Workshop on Advanced Management Skills for Executive Secretaries and Senior Executive Personal Assistants

Program overview:

The executive secretaries, senior secretaries and executive personal assistants are responsible for organizing all activities of the chief executive officers in all organizations. They are responsible for managing the executive office of the CEOs and ensure that the executive is able to carry out their functions.

Increased demand in the office environment has placed more responsibilities on the executive secretaries and personal assistants (PAs). They plan and organize events and have to use more sophisticated techniques and skills to achieve organizational goals.

As the functions of their principals become stretched, so all so is theirs, this course is specifically designed to help executive secretaries and personal assistants develop advanced business management skills and competencies needed for best practices in modern office management and administration.

For whom:

This program is designed for Executive Personal Assistants, Executive Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Personal Secretaries, Office Managers, Administration Managers, Management Secretaries, Senior Assistants, and Executive Personal Secretaries. Those responsible for the support of senior management and executives will equally benefit from this program.

Learning objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• develop a powerful strategic alliance and partnership with the executive;
• build skills to competently manage relationships;
• effectively manage office resources for enhanced productivity;
• establish office management routines and stick to them;
• setup clearly delineated responsibilities;
• perform their roles effectively as office managers;
• build a notable personal brand for career progress;
• develop persuasive skills to influence management in decision making;
• prioritize the demands of multiple managers;
• develop skills to manage self and others; and
• learn to delegate effectively.

Course outline:

Day 1: Understanding the Management Process: Overview

• Functions or Process of Management
  • Planning, Organizing
  • Leading, Controlling
• The Changing Roles and Challenges of Executive Secretaries and Executive Assistants
• Developing and Leveraging on your managerial potential
  • Identifying sources of the EA’s power and components of a personal brand
  • How to identify tasks that add value to your role?
  • Strategies for maximizing your performance

Day 2: Building a strategic alliance and partnership with the executive

• The Executive Secretary’s role as a strategic partner – identifying strategic tasks
• The Chief Executive’s Manager and gatekeeper: understanding the ES’s objectives
• How to discover your executive’s daily priorities without being told?
• Understanding emotional intelligence – developing self-leadership behaviours
• Blending in with the executive team
  • Developing the skill-set of a world-class Chief Executive Assistant (CEA)
  • Understanding the rules of effective delegation
  • Blending in with the executive team by your leveraging on your position in the organization
• Understanding different management styles and coping with them
  • Prioritizing the demands of multiple executives
• Managing your executive’s time
  • Time management strategies for prioritizing your workload
• Organizing yourself and your boss

Day 3: Ethical Leadership Skills Development

• Display Ethical leadership qualities as Executive Secretary
• Being decisive to create confidence and results
  • Avoiding habits that damage your credibility
• Coping mechanisms for receiving criticism
• Delivering Your Best as an Executive Secretary
  • Paying attention to your attitude
  • Being well prepared for the unexpected
  • Maintaining your ability to stay calm in tough moments
• Using Emotional Intelligence to Balancing your act
  • Enhancing your leadership and management ability through effective E.Q
  • Generating support and cooperation from your peers, subordinates and superiors by utilizing Emotional Intelligence

Day 4: Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting Practices

• Understand the language of accounting and finance
• Managing the Protocol and Travel function
  • Role and responsibilities of the function
  • Planning and organizing meetings and

conferences

• Managing streamlined policies, systems, structure and

procedures

• Applying all policies, processes and procedures

fairly to all           

• Record keeping, monitoring, updating and maintaining
  • Keeping Business Records Updated

Day 5: Problem Solving, Multitasking and Collaboration in

Shared Services

• Developing Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
• Developing Effective Office Management Skills
  • Establish Office Management Routines and

stick to them

• Setup Clearly Delineated Responsibilities

• Developing effective communication skills
• Presentation and Report Writing Skills
• Moving forward in your career
  • Career Development plan

Training Methodology

Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, audio-visual aids will be used to reinforce these teachings/learning methods.