Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/784788
7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Why women should help other women By Bonnie Low-Kramen Our modern workplace is complex and changing by the millisecond. Input comes from every direction – not only from our managers and co-workers but also virtual colleagues, friends, family, and the relentlessly proliferating social media platforms. Given this landscape, does anyone really have the road map to guaranteed success? I certainly don't. What I do see is that women now make up more than 50 per cent of the U.S. workforce and more women than men are earning college degrees. In addition, more women than ever before are joining the ranks of lead - ership in companies, governments and now sports with Becky Hammon being named as the first female assis- tant coach in the National Basketball Association. Here are 10 reasons why it is a no- brainer for women to reject stereo- types and help other women succeed at every level. 1. Today's co-workers could be to- morrow's managers. More and more women are being promoted into ex- ecutive roles so do not underestimate any colleague's ability to rise through the ranks. Build respectful, strong and authentic relationships with everyone – women and men. 2. You'll make more money. Enlist the support of female mentors who understand the ways to negotiate sal- ary packages and have them help craft your own strategy. 3. Your powerful network will grow upward, laterally and exponentially. Men have been doing this on the golf course and at cigar bars for a long time. People do things for people, not companies. Need a new job? You will have plenty of women to call. Need a resource fast? Shoot out a LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter message and watch how fast the answer comes back. 4. Giving kudos privately and publicly is smart to do. Raising other women up and calling out their achievements elevates you too. Recog - nize the accomplishments of women in authentic ways and they will never forget it and others will notice too. 5. Women will like you. Be the wom- an who runs towards a problem, not away from it. Be a mentor. Speak truth to power. You are respectful, profes- sional, discreet, and do not gossip. Do these things and you will be not only liked but sought out when promotions are in the wind. 6. Paying it forward feels great. Women are nurturers by nature and gain gratification from feeling useful and needed. Offering help and support to another woman is still a fairly new experience for many who had been socialized to think that the way to suc - ceed was to put your head down, stay isolated and rise to the top by back- door manipulation. 7. It's fun. Going out to dinner, hav- ing a spa afternoon, or working out together at the gym is not only smart business but great for friendships, not to mention chicken soup for your heart and soul. 8. Woman are great leaders. When the U.S. government almost shut down in October 2013, the crisis was averted by a group of Democratic women who pulled together with a group of Republican women to carve out a workable compromise. Learn from the best and then be a positive role model for others. 9. Women don't forget – ever. If you have ever been bullied or sexually harassed, you can most likely remem - ber where you were, what you were wearing, and what was said – verba- tim. Conversely, if a woman extends herself to another woman in a gener- ous and selfless way, it will be remem- bered. You never know how these acts reverberate in the universe but bounce around they will. 10. Women helping other women is the right thing to do. The old ste- reotypes about women are tired and, frankly, boring. Life is hard. Work is hard. Let's cut one another a break and give the overly competitive, pas- sive/aggressive and martyr behav- iours a permanent rest. It's time. This is an abridged version of an article published on Glassdoor.com and reprinted with the author's permission. Bonnie Low-Kramen, a personal assistant for 25 years to Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, is the author of Be the Ultimate Assistant. A co-founder of New York Celebrity As- sistants (NYCA), she offers training workshops around the world. She can be reached at http://www.bonn- ielowkramen.com. Bonnie Low-Kramen will be a featured speaker ("Why Women Need to Help Other Women Succeed") at the Executive Leadership Support Forum in Toronto's Maple Leaf Square March 8-9. For information contact: KateJeter@Q1Productions.com. Bonnie Low-Kramen