Calendar Pandemonium

As an Administrative Professional, calendaring is part of the job.  However, some weeks are worse than others.

Yes, this was how my week looked.  All the pretty colors are enough to make me nauseous.  sigh.

My favorite request for the week?  Find time to meet with three business unit presidents, my boss and four directors by Friday.  I horse trade with the best of the best, even I couldn't pull that request off.  It got pushed to the following week.

I only have a finite amount of miracles I can grant.  Thank goodness it's Friday!

Staying on Task

Admin Gal has been running amok the last several weeks.  Projects to run, people to manage and chaos to sow.  With all this fun, it has been hard to stay on task.  The 'to do' list is lengthy and the writing illegible.

Yet, with out the almighty task list, little things might fall through the cracks.  So, what's an Admin to do?  Make a list, check it twice and be flexible to bend in the wild whirlwind that is the job.

The Devil is in the Details

Being an Administrative Professional is akin to being a coach, trainer and strategist - at the same time.  In order to keep all the balls in the air, or at least bouncing, we need to pay attention to the details.  

Some days, this is easier said than done.  However, the effort is truly worthwhile.

The devil we face as Admins are the little details.  Not paying attention can cost us our jobs, our networks, the trust of our associates, and/or friendships.

For the sake of all things sane!  Don't let the devil win - pay attention to your details.

Please Consider!

Dear Friends-

On Tuesday, July 12, 2011, the Montgomery County Council met in Rockville to make the move to erode collective bargaining for Montgomery County Police.

They will claim they are doing this to save the tax payers money and reign in the power of the Fraternal Order of Police.

What they aren't telling you that in their continued attempts to neuter the working police officers in Montgomery County -- they are affecting the structure of our public safety system by putting it at the mercy of the County Council and their political priorities.

The removal of collective bargaining not only means the stripping of benefits and pay to the police officers and the outright disregard of agreements between the County Council and the FOP, it also means the current working system of organized police shifts and procedures to cover all corners of this County may be disrupted.

At the end of the day, do you really want your public safety to be in the hands of individuals who have absolutely NO IDEA of what needs to be done to keep the streets safe for our families?

The current system WORKS. The County Council need to work within the established guidelines of collective bargaining and honor the agreements made with the Fraternal Order of Police.

Your support is needed. The Council will be meeting again on Tuesday, July 18 for a full vote on these bills.

The police officers of this County need to be able to do their jobs without having to worry about the interference of the County Council.

Enough is enough-- leave the police officers alone to do their jobs.

If you can't make the call,  please write to the Council and voice your opinion.


This is still a democracy and we, as citizens have a right to speak our mind.  Tell them you oppose Bills 18-11, 19-11 and 20-11 changing the rights of police officers.


·  Phil Andrews 240-777-7906 councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Roger Berliner 240-777-7828 councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Marc Elrich 240-777-7966 councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Valerie Ervin 240-777-7960 councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Nancy Floreen 240-777-7959 councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  George Leventhal 240-777-7811 councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Nancy Navarro 240-777-7968 councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Craig Rice 240-777-7955 councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov
·  Hans Riemer 240-777-7964 councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov


If this can happen to the people that provide our public safety, how long before the County Council strips the rights for our fire fighters, our teachers, and what happens when they decide they want the total right to dictate what happens to us as Montgomery County residents?

Do you really want the County Council to have 100% say in your right to exist as a tax paying citizen? If they can blatantly shake the system that keeps us safe, they will have no issues with putting their hands into everything else.

Organizational Chaos

If anyone has seen their organizational charts lately, you'll have noticed that with every Executive, Director, Manager, and Minion box and connecting line, there are as many dotted lines connecting said boxes to other parts of the organization.  Effectively blurring the lines of reporting and responsibility.

Some organization call this transparency.  The people in the trenches call this STRESS!

Having a clear line of authority helps when a person needs to leverage support for tricky situations or to garner support for projects.  When the field is too wide, and the hoops to jump through are too varied, failure is a expectation.

Create some clarity, reign in the dotted lines.  Clean up the Org Charts and let Peace reign in the land.

The Calendar Gods are in Alignment

There are times when calendaring can be a joy or the very circle of hell.  I'm pretty sure when Dante wrote of the 'ninth circle of hell' he was managing a number calenders simultaneously.

But every so often miracles appear and the universe aligns.  Calendars line up and a coveted time opens up.  I swear I can hear angelic choruses singing grand hallelujahs. 

My day is wonderful. I feel like a miracle worker.  What does the boss say?  'So?'

Ingrate.

Brew the Darn Pot!

There has been an unfortunate rash of burnt coffee pots.  Admin Gal is contractually restricted from hunting the offenders down and showing them the error of their ways.  

The end results is appealing to the variety of higher powers that are observed in the department. 

Admin Gal believes if any of the higher powers were as caffeine addicted as the offenders were, they would brew the next pot.  If this doesn't work?  She will instal a badge swipe machine to meter coffee usage.

That'll boost Admin Gal's popularity.

IM Misuse

Admin Gal would like to clarify the that the 'INSTANT' in Instant Messaging is just that - messages that are INSTANT, BRIEF, QUICK, etc.

Too often, Admin Gal's colleagues have been taken to creating long dialogues that would be better suited to other mediums, such as - email, telephone conversations, smoke signals or even carrier pigeons.

Instant Messaging is a very intrusive method of communication. No, Admin Gal was not born in the stone-age. She believes that there is a time and a place for all methods of communication.  Writing a novel in an IM is not appropriate business practice - EVER.

Please Instant Message responsibly.