Savvy Assistants Success Story
An admin workload conversation

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Your job is yours to manage
If you’re an administrative assistant, you know it’s your job to provide support, make your boss look good, and help him or her meet objectives. If you’re an administrative assistant, you also know you can't remain passively silent while others tell you what to do and how to do it. There are times when the savvy assistant needs to assert what's possible and negotiate workload. Here's an example of someone who did that.

Reader success story: Speaking up to the boss about project work-load
A reader wrote: "Recently my supervisor volunteered us for another time-consuming project. He came to my office and said: "you will make this work easily and efficiently just as you have with your other duties.” I asked him:

  • What projects of mine do you see as being a priority?

He listed off the most important tasks. I then asked:

  • Which duty could I delegate in order to have adequate time to make this new project successful?

He stared at me dumbfounded for almost an entire minute (47 seconds as I watched the clock above his head) before he answered: "None." I told him that I could not give the project the time and attention it needed to be a success with my current duties. I then asked how we might be able to split the duties between some of our personnel. We talked for another fifteen minutes before we had a plan written out. We now have implemented the new changes and things are running fairly smooth. I am proud that I was able to tell my supervisor NO without using the word."

The key ingredient

The key to this reader's success was that she did not make it a personal complaint, but made it about getting the job done. Her manager started the conversation as if their relationship was an autocratic one where he dictated. However, by responding in a collaborative way, this admin not only kept from committing to an intolerable workload, she shifted the dynamic between herself and her manager.

She also assured the success of the project.

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Meryl Runion and Speak Strong (SpeakStrong) provides Power Phrases (PowerPhrases) and other tools to help you improve communication skills at work and at home. You can read more about her at www.speakstrong.com.

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