There are quite a few skills involved in running a self-managing secretariat.I am not a super expert in self-management, but let me explain which skills you need or need to develop. I will also explain how you can become a sparring partner for your manager.
What are the skills you need for self-management?
“It is very important that you can communicate well. Speak out where your need is instead of complaining about what is not going well. Treat each other with respect and be open to each other’s opinions. If you want something from someone else, it is necessary to seek and discuss the common interest. Think of things like: more satisfied customers or profile yourself as a top team of secretaries.
In addition, it is important that you can work well together, distribute the work well and continue to think in terms of team interests. A condition for good cooperation is self-leadership (see below). Working together is only possible if you yourself function well and feel good about yourself. You also need to know what you want to achieve yourself and how you can reconcile that with the team interest. ”
How do you keep the balance between reacting proactively and proactively, thus preventing ad-hoc requests versus problems?
“By understanding that you cannot influence everything in life, but that you do have influence. You are the one who determines how you deal with certain situations, always! You can be disappointed that something happens, you can accept that it is, but you can also try to implement changes. And fight for that. That means that sometimes you have to accept that you cannot change things.
But even then you do have the option to determine how you deal with it. It is often quite confronting to hear, but you really do not have to see yourself as a victim. Sometimes you just have to think: I have tried everything, but it has not been possible to change it, so then I have to accept that it is. But I do know what my need for the future is, so I have to say that more. “
If you continue to receive many ad hoc requests. How do you manage self-management?
“Well, those ad hoc requests belong to the profession. Some secretaries go under, especially if you therefore have no room for other things. I know one thing for sure: requests that come in ad hoc always keep returning to your work.
Therefore divide your day into three parts. You do routine work at a time when your energy level is low, because you will succeed. The afternoon is suitable for this. The moment you are very sharp, you do the work that you have planned: the larger jobs and projects that require strategic thinking, the future plans of the team.
You often do these things in the morning, but beware, plan the time for this yourself in your agenda! As a secretary you often receive last-minute requests, so the more space you seem to have, the greater the chance that you will be snowed under by all kinds of tasks that have or seem to have priority.
You keep the third part of the day free in your diary for ad hock loops. Try to keep that to a minimum and let your environment know what they can do, so that you can help them as quickly and effectively as possible. If you get something on your plate last minute, then express your need for the future, but accept for now that it is no different. ”
When do you take responsibility yourself and when do you place this with colleagues or your supervisor?
“Always look first at what something costs and what it yields. Management assistants are sometimes inclined to take on a lot of responsibilities and to work themselves upside down. Others are very good at shedding everything and evading their responsibility. And yet you hear them complaining about things that you or colleagues would do wrong. The balance between giving and taking responsibility is different for everyone. My tip is to look at what you want and how you can ensure that you manage that. ”
How do you develop into a sparring partner for your manager?
“Think about what you want, think about what your supervisor wants and see where the overlap is. What is your common interest? What is the significance of the organization at a deeper level? And what is your contribution to the output of the organization? Discuss how you can implement this.
Content is often not that important. So as a secretary you don’t have to know about major infrastructure projects, complicated financial products or the latest operating equipment. A manager often does not know very much about the content either. You just have to understand what needs to be done to achieve the goal of the organization and how that can be planned. At that moment you can participate at the strategic level. “
So you don’t have to know anything about the content?
“Of course it works better if you know something about the content, so you know what it takes, but you don’t have to know all the details. I recently heard from a municipal secretary that she also read all the policy documents to be informed about the content. She said, “I know I never reach that level, but I really like to be aware of the broad lines of my manager’s field, so that we speak at least in the same language.” You do not have to fully master the content; as long as you understand what it means for you, the manager or the organization. That way you make the difference as a secretary and, of course, as a team together. ”
Three essential points for achieving self-leadership
- Know yourself and stay close to yourself.
- Know your client; read in and know which field your client is on.
- Make a plan. Do not think: this is interesting, I will do something with it in the future, but draw up a concrete plan to achieve that goal.
What will you do and what will you do in two weeks? Write it down, discuss it with your environment and make sure you get moving. Every long journey starts with a first step. That first step can and may be small, but it is very important to actually take it. For example, have you had the intention to follow a course for years, but has it never happened? That is probably because you have not taken the first step; identify which courses there are. The moment you take the first step, the next step also becomes easier.