NO, You May Not

As an Admin, I find myself the wrangler of many resources.  Projectors and other widgets.  All of these items are to be checked out using our calendar system so that everyone might have the resource as they need it.

After spending time instructing people on how to reserve the resource, I am flabbergasted when they come to me 48 to 72 hours in advance of their meetings wanting to have the resource so they might be prepared.

REALLY!?!?!?!?!

Never mind that others have reservations for the item. Never mind that the world DOES NOT revolve around them.

They leave my desk muttering about mean and power-hungry admins when I explain that a) it would be an inconvenience to the others who had reserved the resource, b) I don’t want equipment that I’m responsible for not in place that I can’t account for it, and c) NO, YOU MAY NOT have the resource in advance.

If they want to get familiar with the equipment, here’s an idea.  Check it out in advance.  Get use to it.  Return it.  Then on the day of your reservation you’ll feel comfortable.

Use some common sense people!

No, Admin Gal is NOT Dead

Rumors of my demise are just that. I have been in the midst of all the chaos and mayhem I could possibly create on any given day while keeping my job.

Google Apps rolled out in our company.  Roared in like a lion, left like a lamb.  Some really struggled.  I have to admit it was fun watching the mushroom clouds appear over the cubicles as people went nuclear.  But I and my intrepid band of Googlers went in with radiation suits to fix them up and bring life back to the waste lands.

I have sent my people to many lands and have brought them back with no communicable diseases.  In all of this a building move is in the offing and a other delightful flights of fancy.

Yes, Dear Reader, Admin Gal has many insights and stories to tell in up coming posts.

Until later!

Around the World

I think I sent my brain to India along with my boss and his posse.  I didn’t mean to.  Somehow my brain is not here where it is suppose to be.

Maybe it is cowering in a corner, curled in a fetal position, rocking back and forth after processing 9, that’s right NINE, business visas for India; 9 non-refundable business class tickets broken up into 2 separate groups, with the accompaning in-country flights that bounce them between 4 cities in 5 days;  a grueling 5 day itinerary that I wouldn’t wish on my least favorite person, all in the name of efficiency.  All of this to make the bottom line of the company more profitable.

Just listing all that brings back the migrain.  Somebody asked me if I wanted to go with them.  I screamed as I ran far, far away from the evil, evil person.

Admin Gal is NOT Pleased!

Today started out high octane, just the way Admin Gal likes it.  Lots to do, people to coordinate, mountains to climbs and oceans to swim.  All this before noon. 

The lunch hour arrives. Admin Gal goes into the floor kitchenette to retrieve her lunch.  (After all, in these trying times being frugal is the new sign of prosperity.) To her dismay, her lunch is gone!  The space where her lunch inhabited is empty. Zip, nada, zilch. 

Now, her lunchtime offerings were not any gastronomic delicacy.  Lunch was simply a frozen dinner.  The point is that Admin Gal purchased said dinner with her hard earned money.  Having purchased it, expected it to be where she put it!

So now a note, vetted by the HR representative on the floor adorns the refrigerator:

“If you did NOT BRING the FOOD in the REFRIGERATOR,

DO NOT EAT THE FOOD!

THEFT IS NOT LOOKED KINDLY UPON”

Admin Gal was asked to remove all references to quartering, maiming and humiliation. She thought it would make the point more valid.  Some people have no sense of drama.

The Hierarchy of Things

In the grand scheme of things there will always be bigger fish and smaller fish in the hierarchical order of the universe.  By law the bigger fishis meant to chomp the smaller fish and on down the line, or so Darwin would have you believe.  But as a smaller, more clever, and agile fish swimming in a pool filled with large sharks, I have found that my ability to think fast and maneuver on a dime to be ahead of the sharp teeth of the carnivorous predators that swim in my waters.

Working in the corporate environment is often a drama of survival of the most clever.  Who can adapt to the newest paradigm, avoid the latest pitfalls, and stay ahead of the bigger, less agile predator.

So I swim smart, swiftly and sleekly through the corporate waters of life, working to keep my fins intact and knowing that I have a lot of life lessons still to learn.

Dress Code or How Not to Dress Like a Pop Tart

The summer has drawn to a close.  People have once more started covering their bodies with more layers of clothing in order to accommodate the wildly fluctuating temperatures of the fall.  HOWEVER...
That doesn't mean that some people do not try to keep summer alive.  The sad, sad truth is that companies need to put forth some sort of dress codes. If only to educate the clueless.
This summer my eyes have been assaulted with cleavage baring tops on people where more fabric is a necessity not a fashion statement.  Skirts that with a stiff wind or an inappropriate bend the world would be privy to their privates.  More knarly, sparkly flip-flops that were stinky bio-hazards that did not belong in a corporate environment.  All of the above a direct violation of the company's dress code.

People.  I am not the fashion police.  I'm sure that people look at me and say I could desperately use a make over.  But when I leave the house in the morning, I know that no fashion catastophe will happen.  All my bits and parts will stay properly covered and never see the light of day so that my co-workers will wish never had happened.

The advice of a good friend follows :   Folks – put a mirror in your foyer – one last look before you leave for work, doesn’t hurt.  If you have to question to yourself whether or not something is appropriate, it probably isn’t!

Responsibility

As I travel through the blogosphere, I encounter a bevy of different types of bloggers.  Each blogger trying to accomplish a different goal.  Some wish to document their lives, some vent their frustrations, some share knowledge, some start businesses.
The Blogosphere is a cornucopia of opportunity.
Lately, a debate about anonymous blogging has raged.  One camp has cried that taking away the anonymity is akin to taking our First Amendment Right of Free Speech.  The other camp states that you should take responsibility for what you write regardless of the consequences.  Yes, First Amendment Rights of Free Speech apply but those who are responsible are writing within that context and have nothing to fear.
I have to say that stand in the second camp.  I live by the rule 'If my mother can't read what I write, I don't publish it!' Trite I know.  I feel that too many people hide behind a mask to publish slanderous and defamatory materials about decent people.  All under the guise of Free Speech.


Free Speech does not protect against slander and libel.  Both of which are prosecutable.  Publishing anonymously doesn't give anyone the right to hurt another person.  PERIOD.

Not all Anonymous Bloggers publish with the intent to harm.  Some are worried about personal security.  There are plenty of opportunists that can do irreparable harm with just a little bit of seemingly harmless information.  That being said, I truly believe the majority of bloggers simply wish to express themselves, if asked they will reveal themselves.

I'll be honest.  While I might be pointed and tart in what I say, I stand by my opinion.  I am a private individual, who welcomes new friends and acquaintances. As the light of bloggers rights is being shined across the blogosphere, I know that I can stand in the light and fear no shadows.
I am a blogger.

Mid-Year Evaluation Time

Time for the Mid-Year Evaluation.   I dread this time of year.  My stomach clenches, migraines lurk on the edge of my consciousness, every little stupid annoyance becomes a drama of epic proportion. Why?  Because I’m being judge by people who really have no clue about what I do.
Gone are the halcyon days when the average secretary was thought to just answered phones, typed memos and got cups of coffee (yes, I know this is a glittering generality).   The reality is the Administrative Professional is a project manager, an office manager, often times a human resource manager, an accountant, and a candlestick maker.

We do all this while making our boss look good.  The surface of our pond, lake, inland sea is smooth as glass, while the rip currents underneath are treacherous.  The people around us have no clue about what it takes to make things go smoothly.

So, I sit here filling out my portion of my Mid-Year evaluation, celebrating the triumphs and delicately explaining my defeats.  Because when push comes to shove, the triumphs aren’t what get in your personnel jacket.

Tech Support

(Thanks to http://xkcd.com/628/ for the funny)

Consultant vs. Vendor

There are many types of relationships in the business world.  Some more permanent than others.  Over the years, I have found the relationships that I develop with my preferred vendors have seen me through thick and thin.

Unfortunately, those relationships can be threatened by the introduction of a new player in town.  The Consultant.

Consultants are people that are paid by the company to tell us how to do things.  Yes, that’s right, we pay them to tell us what to do.  That means the consultant generally comes already equipped with a healthy ego and a sense of entitlement.

They invade the work place like ants at a picnic.  Sticking their noses everywhere, playing merry-hob with calendars and demanding resources like they were executives.

Here is a warning to my fly-by-night consultants. MESS NOT WITH MY VENDOR RELATIONSHIP, LEST YE FEEL THE WRATH OF THE ASSISTANT!


You, the consultant, are here for only a short time.  Your demands are petty and short-lived.  I have to live with the mess you leave behind.

I know where your monies are sent.  I know the admins at your headquarters. I am not afraid to make your collective lives miserable!

RESPECT THE MEETING NOTICE!

MEETING - an assembly or conference of persons for a specific purpose or event.

There is nothing more frustrating than having set up a meeting 45 days ago, then finding out the day of the meeting that two of the principle players couldn’t be bothered to participate.  They accepted, but never chose to change their status so that alternative arrangements could be made.

This particular meeting had already been rescheduled 4 times.  All participants tell me it is imperative to have said meeting.  My boss, who was at the right time at the right place, was made to look bad.  Which in turn made me feel crappy.

I get it, plans change.  People get busy.

For Pete Sakes! Check your calendar and be courteous.  Decline the meeting if you aren’t coming.

Modern Communication Methods

I have 'sues. Big, red, floppy clown 'sues with modern day communications methods.  We tweet, text, IM, email but we seldom seem to pick up the phone for some human contact before we fire off some form of electronic communication.
Now, don't get me wrong.  Sometimes it is the only way to get to a person is to drop an email or an IM.  But it shouldn't be the only way.  I seem to be surrounded by people who are hooked on their crackberries and iPhone (disclaimer: I own an iPhone) as a way to keep in touch without interaction.  They rather type a thousand characters than 7 digits on the telephone for a simple conversation.

As human beings, we take a lot of our cues from interaction.  We deduce how a person is doing through body language, tone of voice or facial expression.  In the electronic world we have none of that.  The tone of a text, tweet or email can easily misconstrued unless there is a intimate familiarity with the sender or recipient.

While the advent of modern communication methods is cleaner than messenger pigeons, we lose a lot in translation.

De-Stressing

I received an article in my email today about 22 Affordable Ways to De-Stress.  To be honest I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.  You see, today was a very bad day.  Murphy, of the Murphy's Law fame, had visited me with a vengeance.  Leaving me ready to raise my white flag in defeat.
I'll recap some of the recommended methods of de-stressing that I thought could prove to be a little dangerous for a person on the edge:

1. Visit the Shooting Range - Who hasn't had an urge to destroy something, it is usualy a passing fancy that I know that I can't act on.  But never in my wildest dreams would I give a stressed out individual a gun.  Even to shoot at a poor defenseless target.  You never know when the shooter might just snap.

2. Cook a Delicious Dinner with the Items you have in your Fridge - In principle this sounds good.  But the typical stressed out person usually has many questionable things in their refrigerator that no amount of cooking will kill the bacteria that will likely send you to the emergency room.  Instead, take yourself out to your favorite restaurant or have a potluck with friends.

3. Make "To-Do" Lists and Actively Check Items Off - In theory, this might sound like you are accomplishing things. But if I were to have one more list on top of the myriad of lists that I have and keep track of for other people, I would have to take the gun from number 1 and find the author of this article.

4. Take a Long Drive - I can only see this working if you don't live in a heavily populated area.  Commuter traffic is enough to make a person mental.  Five minutes on the road with people behind the wheel on cell phones makes me tighter than a snare drum.  Nope, no long drive for me.

I know that the author(s) of this article were only trying to help. De-Stressing in today's workplace is a highly personal process but extremely necessary.

My only advice is find your center and take the time to relax.  Do whatever it takes, you will be a better person for it.

Just keep away from fire arms.

Oh NO He Didn't

Gentle Reader, here is an authentic conversation had during Admin Gal’s very hectic busy day.  Admin Gal would like to point out the numerous egregious errors of this sales person.

Admin Gal: “Thank you for calling XXXXX.  How may I help you?”

India Sales Guy: "Hello, I'm looking for the CIO of your company XXXXXX? Can you direct me you him?"

Admin Gal: “I’m sorry we have no XXXXX in the company directory.”

India Sales Guy: “Can you tell me who the CIO is?” (Strike #1)

Admin Gal: “No”

India Sales Guy: “Why not?”

Admin Gal: “Did your even research my company?”

India Sales Guy: “No. Does that matter?” (Strike #2)

Admin Gal (completely flummoxed by the lack of preparedness and sheer lack of survival skills of this sales person): “Of course it matters, I’m not paid to do your job.  Please research my company.”

The intrepid Admin Gall then ends the call, annoyed but already on to other things.
15 minutes later, the phone rings.  Admin Gal is unable to answer the phone because she has someone at her cubicle.  She picks up the call she let go to voice mail after her visitors left.

India Sales Guy: “I’ve done my research, the CIO is XXXXX.” CLICK (Strike #3)

Admin Gal stares at her telephone in disbelief.
Another 15 minutes, the phone rings again.  Admin Gal picks up.

Admin Gal: “Thank you for calling XXXX. How may I help you?”

India Sales Guy: “I’ve done my research, the CIO is XXXXX.”CLICK

India Sales Guy STILL got the CIO name wrong, called Admin Gal back THREE times internationally in order to prove himself right.

Could India Sales Guy prove his childishness anymore.  All she needed was a face with  the fingers wiggling in the ears and the tongue sticking out.

However, Admin Gal did get his company name.

Who has the last laugh?

Hanging by a Thread

I'm hanging by a thread of sanity.  My status of miracle worker is being severely tested.

Miracles, people!  I perform Miracles!  I don't create the impossible.  I don't make things appear out of nothing.  I don't create matter out of nothing.

Contrary to Popular Opinion ...

Contrary to popular opinion I am not a miracle worker, a maid or a butler, a childcare provider, a janitor, a dictionary or encyclopedia, an ATM, or whatever else the pointy-hair boss can think of.  I often produce what is perceived as miracles, however it is simply know how to do my job well.
I can not properly set-up meetings, this includes conference rooms, call-in numbers, and invite attendees, without ALL the information.  Just FYI, ESP does not come naturally in the role of Administrative Assistant.

Unless it is specifically spelled out in my job description/ contract, I am not required to pick up your dry-cleaning, walk your dogs, or oversee the contractors building your mega-mansion.  This falls in the realm of a personal assistant, and that is a whole different kettle of fish.

Your children are adorable. But if they have to come into the office after school and I have deadlines, please keep them in your office.  My desk is not for childcare or their entertainment.
I hope that this small tutorial can prove to be instructional in the use of an Administrative Assistant.

Kinetic

This week I've given up on juggling and am satisfied with keeping all the balls that I'm responsible for just bouncing.
Everything thing is still in motion, filled with energy.
Ergo, will eventually get done.

Sales Professionals

Everyday, I am inundated with sales pitches for various widgets, dowickies, and thingamabobs that are guaranteed to save the company, better the work environment, cure the common cold, and even make gold out of paperclips.  Yes, the world is their oyster, if I'd only put them in contact with the right person in my organization.

No, I will not put you in contact with my boss. That's why they pay me the big bucks!
Please don't think that I'm deaf if you are in a call center and you represent yourself as a director of sales of anything.  I'm not stupid.

A note to the sales professional.  Do your research.  Go to the web site, look around. I'm not going to do your job for you.

I get the best and the worst on my end of the telephone.  For every ten annoying calls, I get a gem that makes me grateful for those moments.

But as to the rest?  Fie on them!  I liken them to an infestation of rodents that are invading my workspace. Over, under, and around they attack I must be ever vigilant.

Experiments in Software

Like all companies, in these hard economic times, mine is on the look out for the best deal on anything.  Recently we started taking a hard look at our email delivery system.  We currently use a system that is so half-a#$$ed backwards that no reputable hacker would want to be known for hacking it.  I break the email system on a regular basis. I'm not doing anything special.  Just using it.  But then I am an Admin...
I'm on a first name basis with the third-tier tech support for this software.  In fact, when my name comes up I'm pretty sure the conversation goes like this:

Expert #1: OH NO! It's HER!  I'm not picking up the phone!

Expert #2: I took her call last time. It's YOUR turn!

(Picture me on hold, tapping my fingers on my desk!)

The argument continues, fisticuffs erupt. 

FINALLY! Someone picks up the line.

Expert #3:  (who had to break up the fight, answers breathlessly) Hello XXXX, how can we help you today?

But I digress.  We are currently in the beginning of a email pilot.  I and an intrepid group of Executive Admins have been carefully selected to push this system to its limits and beyond.  I've spent the last week in training.  I'm bleeding Blue, Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Red.
The pilot hasn't even started AND, I've already broken the calendar.  The next thirty days are going to be fun!

The Evil Wizard of Work

Alas my loyal readers, I have been held captive by the evil Wizard of Work.
Having captured me one afternoon many moons ago, he held me hostage at my desk.  Where I arranged travel to distant lands, strategized the pilot of new software tortures, slogged through the mires of email and calendaring misery only to have to repeat it day after day.
Traveling to make merry, my task masters left for climes much fairer than my cubicle environment.
Who pray tell will rescue this maiden fair from the Evil Wizard of Work?
Oh!  That's right I forgot.  I was under a spell.  Not only do I slay dragons but I can bust through a spell in a heartbeat.
I'll rescue myself.

Top Ten Reasons I will NOT Own a Blackberry or ANY Device of Its Ilk

1. The keys are only useful for a Lilliputian.
   
2. The calendar sync is moody, unpredictable and spiteful
   
3. Emails get lost, only to show up hours, days, and weeks later.
   
4. Answering email while at the dinner table is just wrong.
   
5. People can NOT walk a straight line and text while using a Blackberry.
   
6. Blackberry users think we really don’t know they are on the golf course.
   
7. evryn frgts bsc englh & grmr sklz once hkd on the crkbry
   
8. A vibrating Blackberry on a desk sounds like a demented swarm of hornets.
   
9. People do NOT look more important with a crackberry or iAnnoyance stuck to their ear.
   
10. Using the Blackberry while on the toilet is not considered efficient or socially acceptable.
    
    
    
    

The Voice

I am a terrifying person.

With the sound of my sweet dulcet tones, I stun telephone people speechless and they hang-up their phones without uttering a word. Plants wither and decompose. Famine strikes and entire economies crumble.

This is a power that must be used wisely and with great care. I wouldn’t want to accidentally stun the wrong person. Hmmmm let’s say, My Boss.

I have to give people credit for their persistence. Come on people, I’m paid to answer my boss’ telephone. He doesn’t pick-up numbers he doesn’t recognize. I get that privilege.
No matter how many times you call, he won’t pick up! Talk to me and you might, just might have a snowball’s chance of making an impression.

Otherwise, I will continue to wield my weapon of mass destruction. My voice.

Jenga!

Sometimes I liken my job to a fast paced game of Jenga. You know that game that starts out with a tower of wooden blocks, each player strategically removes one, then places it on the top of the tower.  The object of the game is to not let the tower collapse on your turn.

The tower wobbles as you gently pull the block out of the position you have chosen.  If you' re lucky, it is an easy block.  But if your opponents have played the game well, all you have left are blocks that are critical to the the structure of the tower.  Anything you remove with bring the tower crashing down.

The thing is that the inevitable outcome of the game is the collapse of the tower.  And so it is with my job.
So many of my responsibilities and duties often rest on one block, one person.  When that block is removed, everything can come crashing down around my ears.  Does this mean that I've done nothing to shore things up?  Or make contingency plans?  Of course not, I've been planning for these moments so the impact is not as significant.

It always stings when the blocks come tumbling down around my ears.  In the end, I always build a better structure

Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

Always be nice to secretaries. They are the real gatekeepers in the world.

 —Anthony J. D'Angelo


To all my comrades-in-arms I salute you!  Remember we are many and THEY are few.  Without us, they would never remember where they were suppose to be, where that file was, and who got paid when.
Administrative Professionals UNITE!


(Okay, I'm over the top today, but celebrate your greatness.  We may not get a lot of recognition in the trenches but without us the various corporations, governments and organizations would be in terrible dissaray.)

The Buck Does NOT Stop Here

As an Administrative Professional, I nor my colleagues appreciate it when we are blamed for the lack of planning on the part of the people that we work so hard for.   This doesn't happen often but when it does, it is a slap in the face, an offense, a sign that the person who has perpetrated said offense does not understand that the Administrative Professional is more than a lackey. 
Let me illustrate my point with a couple of examples:
1.  A Manager who is supposed to be in charge of their own budget, aware of invoices, accruals, etc.  Suddenly realizes that they didn't accrue several invoices for a significant amount of money that will reflect badly on their budget.  Do they a) own up to their error and make the necessary corrections? b) act like they don't know what happened and fix things on the sly? or c) concoct and elaborate lie to blame the administrative professional?  If you guessed 'c' you probably are thinking that this might be a gross exaggeration. But alas, no.  It happened to a colleague of mine.
2.  In their eagerness, a newby to a department with an Administrative Professional, decides that they can do all the 'work' that they are not inclined to do.  A seasoned Administrative Professional will a) do the work given them with a smile; b) do the work given them and have a talk with their manager; c) give them the look and ignore them; or d) kindly educate them in the department policies and procedures.  Honestly, I would have to say it would depend on how I was approached.  ‘d’ would always be implemented with a smidge of whichever other option was appropriate to the situation.  I have enough to do without someone thinking they can add to my load.
Look, an Adminstrative Professional is an integral part of the team, not a lackey to pass blame on or push work on.  We are the grease that keeps the wheels going.  We work hard to make your jobs seem easier. 
All that being said, if you need to find fault, lay blame, or just be cranky at, I suggest you look in the mirror and let the buck stop where it is suppose to.

Smile

I read the most delightful blog entry this morning entitled "I'm Bringing My Preschool Attitude to Work".  This entry just tickled me pink.

You see, I've found that everyone gets buried in their jobs and responsibilities and forget simple courtesies.  People forget the value of a smile, a hug, and a 'good job'.  Especially in today's economic climate where everyone is working hard to just keep their job.

No matter how I'm feeling I do my best to greet everyone who comes my way with a smile, a warm greeting and a positive thought (Hugging doesn't go over well in my office environment).  I'd rather be making an effort to make my environment as positive as possible than dragging it down through negativity.
Worse case scenario, everyone is alway wondering what I'm up to.

Calendaring

Calendar: A list or schedule of planned events or activities giving dates and details.

An Administrative Professional: Person who creates and maintains said calendar in a timely and efficient manner.

Executives:  The Spanner in the Works!

While the Cat's Away

Well gentle reader, the cat is out of the office.  Does that mean that I, the mouse, have license to merrily play? To scamper about without a care in the world? To (gasp) slack off?

Only in my dreams!  When my boss is out of the office work related or on vacation, I find that my time is filled with people who perceive that I have a void in my life that they would like to fill.  For example:

Manager Minion (3 levels below my boss):  Oh look the boss’s admin is without guidance and leadership let me fill that void for her! (Placing a large amount of their workload on my desk for me to do)

Savvy Admin:  While I appreciate your attempt to make sure that I have enough to occupy myself while the boss is away, let me tell you what I have to do first before I can even consider your pile. (I proceed to educate them in my job)

Manager Minion (taking back the pile of work): Oh I did not realize that you did more than leap to his beck and call.

Savvy Admin (smiling benignly):  Yes, I do have a number of other responsibilities, but I would be happy to speak to your manager about your workload since you seem to need help with it.

Manager Minion (beating a hasty retreat): That won’t be necessary!

I find working with the boss remote strife with its own challenges.  It’s harder to judge moods and needs during the day. Knowing what meetings have been successfully completed is next to impossible. 

But, that being said, it is nice to have some down time.  So when the cat is away, this mouse will breath deep and catch up.

Dragon at the Gate

So, part of my job is to screen calls.  I have an understanding of the calls that my boss really needs to get and the call that will potentially benefit business.  BUT, I really don't have time for arrogant sales people who think that I don't have a brain cell to think with.
My boss trusts me to get his messages to him.  If the message needs to be routed to another party, I will do so.  Don't lie to me, don't try to get around me, don't try to intimidate me.  I remember these things and it won' t go well for you the next time you call.  I keep notes on people who call.
I am the dragon at the gate. You can be pleasant and gain passage, or be a crispy critter.  The choice is yours.

Flexibility!

I’m so flexible, I’m a pretzel! 

So, I spend a week and a half setting up 90 minute high-level executive meetings over a three week period. Juggling schedules, begging for meetings to move to accommodate said meetings, bribing where I can, to get all the meetings scheduled. 

One phone call destroys my hours and days of hard work.  The admin who made the call gets my frustration, but the executive who made the decision has no clue how hard it was to arrange all the meetings.  He just said ‘Make it so’. 

Instead he wants one mega meeting, which was the original idea.  Two weeks ago this meeting would have been easy to arrange.  Now, putting this meeting together for tomorrow is a logistical nightmare.  But, since the company officers attending the meeting are high enough up in the company, everyone can clear their schedules and make due.

Hierarchy is a double-edge sword.

Random Acts

Every once in awhile you find yourself the recipient of a random act of kindness, not for anything in particular just for doing your job. Yesterday, was a day for random acts of kindness for me. Both to give and receive.
To Give:
I received a frantic call from one of my fellow Admins in our New York office with an AP question. This was an arena I could find a solution to her problem, the people I needed were all around me. With help from my network, her issues were swiftly solved. I made sure to that my friend who spearheaded the fix, by emailing a quick ‘good job’ email to her boss. This is something I would do for anyone who has gone out of their way to help me. My friend said to me she was only doing her job, to me she moved a mountain. I had to make sure that her effort was acknowledged.
To Receive:
The same day, someone came to me looking for a typewriter. We have one on the floor, but it hasn’t been used since I started with the company. She had forms that had to be manually filled out. We plugged in the dinosaur and found out that the ribbon was dry as a bone. I looked at the form and realized that I could make an ADOBE form out of the form if we scan the document. Really, it was an easy fix. It took a few minutes to do and a few tweaks after that to perfect it. And Voila! No need for a typewriter. I was just doing my job.
This is what she sent my boss:
“Hi XXXX
Every once in a while, even though great people perform above the bar daily, someone really exceeds expectations, and I wanted you to know that XXXX "saved the day" for me. All I needed was a working typewriter to fill out a form for some of our XXXXXXX employees. She was right on it....looking to ease my burden of having to use a typewriter. She created a form with Adobe......something I didn't even know was possible.
She is always great with requests and today she exceeded my expectations and helped with making the process more efficient....She saved the day!
And she taught me something!
We're fortunate to have her.
Just wanted to let you know.....”
It’s moments like this that make my day.

RESET Button

Have you ever had one of those days where you want to hit the RESET button?

Well, today was it.  Nothing particularly horrible happened, but nothing particularly right happened either.  At work I was juggling tons of balls in the air and inevitably one fell.  Not one that was work critical but was important to my boss. 

When you are an admin, there is a fine line between work and personal when you work at the executive level.  I try to keep everything in balance.  Most importantly, I try not to drop any balls.  But when you support a business unit president, vice president, assorted directors AND the various and sundry managers underneath them, life can get a little chaotic.

I really hate it when I miss a ball. It makes me feel miserable and crappy.  I do my best to shake it off and hit the RESET button the minute I walk out the door so that the next day is new.  But the hold over feels like an axe hanging over my neck.

Today I hit the RESET button.  Too bad I know that my RESET will only be good for me. My boss has a memory like an elephant.

Hear No Evil

As an admin, I find myself in a curious place.  People think I have WAY more power and influence than I really have.  That being said, I hear things.  Confidential things, which I keep confidential, think of me as a father/mother confessor.  Personal things, sometimes I’m thinking ‘Are you kidding me? Really? You’re sharing that with me? A stranger?’.  Thinks that make me want to wash my brain out, ick! 

But with all the things I hear, I have to act like I hear nothing.    That I don’t hear the squabble between co-workers a couple of aisles over, the co-worker lovers spat in the kitchenette, the plans for the business unit. 

At times that I have to make a judgment call and alert a manager or HR rep to a situation, because it is the right thing to do.  Sometimes I have to give carefully framed advice that will not harm the company nor the person to whom I’m talking to. 

I feel like I’m a camp counselor in a camp for grown-ups with no inhibitors.

Office Supplies

The purpose of Office Supplies is not to supply your home office, your children’s school supplies, your church auxiliaries or any other non-work related activity.  Instead, Office Supplies are to be used specifically for the purpose of conducting your job. 

My job is to order Office Supplies.  Not supplies that are pretty, neat-o, or make you feel good, but supplies that don’t break the bank. I am tasked specifically with keeping supply costs down.

If you have a brand of pen that you like, buy your own and lock your desk!

Oh! DON’T hoard supplies!  As the procurer and distributor of said Office Supplies, I am the only one who is authorized to hoard supplies.  I do so for a reason. YOU DON’T NEED A YEARS SUPPLY OF PENS OR STICKY NOTES OR NOTEBOOKS AT YOUR DESK.

Office supplies are a privilege not a right.  Some companies make you get your own!

Need a Miracle? Mighty Admin to the Rescue!

You're no good unless you are a good assistant;

and if you are, you're too good to be an assistant. 

~Martin H. Fischer

One of my directors pokes her head around the wall of my cubicle with a sheepish yet cautious look on her face.  I’m immediately suspicious. 

“What can I do for you?”

“I know this is last minute, but I need a meeting set up with …” And she names three top officers in the corporation, “Can you arrange it for this afternoon or first thing in the morning?”

On the screen in my mind I see myself, strangling this director and banging her head against the wall while chanting, “Lack of planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on MINE!”

Reality:  “Of course!”  And I get the details and set about pulling another miracle from my nether regions.