Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations

Unfortunately in life and business, most people experience uncomfortable situations every now and then. Learning to deal with these effectively, and maintaining professionalism during them, is an essential skill for Executive Assistants. Whether you’re feeling awkward at the office Christmas party, giving your Executive constructive feedback or receiving feedback on your own performance, keeping these tips in mind will make it easier:

• Ask questions: in uncomfortable situations, asking questions takes the pressure of you and puts it on another person. If you’re receiving negative feedback, it also helps you understand how you can improve, and how you’ve gotten to this point so that you solve any issues.

• Put the situation in perspective: If you’re having trouble at work, it’s important to put the situation in clear perspective and not to overthink. If you feel uncomfortable, stressed, or upset, remember that it’s temporary and that it’s OKnot to be at 100 per cent all the time.

• Set time limits: meetings often go on and on, becoming less productive the longer they last. If you’re itching to go and be productive then set a time limit. When the time's up, have a pre-prepared excuse so that you can duck out and spend your time more however you choose.

Useful scheduling and organisational hacks to try

You and your Executive are only as effective as your schedule. If you’re struggling to get organised, or missing important appointments, try using a run sheet. This is a one page physical or digital document that you’ll send your Executive every few days including their to do list, appointments for the next two or three days, upcoming due dates and details of what you’re working on at the moment. This will help ensure you’re always on top of appointments and that you can discuss the details of the next few days together if necessary

If you’ve got a thousand things to do before 5 p.m. it can be difficult to get anything done at all. Make your to dos more visual and manageable by using a software such as Trello. You can share your Trello with anyone, input due dates and reminders for appointments, as well as attaching documents to tasks or reminders.

Our last, and perhaps most useful tip, is to always make tomorrow's to do list and schedule before you leave the office the day before. This will help make sure you hit the ground running every day.

Transitioning to a paperless office

Transitioning your office to a paperless system can increase productivity, make life easier for administrators, reduce costs and decrease environmental harm. However, thousands of businesses Australia-wide are still stuck in using physical documents, filing cabinets and snail mail.

If that’s your office, here are a few tips on making the change:

• Get staff on board: the first step to changing is to garner the support of your Executive and other staff members. To convince colleagues tell them about the benefits they’ll personally experience like increased efficiency, improved customer service and better organisation. Open the field to questions and address people’s concerns at the same time.

• Choose a new system and organise: once everyone’s on board it’s time to choose a new system, and enter essential paper documentation into it. There are several specialist IT providers who can help you choose software, and you can make data entry easier by spreading the switch out over a month and splitting the work between departments. You may also need to train staff, which depending on the complexity of your new software, can be completed by yourself or a third party provider.

• Tell clients and reap the benefits: before you make the switch let your clients know what you’re doing and provide an email contact to address any concerns and answer questions. Then, sit back and enjoy the perks of a waste-free, efficient, easy to use paperless system.

Preparing your executive for travel

If your executive is travelling for work you might not speak to them as often as usual but you can be just as helpful. To make their life easier, prepare run sheets and schedules for each day including important details like appointment times, client contacts, and accommodation booking details.

Even if your office is paperless it can be handy to print these, just in case your Executive doesn’t have an internet connection the entire time they’re away. It’s also useful to include details of how they’re getting around, documentation for meetings, reading or work material for travel, and important information on any client they’re meeting.

Keeping calm under pressure

When deadlines are constantly approaching and your tasks are multiplying by the minute, it’s easy to let the pressure turn into panic. However, to be effective at what you do you’ve got to remain calm and approach problems logically. Here are a few tips to help you shake that voice in your head and focus on the task at hand:

• Take a moment and plan: if you start your day with a million things to do, it’s easy to let it get on top of you. Plan the day before by setting out half-hour blocks, assigning sets of similar tasks to each block and leaving non-urgent tasks until last.

• Focus on what you can control: the reason people panic is usually because they feel out of control and overwhelmed. That’s why it’s important to focus on what you can control in any given situation and accept what you can’t.. If you’re not able to do your job to a high standard because of something out of your control, make a note of that circumstance so that you can fully explain it if need be.

• Forget about ‘what ifs’: when you’re under pressure your mind may run away on you. “What if I can’t finish this by the due date, what if if I ruin this project?” When these thoughts pop into your mind, try to remember that they’re irrational and that you can only do your best.

Pressure is a normal part of any professional position, and it’s a common experience among Executive Assistants. How you respond to that pressure is completely up to you, and having a few strategies in place can make a world of difference.

The vital importance of a sense of humour

There’s no doubt that being an Executive Assistant can be stressful, which makes having a strong sense of humour important. What’s more laughter has been proven to reduce stress hormones and promote creativity, side effects that are surely welcome.

For a start, don’t take yourself too seriously. This will make you more approachable and easier to work with, so that your days are lighter and more varied. With that in mind, if being funny doesn’t come naturally don’t start trying to fire off one liners at every opportunity, just relax and see the lighter side of life. Doing so will help alleviate pressure, endear you to coworkers and make life easier.