Administrative Assistant's Update

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Critical skills for the admin professional By Staff What are the conditions necessary for honest feedback? Trust, patience, timing and constructive comments are essential to effective two-way communication, according to Stéphane Brutus, a long-time researcher on feedback processes in organizations. Genuine feedback, says the interim dean of Concordia University's John Molson School of Business, "is an asset that needs to be leveraged." Here are his tips to encourage constructive conversations between the admin professional and the boss: Nurture a trusting relationship� Given the volume of confidential information shared by the boss and the assistant, each needs to demonstrate confidence in the other. Look for low-risk opportunities to offer feedback. "The executive has been successful on a lot of different things and may do many more things well than poorly, so it would be easy to dismiss feedback," says Brutus. "You need to start slowly." Offer comments as soon as possible after an incident� "If too much time has passed, then the context is gone," says Brutus. "It needs to be specific." Frame any communication as constructively as pos - sible� Don't be afraid to name the troubling behaviour, he says, but present the concern in the context of meeting the stated goals of the boss and the organization. Encourage regular conversations� Feedback should not be a once-a-year occurrence but an implicit part of daily or weekly interactions between executives and their admins. Risks (and rewards) of feedback: One AA's story By Staff How would you respond if your new boss, with a reputation for be- ing difficult, yelled at you in a public setting at the office? Say nothing, complain to the hu- man resources department or start looking for another job? One administrative professional, who requested anonymity to share her story, chose another option that proved beneficial to her, and her boss, in the end. At the time, she was a mid-career executive legal assistant working for a large Toronto law firm. She was asked by the firm to take on a "chal- lenging position," working with a lawyer known to be short-tempered, demanding and impatient. A couple of months into the new assignment, he yelled at her in the presence of others at the office. Instead of cowering, she went into his office, closed the door and told him what she thought of his behaviour. "Never yell at me in front of others; if you want to speak to me, call me into the office," she warned him. "If you don't start to treat me better, I am not staying." She also offered to given him a second chance, with a six-month probation period. The turnaround was almost im - mediate. "He never spoke sternly to me again," she says. The lawyer, who typically walked into his office without a word and closed the door, now offered a "good morning." During their five-year working relationship, she says she grew to admire his skills. For his part, she adds, "he treated me with the utmost respect." What gave her the courage to speak up to the boss? She had years of experience, but also support from the firm's hu - man resources department, which provided her with an executive coach for several months. She was also a skilled communicator, having pursued outside-the-office training in public speaking. The executive legal assistant, who still works at a top law firm, says her story is relevant to administrative professionals who want a productive relationship with their boss. "It is important that you and your boss work as a team and respect each other," she says. "Re- spect has to go both ways. If it is not there, you need to give them that feedback to strengthen that rela- tionship." Credit: TeddyGraphics (Shutterstock)

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