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  • feedwordpress 18:28:14 on 2018/03/16 Permalink
    Tags: , , , Conflict Resolution, , , ,   

    Do You Have A Problem Saying No? 

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    What are your tips on the best way an assistant can overcome their problem saying no.

    “I have a real problem saying no at work. How do assert myself when I can’t take on any more?” This is one question I frequently here from administrative and executive assistants. I’m sure you many of you have encountered this, so I’d like your advice.

    “I have a problem saying ‘no’ to anyone. In the past, climbing up to the position I presently hold, it was an asset and it helped me to get noticed and promoted, but now I find it has labeled me as the go-to person. With all the duties I am expected to perform, I just can’t help everyone, yet I find myself doing it anyway. How do I decline without sounding difficult or rude?”

    Assistants all over the world have struggled with how to say ‘no’ at work.

    My question to my readers: How have you handled or would handle a similar situation?

    We encourage you to share in the comments below.

    Are you an assistant who doesn’t have any trouble saying no? What has that experience been like for you?

    Are you an assistant who has a problem saying no at work? Does that spill over outside of work? What are some of the biggest obstacles for you in saying no when you simply can’t or shouldn’t accommodate a person’s request of you?

    Do you simply being the ‘go-to’ person and yes is your favorite word? Let’s hear it! Please share below.

    Need more help in the area of asserting yourself? We’ve got your back. Check out my entire series of blogs and webinars that can help you build your assertiveness in the workplace.

    Do you think that saying no to someone means you are a terrible assistant? Check out our article: Qualities of a Great Assistant (spoiler – Yes Man/Woman isn’t on the list of qualities).

    Related: How Well Do You Communicate? A guest post by Judi Moreo

    Why Being A People-Pleaser Is Bad For Your Health

    The post Do You Have A Problem Saying No? appeared first on Office Dynamics.

     

  • feedwordpress 21:30:52 on 2018/03/09 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , Conflict Resolution, , , , ,   

    Setting Healthy Boundaries Today 

     

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    Setting Healthy Boundaries

    I was teaching a class two weeks ago from the Star Achievement Series®.  Our theme for that day was the attitude component of Star Achievement. Under that umbrella, we addressed topics such as self-management vs. stress management, learning specific difficult people types and how to handle each of them, the benefits of conflict and much more.  Of course, we had plenty to talk about and one tip an attendee mentioned was, “setting healthy boundaries.”  She definitely got a big star for that one because setting healthy boundaries is important!

    So, what kind of boundaries are we talking about and with whom? After all, as administrative assistants and executive assistants, you sometimes feel like you can’t set boundaries or you might get fired or your leader will think you are not a team player. Some people think when I’m talking about setting boundaries, they have to do with sexual harassment in the workplace.

    When and where to set boundaries

    Boundaries can be set anytime, any place, on anything, and with any person. I’ll give you a perfect example that just happened to me this morning as I was traveling.  I was at the Las Vegas airport in the security line and was in line to pass my carry on through the screening process. (Keep in mind; I’ve been traveling for 20 years about 75% of the time, each year so I know what to do.) I was quickly placing my laptop in the bin, folding my raincoat up, taking off my shoes, and putting my purse on the conveyor when all of a sudden, this young woman who had been in line behind me, stepped right in front of me with 2 suitcases and placed them on the conveyor. She still needed to take off her shoes – and she didn’t know she was supposed to take off her sweat jacket.

    You are probably thinking, “So what?” So what? It was rude that she thought she could just jump in front of me especially when she was not ready herself. It was not as if she said, “May I go ahead of you?” or I looked behind me and said to her, “You can go ahead of me.” I nicely told her that she couldn’t cut in front of me. Of course, she looked at me in shock and made a few comments. (I will spare the details of our back and forth dialogue.) She finally took her items and moved behind me and told me to have a nice day.

    Addressing boundaries

    A boundary in the office for an administrative assistant can be as simple as addressing a coworker or manager who constantly steps into your workspace and takes your pens or pads and does not ask or return them.  If that bothers you, you need to say something.

    Another boundary you might need to set is your accessibility after hours to your leader as far as emails go. This is becoming a huge problem. As I travel the country and talk to hundreds of administrative office professionals ranging from administrators to executive assistants, I’m hearing them say they are spending too much of their personal time (evenings or weekends) managing and/or responding to emails from their leader.  One administrative assistant, who’ll I’ll call Sue for anonymity reasons, said that originally her manager did not expect her to check business emails and take action on non-work hours.  But she wanted to get a jump on things or was curious as to what was going on or wanted to read emails on Sunday night to be prepared for Monday morning. The problem is… she started responding to her leader’s emails and taking action steps if required. Now, she is frustrated because she spends 50% of her weekend working. I told her, “She created the monster.”  It wasn’t required of her and while she thought nothing of it at first, it snowballed and now she will have to say something to her leader.

    Rules to follow

    First, do not create situations that you will later regret.

    Second, people will act as we allow them to. If you don’t say something when something isn’t right, then the person assumes it is okay.

    Third, professionally communicate when setting boundaries yet be firm.

    Setting healthy boundaries is good for you and the other person.  It teaches them how to work with you in a way that stimulates win-win situations. You feel good for reasons that are too many to even mention in this blog. A few are that you feel confident, peaceful, in control (not walked over), respected, like a peer or business partner and viewed as a leader.

    Good luck with setting healthy boundaries!

    Related:

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    The post Setting Healthy Boundaries Today appeared first on Office Dynamics.

     

  • feedwordpress 16:30:11 on 2018/02/26 Permalink
    Tags: , , Conflict Resolution, , , ,   

    Fighting Office Dragons 

    Employee_ConflictI have been speaking about office dragons for years and how to professionally deal with the dragons. Dragons were huge, dominating, fictitious creatures. Medieval writers had vivid imaginations for big, scary things. For many people, work is like a dragon. It can be overwhelming and certainly dominates well over half of our waking hours. Sometimes the people we work with can be pretty “fiery” creatures to deal with, too.

    Please join me on Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PT for my LIVE E-Course, Fighting Office Dragons. Reserve your spot now.

    There are many dragon species at work. Three of the most common perceived species are leaders, co-workers, and self. We are going to look at:

    1. The behaviors of each species that makes them appear to be like a dragon. Notice, I said the word appear.
    2. How to professionally deal with your dragons.

    Leaders can appear to be dragons when they:

    • do not communicate on the employee’s level
    • give poor direction
    • show favoritism
    • do not follow through on what they say
    • do not resolve conflicts

    Co-workers can appear to be dragons when they:

    • gossip
    • convey a bad mood at the office
    • do not perform their part of a job
    • are not a team player
    • do not share necessary information

    You can be a dragon to yourself when you:

    • do not focus on the job
    • let others damage your attitude
    • do not see your own potential
    • lack confidence
    • take criticism personally

    You can do more harm to yourself with negative thinking than any outside dragon. It is your thought process and attitude that controls your internal dragon. You have the power at any time to tame your dragon and put out the fire of any dragon-like qualities.

    Here are 5 strategies you can use with any of the dragons:

    1. Act … Don’t React. Reaction cycles never end. Only when you decide to think and act independently will you progress toward your goal. Reacting is responding to your immediate feeling. It puts you at the mercy of the dragon.
    2. Stop the Mind Reading! Face it, we all move so fast that we seldom take the initiative to clarify things with others. Instead, we ponder a scenario, rolling it over and over in our minds. We “determine” i.e., mind read, what that person was thinking/motivated by/perceiving, without simply asking them to clarify.
    3. Focus on Self-change vs. Changing Others. A good first step is communicating with the dragon. Informing someone and offering suggestions can sometimes be helpful because people don’t always see their negative attitude or behavior. In the final analysis, however, every adult does as he or she chooses. When you can’t change a situation or a person’s behavior, look at changing your view about this person. You can still control your attitude.
    4. Take Independent Steps Toward Your Goals. Determine what your goals are and write them down. List the one thing you can do toward achieving those goals each day. Doing this combines the winning strategies of independent action and self-change. Setting and achieving goals gives you a sense of accomplishment. This is a positive feeling. When you feel good about who you are and what you do, it naturally flows over to others.
    5. Make Friends. You spend more time with co-workers than you do with your family or friends. People at work must become allies instead of dragons. The work relationship requires respect, honesty, confidentiality, appreciation, communication, and energy.
    6. I personally have used all these strategies and know they work. I wish you the best in dragon fighting this week. The most important thing I want you to remember is that most of the time, the dragon is in our mind.

    Joan Burge

    Please join me on Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PT for my LIVE E-Course, Fighting Office Dragons. Reserve your spot now.

    This post is part of Joan’s Monday Motivators, a weekly editorial designed to kick off your week with practical ways to create a new mindset, change behaviors, develop positive relationships and thrive in the workplace with energy, effectiveness, and excellence. Sign up HERE to follow Joan’s Monday Motivators.

    The post Fighting Office Dragons appeared first on Office Dynamics.

     

  • feedwordpress 16:00:03 on 2017/09/07 Permalink
    Tags: , Conflict Resolution, ,   

    Navigate Controversial Topics In The Workplace 

    Imagine this scenario: You wander into the break room at lunch time to heat up your leftovers and perhaps grab a few minutes with a book or on social media. And then you overhear two co-workers, their voices rising a bit, talking about a controversial subject of the day, or week, or year.

    It happens, right? There’s no avoiding people with different points of view, and some of those people don’t have good boundaries when it comes to sharing those viewpoints with others at work—regardless of differing beliefs. So how do you eat your lunch and not make enemies at the same time when those situations arise?

    Well, for starters, your workplace should and can be the guide. If your workplace rules prohibit certain things, then you should follow those guidelines. You can also decide not to engage in those topics, or even try to best gauge your audience before you share any details. What other steps should you take? This graphic can help you navigate controversial topics in the workplace.

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    The post Navigate Controversial Topics In The Workplace appeared first on Office Dynamics.

     

  • feedwordpress 20:27:02 on 2017/04/12 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , Conflict Resolution, , , , ,   

    5 Reasons Why You Need Emotional Intelligence 

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    Sure, having a high IQ is great, but how does your EQ (emotional quotient) at work stack up? Nearly all HR managers (95 percent) and employees (99 percent) surveyed by OfficeTeam said it’s important for staff to have strong emotional intelligence. In addition, more than one in five workers (21 percent) believe EQ is more valuable in the office than IQ.

    What is Emotional Intelligence?

    You’ve probably heard the phrase “emotional intelligence” before and dismissed it as the latest buzzword. You may have even assumed team hugs and trust falls were involved. But emotional intelligence deserves your attention because it plays an important role in your overall career success. In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

    Why You Need It 

    Having a high EQ comes in handy in today’s workplace, especially for administrative professionals. Here are five reasons why:

    1. In most jobs, collaboration is the name of the game. And to quote Liam Neeson in the movie “Taken,” regularly interacting with a wide range of personalities inside and outside the company requires “a very particular set of skills.” Being able to respond calmly and diplomatically to difficult people or challenging situations is a must.
    2. Losing control of your emotions isn’t a good look. It’s not uncommon to get a little stressed or upset at work: More than six in 10 employees we polled (61 percent) admitted they’ve let emotions get the better of them in the office. Unfortunately, others could be judging you when you can’t keep your cool. Eighty-six percent of workers said when a colleague doesn’t control his or her emotions, it affects their perception of that person’s level of professionalism.
    3. There are always bound to be conflicts and disagreements at work. If you’re an effective communicator, you’ll listen to what coworkers have to say, show empathy and come up with solutions to issues. Problem-solvers get a big thumbs-up.
    4. No one likes a Negative Nelly. When you’re a motivated individual, you strive to get things done, and that enthusiasm spreads. What office couldn’t benefit from a little positivity?
    5. You’ll make a good impression on others. Let’s face it, people who have strong interpersonal skills, maintain a friendly tone and show a genuine interest in their coworkers are just more likable. When you tap into your emotional intelligence, you also make a better leader.

    There’s a Webinar for That

    OfficeTeam is hosting a free webinar during Administrative Professionals Week on April 25 to delve more into why it’s so important for workers to have emotional intelligence, how to up your EQ and ways to show off your abilities in this area. You’ll hear from these amazing speakers:

    • Sarah Jubinville – Practice Director, OfficeTeam
    • Joshua Freedman – CEO, Six Seconds EQ Network
    • Joan Burge – Founder and CEO, Office Dynamics International
    • Kemetia Foley –  Coordinator, Research, American Staffing Association

    As if that weren’t enticing enough, the live webinar is eligible for one Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) recertification point through the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

    Register for the webinar today!

    This blog is part of our 2017 Blog-A-Thon. Please leave a comment or share the blog for your chance to win one of our amazing giveaways! The more blogs you comment on and share, the more chances you have to win. If you’d like to learn more about our Blog-A-Thon you can do so here. Hint: Subscribe to our blog in the upper right-hand corner so you never miss a blog.

    Brandi_Britton_OfficeteamBrandi Britton is a district president for OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at roberthalf.com/officeteam. Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and the OfficeTeam blog.

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    The post 5 Reasons Why You Need Emotional Intelligence appeared first on Office Dynamics.

     

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