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How well do you handle change? Are you someone who enjoys it or someone who fears it? Are you willing to sit back and “just roll with it”? Or do you fight it every step of the way?

In the workplace, we all have to deal with change on a regular basis. Co-workers leave or get promoted. Boss’s do the same. Sometimes, the entire company changes around us. If you’ve ever been through a merger you know what that feels like. And most of the time, it takes change to keep your career moving forward. When things stay the same, you stay the same.

For me, change is almost always uncomfortable. That’s not to say that I fear it or even dislike it. I’ve actually learned to enjoy the process of change. I wrote an article a long time ago about how change is a mixture of opportunity and chaos. My relationship with change revolves around my understanding of this. I recognize that every opportunity also presents a level of inevitable discomfort or chaos. That period of time when you lose the old reliable routine and have to learn everything from scratch is tough. There’s no denying it. You can’t lose sight of the reason it’s happening – the opportunity. That’s what gets you through.

I’ve been going through a lot of change recently – personally, professionally, physically. These things have been good and bad, painful and pleasant. I’ve learned so much about how to manage change. I’d like to share a few pointers.

Be Patient

Learning new things is difficult. That’s the reason most of us like our routine so much – it ends up being kind of mindless. Once you’ve done something enough times, no matter how difficult it is, it becomes second nature. When you’re going through any kind of change, you have to be patient with yourself as you learn new things. If you’re working with a new boss, don’t expect that you’re going to “click” right away. Give yourself some time to learn the way they operate. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t expect it to happen overnight. Anything that is worth doing is worth waiting for.

Be Flexible

Whenever you experience a change, you have to be willing to go with the flow. Now is not the time to be rigid and hardheaded. Big changes usually mean several “iterations”, meaning the change happens in stages rather than all at once. Bottom line: don’t get too comfortable. Remember that things are unstable. Something that was considered “procedure” yesterday may be completely gone the next. Don’t get too wrapped up in the how and why. Just be prepared that you might have to learn several different ways of doing things before the final way sticks.

Don’t Lose Sight of the End Game

I was a big “Alias” fan (Sydney Bristow is my hero!). One of the things I always loved was when Sydney and her CIA spy co-workers were sitting around the conference room, discussing the latest terrorist on the run, and they always asked, “What’s his end game?” They always needed that frame of reference to remember that whatever was happening now was a part of a much bigger plan.

When dealing with change, you have to be Sydney Bristow. Look at the big picture and remind yourself that the present moment is just a step that’s getting you closer to that end game. Keep the goal front and center in your mind. This will help motivate you. You’ll be surprised how much you’re willing to put up with when you know it’s for good reason. I mean look at Sydney Bristow – she was tortured in half the episodes! Ok, maybe that’s a bit extreme. But you know what I mean: change is a lot less painful when you keep your eye on the prize.

I hope you’ll share how you deal with change. Do you love it, hate it, avoid it, seek it? What’s the biggest change you’ve ever been through – professionally or personally – and how did you cope with it? I hope some of you will share.

Back when I was a bank manager, I interviewed people all the time. Though I don’t do it as much anymore, I recently remembered a wonderful tool we used in the process. It’s called the STAR method and I think it’s worth sharing.

When you’re on the hunt for a new job, the interview process can be overwhelming and intimidating. One of the best things you can do is prepare for it. The STAR method is a perfect tool to help you get ready and you can also use it in the interview to help show off your real world experience.

Most of the time, the person or people interviewing you want to know if you possess the necessary skill and experience to do the job you’re applying for. The best way to show them that you have what they’re looking for is to share specific stories of when you used particular skills in your work experience.

The STAR method breaks this down:

Situation (or Task)

Describe what was happening and what needed to be accomplished. Be specific – don’t generalize by saying “I always…” Pick one particular event.

Action

Describe specifically what you did.

Result

Explain what happened, what was accomplished, what you learned, etc.

Share these three things in each of your answers and you’ll be putting your best foot forward.

For example, most interviewers start off by saying, “Tell me a little about yourself.” This is a great opportunity to use the STAR method. For each quality you list, support it by stating a situation in which you displayed that quality, the action that showed it, and the result.

Answer: I’m a very hard worker. For example, in my current job, we recently went through a merger (SITUATION) and we had to transfer all of our files to a new computer system (TASK). It was very time consuming but business was at a stand-still until it got done. So I worked for 3 weekends in a row to help finish the project (ACTION). We ended up completing it ahead of schedule by 4 days, which saved the company thousands of dollars (RESULT).

You see how effective an answer like that can be? It’s so much more convincing. Most people just blurt out the standard words that they think employers want to hear: goal oriented, team player, driven…they don’t back it up with real world examples.

You can easily prepare for an interview by sitting down and thinking of situations in which you used your skills. If you’re going for a job that will require a lot of technical skill, think of a few situations in which you really demonstrated your abilities. If you are applying for a customer service position, prepare a few stories of times when you performed above and beyond for a client.

Be sure to know the results of your work as well. If you need to, write down specifics. It’s very impressive to be able to pinpoint the exact dollars you saved the company, the precise number of sales you made, or the specific compliment a client paid you. Don’t be afraid to make notes and use them. This shows that you care and that you took some time to think seriously about what you bring to the table.

Here’s another Q & A example.

Prospective Employer: We’re looking for someone who isn’t afraid to step up and voice their opinion, even when it’s not popular. Are you comfortable with that?

Interviewee: Absolutely. In my current position, we recently created a new website. It was a very long and expensive process. However, as a typical user, I found it difficult to navigate and very disorganized. I had to express my opinion because I didn’t want us to put something out there that the clients wouldn’t like. However, I made sure that I approached it with suggestions and a positive spin. The technology team really appreciated it and they were willing to go back and make the adjustments. In the end, everyone was much happier with the site. Today, our traffic has increased by 60%.

You see? That answer was definitely from a STAR candidate!

We all deal with tight deadlines on a regular basis. Many of us work directly with some very impressive (and intimidating) executives. At times, the pressure can be overwhelming.

If you work in a position where working well under pressure is a requirement, check out the following tips to help you manage the stress and perform at your best, even under pressure of looming deadlines and high powered bosses.

Stop Procrastinating

Nothing – and I mean nothing – adds unnecessary pressure to a situation like good old fashioned procrastination. Waiting until the last minute to start working on a project is asking for everything to go wrong. If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you undoubtedly know this. Expect that there will be delays at every step. It’s always helpful to start projects much earlier than you would think necessary and set mini-deadlines along the way. Give yourself plenty of time to perform at your best. Work that is rushed is often inaccurate and low quality. Avoiding procrastination will help decrease the number of circumstances in which you are under a huge time pressure to get things done.

If you’re one of those people who “work well under pressure” and you feel you need that tight deadline to push yourself, you can always set a “fake deadline” for yourself. Make it a week earlier than the real one. That way, you still put the pressure on yourself but you’ll have some flexibility so if things go wrong, or you just need more time to check your work, you’ll have it.

Ask for Help

I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to ask for help. I guess it’s a pride thing. We all want to show that we are endlessly capable so we think that asking for help is like admitting we aren’t. Well, it’s time to get over it. Sometimes, we can’t do it all. We’re only human! When the pressure is on and you feel like you’re about to crack, you don’t have to suffer alone. Call upon your team to help you out. You help others all day long – they’ll be thrilled to show you the same support. And don’t be afraid to take them up on their offers to assist! So many times I see people drowning who refuse to take the life vest. Again, it’s a pride thing. Stop it! Just accept the help, be grateful and share the credit where it’s due. That’s perfectly acceptable in business.

Organize and Prepare

Most of us go through periods where we are extremely busy followed by short periods of calm during which we can reorganize and prepare for the next wave of action. During these lulls, be sure to use your time wisely. It can be tempting to just sit back, relax and pat yourself on the back for all your hard work. But don’t forget that this period of stillness is only temporary. Take some time to reflect on what is working well and what isn’t. Consider what projects/tasks are coming up on the horizon. Can you avoid any pressure in the future by doing some preemptive work now? How can you improve your organization system to make the next flurry of activity less stressful?

Slow Down

It can be tempting, when dealing with a heavy load of pressure, to move into “speed demon” mode. Remember that you often end up sacrificing accuracy and quality when you concern yourself with trying to move at lightning speed. It also increases your anxiety level making the pressure that much more intense. Take a minute to breathe deeply and keep your composure. Don’t allow the need for speed to rule your behaviors in critical moments. Be smart. Snap decisions aren’t always the best way to go. Don’t allow time pressure to push you into doing mediocre or unsatisfactory work.

Following these key tips will help you decrease the amount of pressure your under and better handle it when it comes along.

As an Executive Assistant, I face the challenges of managing up on a daily basis. It seems to me that most office professionals – from administrative assistants to office managers – have to do at least some level of managing up. If you don’t know exactly what it means, you probably still do it. It’s an almost essential part of any career. And mastering this delicate art can be tricky.

What Does Managing Up Mean?

Most high level executives have a lot on their plate. They need help staying on track, managing time, and prioritizing tasks. That’s where we come in. Office support professionals are there to help them do all of these things. It can be awkward though. After all, telling your boss what he should and shouldn’t be doing at any given moment is a daunting task.

Managing up means doing just this. It’s a continuous process of knowing and understanding the needs of your boss. To effectively manage up, you must always be aware of the most critical tasks, projects, meetings, and other items on your boss’s agenda at any given time. It’s a matter of filling in the gaps, keeping the most important items in front of him and clearing away the unnecessary junk in the middle.

It can feel strange at first. At times, it can feel like babysitting. I sometimes think of myself as a professional nag because I’m constantly hounding my boss to do things or pushing him out the door so he won’t be late for a meeting. I used to consider this the worst part of the job. Now, I think it’s the most fun!

Addressing the Challenges

Obviously, the process of managing up can be challenging. There’s a delicate balance that must be achieved so that you strike the right note. The goal is to create a position for yourself as your boss’s right hand – that indispensible cohort that makes all things possible. You want to command your boss’s attention and manage him without making him feel like he’s being…well…managed. Done in the wrong way, managing up can backfire, making your boss feel stifled and out of sync. At the same time, you don’t want to appear like a complete suck up to the rest of the office. Trying to manage up by schmoozing won’t make you very popular.
So, how do you manage up effectively?

Try the following:

Communicate

I value communication as one of the most essential skills for professional success. And it’s absolutely critical for managing up. Talk to your boss about how he’d like you to handle day to day activities. Don’t guess. Ask whose phone call he’d like to be interrupted for. Ask what pressing projects he has on his plate. Ask what meeting simply cannot be rescheduled no matter what. Until you’ve worked with your boss for a long time, you won’t be able to just figure it out without some guidance. Even though he may expect you to be a mind reader, you’re probably not. Asking questions and really listening is the only way to understand your boss’s needs.

Recognize Weaknesses

Every boss has a few weaknesses (whether or not they freely admit it). It’s your job to minimize the appearance of them. For example: my boss is a pack rat. It’s incredibly frustrating and it can cause major disorganization. I have to manage this and I do so in many different ways (forgive me, I can’t share all my secrets here…). My point is this: don’t be afraid of seeing your boss for what he really is – a human being. Recognize his weak spots and do your best to “fill in the gaps”.

Be Assertive but Remember Who You’re Talking To

As I said before, managing up can sometimes feel like babysitting. But don’t forget where you are. Managing your boss is not the same as managing a 2 year old (though it sometimes feels that way!). If your boss’s weakness is that he is perpetually late for meetings, you must manage that by keeping him on schedule. However, you can’t act or sound like his mother. Chances are that won’t go over well. Be confident and assertive but watch your approach. With some people, you can push it. With others, you just can’t. You have to know who you’re dealing with.

I often have to practically push my boss out the door so he won’t be late for meetings. I have a very well rehearsed approach: about 30 minutes before he has to be out the door, I stroll casually into his office and remind him that he has a meeting coming up. I might hand him the materials or briefly review the purpose of the meeting. This is just a casual early reminder for him to start wrapping up what he’s working on. At 10 minutes before he has to be out, I’ll poke my head in the office and give him a 10 minute warning of some sort. If it appears that he’s engrossed in something and that I’m going to have to bug him, I’ll do the same thing at 5 minutes. When it’s time for him to leave, I’ll go in his office and ask if whatever he’s working on can be handed over to me instead. I’ll stand by his desk until he stops working. I’ll pack up his briefcase and clear off his desk if I have to. If I don’t, he’ll continue being absorbed in his work and he’ll never leave. My little routine probably wouldn’t work for everyone but my boss knows that being late is his biggest downfall. He’s even said that, no matter how mad or annoyed he gets, he needs me to be demanding about getting him out the door on time.

It’s your job to determine the level of assertiveness that will get the job done without completely frustrating your boss.

Build the Relationship

Overall, I think the most important piece of managing up is building an incredibly strong professional relationship with your boss. Be dependable, honest and trustworthy. Your boss will learn to truly rely on you if you are consistent. Don’t hide mistakes – discuss them openly and honestly and resolve them together. Build a relationship of mutual respect. Honor commitments and recognize that your work reflects on your boss. Help him look good and you’ll look good. You’re a team. Be a reliable, dependable support player and together, you’ll win the game.

Are you feeling bored with your job? Do you need more to do? Or do you just need a way to breathe new life into your same old daily routine?

Well, look no further! Below you’ll find 6 easy and effective ways to help you completely reinvent your job (or at least, your experience of it).

1. Redecorate Your Office

Don’t under estimate how much difference a new environment can make. Whether you work in an office or a cubicle or at a desk in the lobby, take some time to rearrange your space. Add some new flare – switch out the old photos of your family from two years ago and put up a few more current ones; get a nice, relaxing fountain to fill the room with the calming sounds of water; maybe spice things up with a few nicely framed paintings. Remember to add some vibrant color and a few plants too. The new vibe will reinvigorate you and the decoration process can be really fun!

2. Buy a New Suit

Ok, I know this sounds silly but here me out: a new suit can completely change the way you feel at work. Sometimes when I’m down on work, I stop putting in as much effort to “look the part”. I just sort of go through the motions. For me, a new suit can change my entire attitude. It makes me feel powerful and gives me a burst of confidence and poise. As silly as it is, looking good helps you feel good. Remember that a high quality suit can last a long time. Consider it an investment (that’s what I tell Mr. Toolbox).

3. Ask to Shadow a Co-Worker for a Day

Try to find a co-worker in a department different than yours and ask if you can help out with them for a day. Working side-by-side with someone new can completely shift your perspective, especially if they’re working on tasks you don’t normally do yourself.

When I was an Assistant Manager at the bank, I spent a couple of days at our loan processing center. On a normal day, I would ship a loan package off to this department and it would disappear for a few weeks, then suddenly come back all processed with paperwork to sign. I had no idea what happened in those weeks it was gone. Working at the loan center gave me a whole new perspective of the lending process. I learned the steps that took place in order to complete the loan, got to know some of the people I’d never met before who worked on my files, and also learned a few ways I could do my job better. The days I spent there also showed me that I did NOT like being a loan processor. I much preferred working in the branch environment! So I went back to my job with renewed enthusiasm and appreciation.

4. Ask to Shadow your Boss for a Day

This might sound strange but think about it: do you really know what your boss does all day? If you don’t, you might be missing valuable opportunities to help out. As an Executive Assistant, it’s important that I find small helpful ways to make my boss’s job easier. When I first started, I shadowed him for a whole day just so I’d see how he operated. If I did it again now, I’m sure I’d see new ways I could help. I would probably pick up a few new tasks just by watching him go through his everyday routine. There are many things that I’m sure he’d like to delegate to me, but he puts it on a list and forgets to do it. If I’m right there, he’d be a lot more likely to hand over some work.

Spending some quality one-on-one time with your boss is bound to shift your perspective of your own job as well. Perhaps you’ll make it your goal to take his or her place one day. On the other hand, you may decide that you’re perfectly happy right where you are.

5. Create a Project and Take Ownership of It

Does your company have a newsletter? Maybe no one’s even thought of it. Use your spare time (or a small window of appointed time) to create a sample of a company newsletter. Take it to your boss and ask if you can head up the project to send a newsletter out each month.

Nothing reinvents a job like a new, fun task. Find a project that you think you’d enjoy doing and get your boss’s consent to take ownership of it. This will not only give you something interesting and new to work on, it will also show your initiative and enthusiasm for taking on new tasks.

6. Learn and Implement New Skills

This is probably the most important thing you can do to reinvent your job. Take it upon yourself to learn as much as you can – both at the office and outside of it. As you learn new skills, be sure to share your knowledge with others and implement your new abilities into your daily tasks.

When I took an Intermediate Excel course a few years ago, I was able to completely reorganize many of the spreadsheets I had been using. My job became more interesting because I was utilizing new knowledge, and I became a more effective employee because I was using more advanced techniques. Each time you take a class, at least a small portion of your job can be “reinvented”. You’ll also find that each new skill increases your value to your company and your career growth opportunities as well.

Values are an important part of who we are. They influence our actions and the choices we make every day. Our personal values determine the types of people we surround ourselves with. They impact the way we raise our children, the way we interact with others and the way we expect others to interact with us. Values are the things we hold most dear, the principles on which we base our entire lives.

So, you probably understand and recognize your personal values very well. You’ve spent your whole life developing and refining them. You most likely learned a lot about values from your parents and you’ll probably pass some of yours along to your children.

But what about your professional values? Do you know what they are? Have you spent much time thinking about what’s most important to you professionally? Many of you probably haven’t looked at it quite so specifically. Personally, I always used to trust gut instinct when it came to professional values. I knew what felt right. But your gut probably isn’t the best thing to go by since it can be swayed by a bad mood or a bad tuna salad sandwich. It’s better to use your brain and really think about it. After all, professional values are the foundation of your career.

What are Professional Values?

Professional values are the principles that guide your decisions and actions in your career. We make professional decisions every day. For example: what job to take, what project to work on, who to associate with, how to prioritize tasks, when and how to voice opinions, what level of commitment to make, etc.

Every decision should be driven by your professional values. However, often times we allow ourselves to be pushed into decisions that are based on other people’s values. Why? Because we don’t really have a clear understanding of our own professional values. We get busy and don’t think as clearly as we should. We go with the flow because it’s easy. And before you know it, we’re stuck in a situation that conflicts with our values.

Value Conflicts

I encountered my own conflict many years ago when working in banking. As most of you know, the United States is in a huge economic crisis due to problems in the mortgage industry: loans are going bad and home values are decreasing. Well, the whole thing started many years ago when unqualified people were taking out huge loans on highly overvalued homes. I won’t go into details, but lending standards were a mess and clients were getting into loans that were not smart – even as a young professional, I could see that. But I worked for the company making the loans! So it was good for us. Business was up! We were making loans left, right and center!

And very quickly, I became worried. I was extremely concerned that the entire industry was corrupt. They didn’t care that, down the road, these people might have huge problems paying back their loans. There as an overall sense that the housing market would just infinitely go up (and in California, it definitely seemed that way for a while). But before long, my concerns took over and I wanted nothing to do with the industry.

At that point, I realized that above anything else in the world, my number one professional value is integrity.

Before this experience, I would have said I valued having opportunities, making a stable and comfortable income, and working in a fun environment. While these things were important to me (and still are), I now know that integrity comes first. I have to do a job that allows me to have 100% integrity in the work I do. There can be no shades of gray.

My Values

So, you know my most important value, but I’d like to share a few more.

In my professional life, I value:

• The right, ability and obligation for me and everyone I work with to exercise 100% integrity at all times
• Providing a product or service that I believe strongly in
• Working for a company that gives back to the community it serves
• Maintaining a healthy work/life balance
• Having a variety of professional opportunities to help me grow my skills
• Having the opportunity to voice my opinions and be heard
• Strong working relationships with individuals I trust, respect and enjoy being around
• A hearty challenge that pushes me to my limits
• Appropriate rewards for hard work

Your Professional Values

I encourage you to think about your professional values. Use the following questions to get your mind going:

• What makes you feel professionally satisfied?
• What makes you feel proud of your work?
• What keeps you motivated to go to work every day?
• What inspires you?
• What gives your work meaning and purpose?
• What do you want others to say about your professional skills and your career?

Write these things down. When you feel conflicted and can’t decide the appropriate course of action to take in your career, look at your list. Let your values guide your decisions. If you have to sacrifice your values to make a certain career move, you can be sure that it won’t be fulfilling in the long term. And understand that it may take a few negative experiences before you truly understand what is most important to you. Just remember to take notes during those times – you don’t want to learn the same lessons twice.

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