The Effective Secretary/Personal Assistant Course

Success depends on the abilities of support staff. As organization worldwide have streamlined and computerized, support staff has become key to an organization’s success. More often than not, supports staff must pick up the slack, handled multiple projects simultaneously, and remember all the details.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate key value-adding skills needed to leverage the greatest advantage out of their essential team role;
• Increase their effectiveness ten-fold by applying the tools, skills and techniques exposed to them in class; 
• Apply skills highly appreciated by your boss and organization;
• Demonstrate high end interpersonal skills.

Course Outline

• The Secretary/PA in Organizations Today
• How the role has changed and why
• From suitable Secretary to potent PA
• The Secretary/PA as businessperson
• Knowing how your business works
• Understanding the contribution you can make
• You and your boss as a powerful team (the Me-Boss Team)
• The Steps to becoming a highly effective “gatekeeper”
• Who are you?
• Understanding your paradigms
• Understanding your interpersonal style
• You are important!
• Attitude, latitude and taking responsibility
• Becoming a Lifelong Learner
• Adding Value to your Manager
• Understanding your boss's paradigms
• Understanding your boss's interpersonal style
• Making sure you are clearly on the Me-Boss team list
• Understanding and supporting the boss's role and objectives
• Agreeing your common objectives and success criteria
• Understanding strategic thinking
• Focusing on goal-directed interaction
• Key steps in becoming an effective “managee”
• Knowing when to “fill in the gaps”
• Redefining your role and intended contribution
• Managing the Me-Boss team together
• When is a team a team?
• Working together when power is unequal
• The features of a cohesive team
• Success comes in Cans, not in Cannot