NOVEMBER 2017
P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O R C A N A D A ' S O F F I C E S U P P O R T S T A F F
Administrative
Assistant's
UPDATE UPDATE
PM
#40065782
INSIDE
Managing your time . . . . . . . . 2
Time-saving habits from highly
successful people
Curing work overload . . . . . . 3
Rhonda Scharf shares her tips for
focusing and energizing
Mentoring junior staff . . . . . . 5
Include them in problem solving
and decision making
Using Excel templates . . . . . . 6
Build an Excel workbook from
ready-to-go designs
By Jennifer Lewington
AAU Associate Editor
At Bishop Strachan School
in Toronto, staff meetings
often include an update
from a department about
its work.
But in 2013 the admin professionals
on the 200-person staff at the private
girls' school had never made a presen-
tation.
That changed when the school's
19 admins, who meet every month as
a team, shot a video about what they
do every day and shared it at a staff
meeting. In the video, they counted the
number of meetings they book a week
– and how many are subsequently can-
celled or rescheduled. They described
how they assist parents before an
interview with a teacher.
They also explained what
it takes to ensure food ar-
rives on time for meetings.
"It turned a lot of
heads," recalls Ellen Palm-
er, executive assistant to
the principal of the Junior School until
she retired several months ago. "That
was the beginning."
The video presentation, a collabo-
ration of administrative specialists
[see New name, new respect, page 1]
from all departments, demonstrates
the value of teamwork: that pulling
together instead of being isolated in
silos contributes to an organization's
success.
New name,
new respect
In 2013, admins at Bishop Strachan
School in Toronto renamed them-
selves administrative specialists,
a description more accurate than
administrative "support."
"When we changed our name
and rolled it out to describe what
we do, we gained more respect,"
says Debbie Alvarez, Senior School
receptionist. "They [senior offi -
cials] try to include us and commu-
nicate what is going on."
The name change is apt, says
Mary Anne Van Acker, assistant
head of innovation development
and technology for the school. "We
are all on the same team."
Continued on page 4
Bishop Strachan School
Collaboration collapses silos
©
By Alex Oakenman
Credit: Ben Gane/BSS
Debbie Alvarez is part of the
Bishop Strachan School team
of 19 administrative specialists.