customers are. As part of this, think of all the people who are affected by your work, who have influence or power over it, or have an interest in its successful or unsuccessful conclusion.
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The table below shows some of the people who might be customers in your job or in your work:
Your boss Senior executives Your coworkers Your team External Customers Prospective customers Your family
Shareholders Alliance partners Suppliers Lenders Analysts Future recruits
Government Trades associations The press Interest groups The public The community
Remember that although customers may be both organizations and people, ultimately you must communicate with people. Make sure that you identify the correct individual customers within a customer organization.
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Step 2. Prioritize Your Customers You may now have a long list of people and organizations that are affected by your work. Some of these may have the power either to block or advance. Some may be interested in what you are doing, others may not care. Map out your customers on a Power/Interest Grid as shown in figure 1, and classify them by their power over your work and by their interest in your work. For example, your boss is likely to have high power and influence over your work and high interest. Your family may have high interest, but are unlikely to have power over it. * High power, interested people: these are the people you must fully engage and make the greatest efforts to satisfy. * High power, less interested people: put enough work in with these people to keep them satisfied, but not so much that they become bored with your message. * Low power, interested people: keep these people adequately informed, and talk to them to ensure that no major issues are arising. These people can often be very helpful with the details of your work. * Low power, less interested people: again, monitor these people, but do not bore them with excessive communication.
Figure 1: Power/Interest Grid
Someone's position on the grid shows you the actions you have to take with them:
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Step 3. Understand Your Key Customers You now need to know more about your key customers. You need to know how they are likely to feel about and react to your work. You also need to know how best to engage them in your work and how best to communicate with them. Key questions that can help you understand your customers are: * What motivates them most of all? * What information do they want and expect from you? * How do they want to receive information from you? What is the best way of communicating your message to them? * Who influences their opinions generally, and who influences their opinion of you? Do some of these influencers therefore become important customers in their own right? * If they are not likely to be positive, what will win them around to support your project? * Who else might be influenced by their opinions? Do these people become customers in their own right? A very good way of answering these questions is to talk to your customers directly people are often quite open about their views, and asking people's opinions is often the first step in building a successful relationship with them. You can create your own example of customer analysis at work whether for your current role, a job you want to do or a new project.
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Great Customer Service

Self-Assessment - Rate yourself on the following statements. 1-Never 2-Sometimes 3-Often 4-All the time I treat each customer as if he or she was the only one that day. When I'm in a bad mood, I make sure it doesn't show at work. I smile every time I interact with a customer both in person and on the phone. I look at things from the customer's perspective. When I'm having a tough day, I try to turn it around so it doesn't impact the customer. I work hard to exceed customer expectations. I think of the customer as my boss. 1 2 3 4 Ideas to develop my proficiency in this key area:
Attitude Assessment
1. What do your customers expect from you?
2. In what ways can your team work to improve customer service?
3. In what ways do your customers expect you to be consistent?
4. In what ways are you sometimes inconsistent?
5. What pickles can you give as individuals to add your special touch and exceed your customers expectations?
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Interpersonal Skills
First Impressions What are your First Impressions of the woman in Picture A? What are your First Impressions of the woman in Picture B?
Tips for Success: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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Paraphrasing Statements Activity:

Instructions: Work with a partner to create reflecting statements for the following sentences. 1. This part is so messed up. I just dont know what to do. ________________________________________________________ 2. She said shed give it to me, and I still dont have it. She doesnt usually miss deadlines. ________________________________________________________ 3. If he gives the team one more project, I think we will collapse. ________________________________________________________ 4. They did such a good job at marketing, I dont know if we can keep up with delivery. ________________________________________________________ 5. Just once I wish people around here would listen to the people who do the work. ________________________________________________________ 6. Its unfair that some of the employees have Wednesday off and others of us dont. ________________________________________________________ 7. I get so frustrated with this machine I could throw it out the window. ________________________________________________________ 8. I keep trying to talk to her, but she just gets mad when I do. ________________________________________________________
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Constructive Communication Activity:

Instructions: Rewrite the following fake feeling statements into true feeling statements. Fake feeling statement: I feel that was a rotten thing to do. Real feeling statement: I feel disappointed that she talked to others about me when there was a problem. I would prefer that she come to me directly in the future. 1. I feel stabbed in the back. ____________________________________________________
2. I feel that making the presentation alone isnt a good idea. _____________________________________________________ 3. I feel you are ignoring me. _____________________________________________________ 4. I feel that were making a bad decision. _____________________________________________________
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Conflict Management
Activity: Answer the following questions about Conflict Management. How do you define conflict?
What words come to mind when you think of conflict?
What are some consequences of conflict?
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Conflict Management Styles Quiz Each statement below provides a strategy for dealing with a conflict. Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 4 indicating how likely you are to use this strategy. 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often 4 = Always Be sure to answer the questions indicating how you would behave rather than how you think you should behave. 1. I explore issues with others so as to find solutions that meet everyones needs. _______ 2. I try to negotiate and adopt a give-and-take approach to problem situations. 3. I try to meet the expectations of others. 4. I would argue my case and insist on the merits of my point of view. 5. When there is a disagreement, I gather as much information as I can and keep the lines of communication open. 6. When I find myself in an argument, I usually say very little and try to leave as soon as possible. 7. I try to see conflicts from both sides. What do I need? What does the other Person Need? What are the issues involved? 8. I prefer to compromise when solving problems and just move on. 9. I find conflicts challenging and exhilarating; I enjoy the battle of wits that usually follows. _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
10. Being at odds with other people makes me feel uncomfortable and anxious. _______ 11. I try to accommodate the wishes of my friends and family. 12. I can figure out what needs to be done and I am usually right. 13. To break deadlocks, I would meet people halfway. _______ _______ _______
14. I may not get what I want but its a small price to pay for keeping the peace. _______ 15. I avoid hard feelings by keeping my disagreements with others to myself. _______
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How to score the Conflict Management Quiz: As stated, the 15 statements correspond to the five conflict resolution styles. To find your most preferred style, total the points in the respective categories. The one with the highest score indicates your most commonly used strategy. The one with the lowest score indicates your least preferred strategy. However, if you are a person who must deal with conflict on a regular basis, you may find your style to be a blend of styles. Style Collaborating: Competing: Avoiding: Accommodating: Compromising: Corresponding Statements: 1, 5, 7 4, 9, 12 6, 10, 15 3, 11, 14 2, 8, 13 Total: _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
Brief Descriptions of the Five Conflict Management Styles Collaborating Style: Problems are solved in ways in which an optimum result is provided for all involved. Both sides get what they want and negative feelings are minimized. Pros: Creates mutual trust; maintains positive relationships; builds commitments. Cons: Time consuming; energy consuming. Competing Style: Authoritarian approach. Pros: Goal oriented; quick. Cons: May breed hostility. Avoiding Style: The non-confrontational approach. Pros: Does not escalate conflict; postpones difficulty. Cons: Unaddressed problems; unresolved problems. Accommodating Style: Giving in to maintain relationships. Pros: Minimizes injury when we are outmatched; relationships are maintained. Cons: Breeds resentment; exploits the weak. Compromising Style: The middle ground approach. Pros: Useful in complex issues without simple solutions; all parties are equal in power. Cons: No one is ever really satisfied; less than optimal solutions get implemented.
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Difficult Personalities
The Bulldozer Time to run down Dont worry about being polite Forcefully; no apologies Dont cut down Negotiation The Exploder Gain self-control Neutral phrase Serious Private setting The Complainer Listen Dont argue or apologize State the facts Put in writing How do you want the discussion to end? The Clam Open-ended questions Wait for response Extra time Comment on what is happening The Wet Blanket Be alert Optimistic but realistic Dont argue Dont offer solutions Raise questions The Know-It-All Be prepared Listen and paraphrase Dont over-generalize Watch your responses The Staller Be open Acknowledge past problem Give support Assign responsibility
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Difficult Personalities
Activity: Identify at least one person that fits the description of the Difficult Personality Types. Then, write some practice phrases that you can practice so you will be better prepared for that time when he/she are being difficult. The Bulldozer - Abusive, abrupt
The Exploder Outbursts filled with rage
The Complainer Finds fault with everything
The Clam Silent, yes or no, grunt
The Wet Blanket It wont work
The Know-It-All Expert on all matters
The Staller Habitually indecisive
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The Extraordinary Assistant