AFRICA EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAL SYMPOSIUM

CHARLES COTTER

ROYAL HOTEL, DURBAN

9 DECEMBER 2015

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

• SECRETS TO BECOMING A “CAN’T DO WITHOUT YOU” ASSISTANT - A CEO’S PERSPECTIVE

• EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

• DARE TO BECOME A SUCCESS - LESSONS FROM ANTS

SECRETS TO BECOMING A “CAN’T DO WITHOUT YOU” ASSISTANT - A CEO’S PERSPECTIVE

• How the role of the PA has changed over the years

• What steps PA’s can take to improve the Boss-PA partnership

• What new and exciting roles exist for PA’s

• Advice on how to enhance visibility and get ahead

• The skills and attributes that executives are looking for in a PA

THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE P.A

THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE P.A• Being a personal assistant isn't just about diary management,

nowadays P.As make key decisions and manage budgets

• The role of P.A has transformed from a support role to a key role (in supporting decisions)

• Technology has given PAs the opportunity to take on new responsibilities – assuming a middle management role, running their own team and/or conducting meetings on their boss's behalf.

• Gatekeepers - P.A’s are now agents (spies), communication’s conduits, representatives (public face) and negotiators

• Office managers and coordinators to organizational project managers

THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE P.A• Providing help behind the scenes (stage-hand) to the fore-front (actor)

• Graduated from tactical and operational level to a strategic level – from secretary to business partner

• From reactive role, P.A’s are now proactively finding new ways to improve processes and contribute to the goals of the organization (from imitators to innovators)

• From takers to givers - Trusted researchers and advisors

• “An Assistant for the Assistant”

• CONCLUSION: “The role of the Executive Personal Assistant is growing exponentially.”

BAD NEWS – GENDER WAGE DISPARITY

GOOD NEWS - VALUE OF AN OFFICE PROFESSIONAL

In a survey of the Managing Directors of the Top

5 000 businesses in the UK, they concluded that having their P.A made them more than 32% more effective.

THE SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES THAT EXECUTIVES ARE LOOKING FOR IN A P.A

• #1: Understanding the business strategy

• #2: Understanding the wider business issues

• #3: Operating efficiently and effectively

• #4: Being a natural problem solver

• #5: Being a rigorous planner

• #6: Being a strong influencer

THE SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES THAT EXECUTIVES ARE LOOKING FOR IN A P.A

• #7: Using initiative and being pro-active

• #8: Focusing on providing support and being a sounding board

• #9: Interpersonal skills, efficiency and work ethic

• #10: Ability to understand and anticipate the needs of the CEO

• #11: Other crucial attributes are organizational ability, an awareness of world events and “mutual respect.”

• #12: Skills variety e.g. “exceptional organizational skills,” the ability to utilize new technology, “knowledge of cultural differences” around the world, good communication skills, EQ and professionalism.

ATTRIBUTES OF PROFESSIONALISM

• Specialized Knowledge

• Competency

• Honesty and Integrity

• Accountability

• Self-Regulation

• Image

CORE COMPETENCIES OF BEING A SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL

• Identify our most valuable skill sets

• Market our skills that are most in-demand

• Target who we want to market ourselves to

• Articulate our ability to solve an employer's problems and alleviate their pain

• Proactively start and engage in meaningful industry conversations

• Position ourselves as a subject-matter expert

• Know our worth and limits

NETWORKING AND BUSINESS CONTACTS

• “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

• Research has proven that those employees better equipped with the social skills necessary to network effectively and build sustainable, professional relationships with key organizational decision-makers, tend to climb the corporate ladder substantially faster than those who lack this capability.

• Research indicates that between 50% and 75% of jobs are never

advertised. So networking can be 12 times more effective than answering an advertisement.

• Networking is a process of building strong and enduring relationships that are mutually beneficial.

COVEY’S EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT

DEFINING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ)

• EQ is the skill to recognize different emotions in yourself and the world around you and to interpret and use these emotions to enhance your quality of life.

• EQ is a set of abilities that helps you manage your emotions and relate to others.

• EQ is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they're telling you and realize how your emotions affect people around you.

• EQ is the ability to understand and manage both your own emotions and those of the people around you.

IQ vs. EQ• ‘Intelligence Quotient’ (IQ) is the measure most often used to determine how

clever people are.

• The most successful leaders tend to have an above average IQ, but this doesn’t make them successful. It’s another type of intelligence called ‘Emotional Intelligence’ or EQ.

• EQ enables leaders to better manage the emotional content of the relationships they have and, as a result, they are more influential.

• “The best leader is usually the most emotionally intelligent person in the team.”

• Realising that some people with a high IQ ‘underperformed’ in life, whilst others with a moderate IQ performed well, researchers were interested in understanding what was making this difference.

IQ vs. EQ

BUILDING A BUSINESS CASE FOR EQ

• “The single most important factor that distinguished star performers was EQ.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW/HIGH EQ

PARENT-ADULT-CHILD (PAC) MODEL

• #1: Emotional self-awareness: Do you notice your feelings and attribute them properly?

• #2: Emotional expression: Are you able to express your feelings and gut-level instincts?

• #3: Emotional awareness of others: Can you intuit what others may be feeling from their words, body language, or other clues?

• #4: Creativity: Do you tap into resources to help you envision new ideas, frame alternative solutions, and find effective ways of doing things?

• #5: Resilience: Do you bounce back and retain curiosity and hope in the face of adversity, change, and challenge?

• #6: Interpersonal connections: Have you formed a network of people with whom you can be your real and whole self?

• #7: Constructive discontent: Do you stay calm, focused, and emotionally grounded during disagreements and conflict?

• #8: Optimism: Do you keep a positive outlook?• #9: Empathy: Do you appreciate and honour others’ feelings?• #10: Intuition: Do you notice, trust, and use your hunches, gut-

level reactions, and other non-cognitive responses produced by the senses, emotions, mind, and body?

• #11: Intentionality: Do you say what you mean and mean what you say? Are you willing to forgo distraction and temptations in order to be responsible for your actions?

• #12: Trust radius: Do you believe people are “good” until proven otherwise while at the same time not trusting in a naive way?

• #13: Personal power: Do you believe you can meet challenges and live the life you choose?

THE FIVE (5) COMPETENCIES OF EQ

SELF REGULATION

SUMMARY OF EQ COMPETENCIES

EQ DEVELOPMENT MAP/PATHWAY

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EQ – GENERAL ADVICE

• Observe how you react to people

• Look at your work environment

• Do a self-evaluation

• Examine how you react to stressful situations

• Take responsibility for your actions

• Examine how your actions will affect others – before you take those actions

• With appropriate education and training, you can develop EQ throughout your life

TARGETED EQ DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES – 5 COMPETENCIES

CONSOLIDATION INTO A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP)

Dare to be a Success!

Life Lessons from

THE FABLE OF THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

The moral of the story:

PREPARE TODAY FOR THE NEEDS THAT YOU WILL

HAVE TOMORROW.

7 LIFE LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM AN ANT

• #1: Ants are driven by purpose

• #2: Ants work as a team

• #3: Ants have a time to rest and a time to work

• #4: Ants think big

• #5: Ants prepare ahead of time

• #6: Ants carry workloads they can handle

• #7: Ants serve one another

#1: Purpose-driven

#2: TEAMWORK Principles and collective effort

#3: Time to work

Time to rest

#4: Think Big!

Persist!

#5 Pro-active Preparation

#6: Carry Manageable workloads

#7: Serve one another

EXCELL-ANT: 7 PRODUCTIVITY LESSONS FROM ANTS

• #1: Focus

• #2: Team-work

• #3: Develop a Routine

• #4: Communication

• #5: Stay Positive

• #6: Set Dead-lines

• #7: Division of work

#1: FOCUS

#2: PRODUCTIVE TEAM-WORK

#3: Routine

#4: CriticalCommunication

#5: STAY POSITIVE

Obstacle

Intentional & Efficient

#6: SET DEAD-LINES

#7: Clear Division of Labour

CONCLUSION

• Key points

• Summary

• Questions

CONTACT DETAILS

• Charles Cotter

• (+27) 84 562 9446

• charlescot@polka.co.za

• LinkedIn

• Twitter: Charles_Cotter

• http://www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter