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The Assistant
Executive Assistant Network Monthly Newsletter
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November 2016 Edition -
EAN News General News Partner News Exhibitor News Special Offers
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EAn Introduction
The relationship between EA and Executive is one of the most profound yet critical in modern businesses. But too often the development of these relationships is left to evolve organically over time, with little defined planning or articulation of purpose or process.
This can cause issues with the development of trust, misalignment across many facets of the role, including stakeholder relationships, communication and planning and delivery.
Most importantly, with a failure to build a strong united partnership, the ability of the EA to become more forward looking and thinking, and less directed and reactive, or to take more of a leadership role in relation to managing the executive’s focus, energy, mind-set, priorities and relationships as opposed to being a passive task oriented ‘doer’, are seriously affected.
We have just launched a one day program to change this, the EA & Executive Partnership Model program.
Our one day program for EAs and their Executives, the first of its specific kind in the world, is designed to change this and we would encourage you to read the article on this below and share the details with your colleagues, executive teams and L&D leaders. It truly is a sensational one day program that will change how executive’s work with their EAs and deliver much greater efficiencies and productivity to management teams.
The course is offered as a one-day publicly bookable program or as an in-house program so please take a look and consider it for your personal needs or the needs of your organisation.
Our 2016 conference series is now more than half way through and we continue to be absolutely thrilled by the response. Highlighting a lot of the thought, theory, knowledge, resources and tools that were originally developed for this conference but now form part of our Partnership Model program, this conference really is one not to be missed. So if you haven’t yet experienced this conference and you can make it to either our Melbourne conference in November or Perth in February, we strenuously encourage you to do so.
As mentioned in a previous edition, our 2017 conference series is well under way in development with a very different focus. For the past few years we have been very much entrenched in unpacking understanding around the role, and expectations in relation to that, of modern EAs, working on what it takes to be proactive rather than reactive, how a strong and effective partnership between EA and Executive can be formed, and what success looks like in such a relationship and how that might be evaluated.
Moving forward, we are dialling back a little from these thought leadership and visionary type topics and packing in more amazing keynote presenters. For Sydney next year we have already confirmed Rowdy McLean, Keith Abraham, Jane Anderson, Afterburners, Nils Vesk, Amanda Stevens and Jen Harwood.
Feel free to look them up (we guarantee you will be impressed) but if you don’t have time for that, don’t stress, we will be bringing you a lot more from each in the coming weeks and months. Indeed, most are recording short welcome videos so you can hear and see for yourselves a little more of what each will be presenting.
As you would have seen in our recent communications, we have been considering some changes in our diplomas to help ensure that they are exactly what is needed in your roles.
Over the past few years we have tried, to the extent possible, to deliver qualifications that are more relevant to the needs of EAs whilst still mapping to nationally accredited qualifications.
With no nationally recognised qualification available for EA and PAs, we have been forced to try and map what we wanted to deliver to existing management qualification’s and this has proved to be an ongoing struggle.
And it isn’t that we haven’t been working with the broader industry on this, we have. Indeed, for the past several years, we have had representation on the industry reference committees established by government to advise on the needs of business in relation to vocational education and training. We continue to serve on such a steering committee.
But based on the struggles we have experienced, and because we believe that our members and your profession deserve the very best we can deliver, we have decided to move away from this strategy and focus on delivering qualifications that are more specifically focussed on what you do every day, and where your challenges lie. And also in terms of what is needed in your roles as we perceive they will continue to evolve.
EAN is already the voice of your profession in Australia, and the Executive Assistant Academy is the recognised leader in the field of EA education and training. Going down this route will help ensure that the currency and value in our accreditation continues to grow. As most research shows, most employers today are more interested in skills and competency based training rather than in qualifications that often have irrelevant elements. Our move is in line with what employers are looking for so the value in our qualifications will continue to grow, not just here but also throughout the region as we train and develop in more areas.
As you would undoubtedly know, we have been working hard to support the Children’s Cancer Institute over the past couple of months and will be doing more so in the coming year. Recently Natasha Cannon undertook her spooky dare as part of the Dare The Boss campaign and we have an article about that in this edition. But our staff and some of their kids also took time out to support this very worthwhile cause over three nights in October and again we have news on that and what they achieved. But we are very proud of all of them and what they gave in terms of their time and effort. That it proved to be a very effective team building exercise was a surprise bonus.
Finally, its been crazy of late in relation to functions and events and this doesn’t really slow up until the end of November. Check out the article below for what has been happening and what is coming up, and hopefully we will see you at one of our events very soon.
As always, enjoy this edition, and if you have any feedback, thoughts or ideas, please never hesitate to get in touch. We are always here to help and assist our members.
Jonathan McIlroy
Editor and Director, Education & Learning
Executive Assistant Network
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EAN News
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Functions, Functions, Functions ...
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It’s been a few months since I reported on our Networking Events throughout the country and we have squeezed in 10 functions since then!
We have been so excited in meeting so many new members right across Australia and of course catching up with so many of our existing members and friends!
We continue to get great feedback on our red dot system, making it that much easier for new members to attend our networking events for the first time. If you haven’t been to an event, a red dot on your name tag indicates for returning members that you are a first timer and that you need to be looked after and always made to feel welcome at all times. It is a great initiative that allows any new member not to feel intimidated if they are coming to an event on their own and may not know anyone in the room.
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‘Dare the Boss’ Campaign
Q Station – Ghostly Sleepover
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The EAN staff were excited at the chance to come up with a fitting Dare for Natasha Cannon to participate in the ‘Dare The Boss’ Campaign to raise much needed funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute.
Their creativity started with many fabulous ideas being thrown around including a bath full of snakes or jumping out of a plane, even getting her to sing in public, but finally deciding on a midnight ghost tour and ghostly sleepover in a haunted dormitory at Q Station!
Q Station were all too happy to oblige, not only offering a sleeping spot for her, but opening up their dormitory for any other boss or colleague to join her as well!
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Dare The Boss Campaign – Children’s
Cancer Institute
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EAN have been thrilled to join forces with the Children’s Cancer Institute to help raise funds through their newly launched ‘Dare The Boss’ campaign.
In order to assist the institute, the EAN team got behind the fund raising by hosting a BBQ at the northern beaches local summer soccer competition on 3 consecutive evenings and cooked up over 750 sausage and onion sandwiches for young and old!
We are happy to announce that we raised over $3,500 during the 3 days and want to thank some very important people for helping to make this happen.
RG Meats for donating an absolute pile of sausages, Bakers Delight for supplying the bread, Football SSG for allowing us to BBQ on site and the local Rotary Club for assisting us with the sale of raffle tickets.
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EAN’s EA & Executive Partnership Model
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The relationship between EA and Executive is one of the most profound yet critical in modern businesses. But too often the development of these relationships is left to evolve organically over time, with little defined planning or articulation of purpose or process.
This course is designed to help remove the lottery of chance, and to accelerate the development of a trusted Partnership, enabling EA and Executive to be confident that it has the right foundations and structure to ensure alignment in all critical communication, task, responsibility and reporting areas, and guarantee a more productive and effective working relationship.
Delivered over one day, the course utilises a process of self-discovery in addition to benchmarking against industry standards. The process is also underpinned by a number of EAN models and frameworks developed over the past decade with our members.
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Hi all, we are a small organisation in rural WA who have recently had an employee move to the metro area to work for us from their new home.
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Hi All,
I have been an EA for roughly 5 years and have worked for 3 CEO's; however,at the beginning on November my organisation has a new CEO commencing. I want to take advantage of this new relationship and have some open and frank discussion upon his commencement about what he needs from me..
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Hi All - can anyone recommend a good restaurant in Brisbane CBD. Nothing too high-end. I have 8 diners and accommodation is at the Novotel in Creek Street. Thanks heaps.
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Good afternoon! I'm organising a Christmas function at home for approx 30 people, to include food, drinks, plates/cutlery/glass hire. Hoping you can help with some recommendations. I look forward to your advice.
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Learning & Development Insights
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Could you improve your minute writing?
Minute writing is a fundamental task for most professionals. While you're in a meeting you need to make sure you record the most salient points. At the very least, you must document the action items at the end of the meeting.
For Executive Assistants (EAs), minute writing takes on a heightened importance. Most of the time, they are responsible for recording the key takeaways of meetings on behalf of their executive.
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Executive Assistant Academy
Upcoming Courses in 2016Our Diploma Programs
Our Diploma qualifications are designed to develop your management academia, skills and rhetoric to forge and develop a successful and sustainable partnership with your Executive and teams. Find out more about our qualifications by downloading one of the brochures below.
Our Professional Development Series of 1 to 2 day training courses have been enhanced and refined to meet your ongoing development needs and advance your skills.
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Elite Assistants
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It has been a very busy month at Elite Assistants. We are being inundated with great companies from all over Australia who understand how important it is to have a specialised approach to finding the perfect EA and PA for them. If you are looking for a new career challenge, or are just curious as to what might be out there, we urge you to get in touch by email or phone to let us help you. Alternatively you can expect to meet myself at some of Executive Assistant Network's many networking events.
Below are just a few of the current roles we have that might be a perfect fit for you.
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Partner NEWS -
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Mercure Kooindah Waters Golf & Spa Resort
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Only 90mins from Sydney, Mercure Kooindah Waters Golf & Spa Resort on the Central Coast is the perfect escape from all the usual distractions for business conferences.
Secluded by natural wetlands and surrounded by a championship standard 18 hole golf course (which is ranked in the Top 100 resort courses in Australia), the resort offers an award winning and state of the art conference facility with a fresh and healthy approach to meetings (Mindful Meetings). Offering a variety of accommodation options (Standard King, 1,2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments), six spacious meeting rooms all with natural light, an endota day spa, Karinyas Restaurant and Wine Bar and a host of leisure and teambuilding activities on site or within a short drive from the resort.
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Meriton Serviced Apartments: Australia's
Largest Owner of Hotel Rooms
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Meriton Serviced Apartments has reached a new milestone in becoming the largest owner of hotel rooms in Australia. Overtaking the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, who totals 4,096 rooms, Meriton Serviced Apartments has introduced four new properties in Sydney and the Gold Coast over the past three months, increasing their portfolio to a remarkable 4,621 luxury suites across 18 well-situated hotels.
The last in its venture to become the nation’s fastest growing operator for the year, Meriton Serviced Apartments North Sydney opened mid-last month to showcase the brand’s consistent first-class standards; a standard that can be found in all their properties across Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
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Booking the Perfect Business Trip for Your Boss
When it comes to leisure travel, there is a certain degree of permissiveness that accompanies the planning process. That’s because there aren’t really too many stakes when you’re on vacation; holiday-goers have nowhere to be, no deadlines to meet and definitely don’t have any gnarly business meetings to attend.
Conversely, the nature of corporate travel is dynamic, littered with intricacies from start to finish and holds more risks than just missing a flight; there’s missing a business meeting or having nowhere to ably work from which in turn, defeats the purpose of the trip altogether.
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2016 Cliftons Art Prize – Exhibition now open
Cliftons has a long standing commitment to visual arts and we are proud to once again host the Cliftons Art Prize in 2016. The annual art competition supports local artists and encourages corporate patronage of the arts across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Hundreds of emerging artists across Asia Pacific have submitted their artworks in this year's competition and finalists were carefully selected by an independent panel of judges.
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Take Your Event to New Heights
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Experience one of Sydney’s best kept secrets; Supper Club at InterContinental Sydney. Toast to a memorable event set against the breathtaking backdrop of the iconic harbour city from level 32. If you are hosting an intimate event for a bespoke 15-115, take your guests breath away with an exclusive VIP section overlooking unique perspectives of Sydney from the wrap-around terrace.
Tailor your perspective, allowing guests to move between intimate interiors and the outdoor terrace as they wish. Gaze out over the twinkling Eastern Suburbs; discover new heights looking over the skyline of the CBD, or marvel at Sydney’s most famous harbour residing icons whilst indulging in carefully curated canapes and beverages.
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It’s everyone’s favourite time of year – the season of Christmas parties! If you haven’t already got yours sorted then you really ought to hop to it – you don’t want to be worrying about finding a venue while you’re already dealing with other important questions such as ‘which horse will win the Melbourne Cup this year?’ and ‘where is the sun?’
For those of you who are highly efficient and are all sorted for your end of year festivities, ask yourself – what will make your Christmas party unlike all the other parties your colleagues have previously attended? Keep in mind no amount of good tunes or roving entertainment can make up for not enough food or a rubbish venue. Your colleagues should feel like they are part of something special, and memorable. Don’t forget that your event, whilst being full of festive cheer, does need a hint of professionalism!
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Shhh... It's a Secret
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InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto has just launched a new event space called The Secret Laneway.
This one-of-a-kind event space is set on cobblestones that are heritage listed and date back to 1890 when the building was first built. As juxtaposition to the very old, there is a modern graffiti art installation that is 40 metres long and 10 metres high. The piece was first created by the street artists from Blender Studios in 2014 and has subsequently evolved over time by the various guests that have frequented the laneway for team building.
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Feel the Magic of Christmas
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Festive, luxurious and perfectly located to give the most wonderful Christmas event, let InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort indulge your seasonal spirit.
Whether it’s a festive fuelled networking lunch, the company Christmas party or a seasonal family and friends gathering, InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort will make it a truly wonderful occasion.
With our unique event spaces and the beautiful beach lagoon pool we’ll take care of everything so the only thing you have to worry about is how to really celebrate!
Treat your guests to a Christmas buffet or plated menu, plus a complete beverage package and festive theming.
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Exhibitor News -
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End2End Events - Event Management Experts
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At End2End Events, we know how overwhelming planning a corporate event on your own can be. With so much to think about and anticipate, not to mention the pressure on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly, sometimes it just makes sense to outsource the stress to someone else.
Marwa Rida, founder and CEO of End2End Events, is a born organiser. Her passion for event management, theming, styling, organising and assuring others is what sees her booked solid month after month with corporate, community and private events of all shapes and sizes.
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There’s A Mouse On My Pillow!!
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This is definitely not the phone call you wish to pick up. Imagine you have executives at a conference. Everything’s going well, food is good, speakers excellent, networking fun. Then the call; “move me immediately there’s a mouse in my room running over my bed!!” Thereafter ensues many time consuming phone calls with the hotel and executive, trying to make sure you can get another room, that your other executives are not experiencing the same issue etc etc etc…..
Booking accommodation can be a minefield especially when you are in locations out of the norm (although even inner city hotels can present problems). Using an accommodation specialist can take away all these headaches and help streamline your workload. Working in partnership the following jobs can be outsourced at no extra cost to you or your company:
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Special Offers -
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