Chapter 14 Preparing to Meet the Challenges

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 2 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Preparing to Meet the Challenges Eliminate Stereotypes Prepare for Advancement Commit to Values and Ethics Continue to Develop Professionally

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 3 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Eliminate Stereotypes—Professional Image Educated and skilled employee Team player Employee who Is polished Solves problems Takes pride Works for betterment of all Manages assignments in quality ways Works hard and accepts new responsibilities

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 4 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Eliminate Stereotypes—Professional Image Ways to develop professional image Set obtainable short- and long-term career goals Develop strategies for achieving goals Set timelines for each step in strategies Begin to complete steps

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 5 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Job Performance Appraisal Be productive worker and improve as you gain experience Expect appraisal within first three-to-six months and at least once-a-year after that time

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 6 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Job Performance Appraisal (continued) Rating sheet will be completed and discussed Manager may make suggestions for improvement. Listen carefully. Ask questions and discuss contributions

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 7 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Job Performance Appraisal (continued) Keep notes on your performance If your production increased If you are accepting more responsibilities Share professional development plan Maintain impeccable performance record

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 8 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Set Goals Identify goal Study to provide background necessary to achieve goal Once achieved, set another goal Identify support and resources needed from management

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 9 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Set Goals (continued) Keep steps in mind when setting goals: Write down goal and review frequently List goals in action terms Identify goals in measurable terms

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 10 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Adapt to Change Opportunity to grow Identify negative feelings and learn to deal with them Keep positive attitude If changes influence goals and achievements, reevaluate plan Be creative and flexible Recognize and accept new ideas and new ways of solving problems and setting goals

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 11 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Gain Additional Responsibility Be clear on what you want and that you are willing to make it happen Ask for responsibilities manager may have to handle Remind manager of success in handling particular project in past

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 12 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Increase Your Effectiveness Make supervisor look good. How? Meet deadlines, do professional and polished work, keep him or her informed Ask questions to learn “why” behind what goes on in daily routine Ask for feedback Understand, accept, and respect chain of command Remain loyal to your values, your manager, and organization

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 13 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Learn From a Mentor Mentors are people who are more senior; they Understand organization’s Policies, procedures, politics, and history Are willing to share useful advice Considers this confidential Help you become successful Answer your questions and guide you

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 14 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Develop Your Leadership Qualities Learn to be leader— Influence others to do very best Help others to accept challenges even when they believe they cannot handle them Inspire confidence

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 15 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Develop Your Leadership Qualities (continued) Qualities to help identify whether you are capable of developing skill of leading Integrity Vision Effectiveness Passionate commitment Communication

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 16 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Cross Train Cross training involves learning and performing responsibilities of coworkers More you know and more you gain additional skills, more valuable you will be Cross training gives opportunity to Take on new technical and communication challenges Learn more about organization and flow of work Get more exposure by working with new people Get acknowledgment from management

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 17 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Advancement—Gather Information Listen to motivational or informational tapes Read office bulletins and newsletters Attend seminars, conventions, conferences, and workshops Volunteer to be committee member or serve on special task forces Become aware of company’s policies

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 18 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Commit to Your Values and Ethics Values -- determine what is right and what is wrong Ethics -- doing what is right or wrong Part of difficulty in deciding whether behavior is ethical -- determining what is right or wrong

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 19 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Commit to Your Values and Ethics— Ethics Create ethical climate by Being certain your pattern of behavior aligns with own values as well as organization’s values Increasing awareness of how to apply organization’s code of conduct Learning how to deal with situations with ethical dimension and how to anticipate situations that involve your values and ultimately ethical choices

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 20 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Develop Professionally—What Today’s Office Requires Supervise people in non-traditional work styles Use most current office technology and high-tech communication Rely almost exclusively on office network and Internet Increase productivity Work effectively with diversity

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 21 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Develop Professionally—Advance Through Education Earn college certificate/degree, or any additional education will prove helpful Most large organizations will pay for all or part of tuition for job-related courses Attend in-house training Emphasis in education -- continuing education

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 22 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Develop Professionally—Join a Professional Association Associations offer credentials through exams and certificate: International Association of Administrative Professionals ® (IAAP ® ) National Association of Legal Secretaries ® (NALS ® ) National Virtual Associates Society (NVAS) National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP)

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 23 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Develop Professionally—Increase Technical Certification Microsoft includes Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) 2007 Microsoft Office System

Office Procedures for the 21 st Century, 8e Burton and Shelton 24 © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Develop Professionally—Take Action Consider results of performance appraisal, interests, and additional knowledge and skills Rank potential activities and focus on top priority Keep log of completed activities Work toward a career, not “just” a job