From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Coping with change

From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Coping with change

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- Changes within an organization happen on a regular basis, and administrative support professionals are normally one of the few people within the office who are aware of the impending occurrence. These changes can be big or small, and more than likely will have an impact on employees in some way. How do we navigate through these changes in a manner that keeps stress levels low, allows us to remain productive, and improves our resilience? First, it is important to learn as much as possible about the reason for the changes. Oftentimes when we know the why behind a decision, it's easier to accept. I spend a great deal of time learning and understanding the organizational decisions that my executive is involved in. Secondly, in my mind I always try to believe that company executives are making decisions that are in the best interest of all the affected stakeholders. Those stakeholders include shareholders, customers, and employees. They all have a vested interest in the longevity of our business, and all decisions will have some impact on each group. Thirdly, I try to stay as flexible as possible in my thinking, and continue to embrace the unknown. Throughout my career, I have found that being stuck in only one way of doing things is a recipe for frustration and negativity. That doesn't serve any person well, especially administrative support professionals. We need to be supportive of changes coming through our offices, whether we totally agree with them or not. Our attitude and ability to quickly adjust to these shifts will help others in the organization do the same. This is especially true when it comes to changing and emerging technology. With the frequency and speed of change in that arena, we have to be willing to embrace new ways of functioning regularly and quickly. Lastly, communicating often is critical during times of change. As I mentioned earlier, I spend as much time as possible talking with my executive about impending organizational shifts. Sometimes thing change minute-by-minute. Without constant communication, I could miss something important and then not be able to react appropriately. I avoid this by asking pertinent questions and having constant check-ins. This also helps to keep my executive on track, so that she doesn't miss something critical. During these times, I communicate, communicate, and communicate some more. Administrative support professionals are on the front lines of change, whether we wanna be or not. It's important that we become comfortable working through these times of change in helping our executives execute them. We can do this by effectively communicating, learning as much as we can, remaining flexible, and operating from a base of positivity. This will help you to shine in times of uncertainty.

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