Get ahead as an Executive PA (Level 3)

Agenda

Day 1 – ‘All about you and your role as a new-style EA’

1.  Welcome and introduction/course overview
Where am I now? Where do I want to go?
What do I like about my current role? What do I dislike about my role?
What do I want to get out of this programme?
Career planning and setting goals – why is this important?

2.  Re-defining the role of the Executive PA
EA versus PA – challenges and considerations; future-proofing the EA role.
High expectations - perfectionism versus pragmatism
Providing a service; providing solutions
Seeing yourself as a manager and adding wider organisatinal value
Changing others’ perceptions of the role - visibility, status and profile
Key skills: adding value; creating a specialism

3. Your Values, Beliefs and Personal Motivation
Your values in relation to your job
Personal motivation – staying motivated at work
It's the thought that counts - the law of attraction and positive thinking; how this drives excellent in PAs.

4. The PA Competency Model
Your behaviours (the "how“) are as important as your execution (the "what“)
How you respond to the demands of others
Managing your emotions at work - the Five Second Rule
Dealing with difficult managers
Setting boundaries – with yourself and others
Perception is reality; perception is projection

5. Daily Routines
Diary management - day folder, diary pack, travel planning and itineraries
Looking after the boss
Using the Five Folder System™ to remain organised when swamped with paperwork
Thinking ahead; pre-empting workloads
Taking control without taking over
Scheduling your own time
How to delegate work and ask others for help
Pushing back appropriately and diplomatically

Review and evaluation of Day 1
Open Question and Answer session

Day 2 – ‘Daily routines continued, practical strategies for effective Boss/PA working and being more effective at your job’

Welcome to Day 2
Recap learnings from Day 1; reflections

6. Meetings, Agendas and Correspondence
The PA as the meeting manager
Owning and devising agendas and papers for meetings
Not making a meal out of minutes
The PA as the Chair of a meeting
Drafting correspondence – useful phrases to use

7. Workflow management
Workflow management – including e-mails and inbox
How to ‘process’ your work
PA Mode versus Boss Mode – two ways of working!
Paper and Paperless working
Smarter ways of working
Not being a slave to emails and technology

8. Working Effectively with the Boss
The boss' relationship with you; your relationship with them
Seeing the boss as a customer; seeing colleagues as customers
Exceeding expectations
Strategies and rules for successful Boss/PA working
Setting boundaries – with yourself and others
Dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity
Strategies for coping when things go wrong
An introduction to Transactional analysis and how this Relates to the PA role

9. Working under Pressure
Working under pressure
Dealing with a high volume of work
Remaining focussed and getting the job done
Managing your emotions at work - learning not to collect other people's "stuff" at work

10. The way forward
What will I do differently as a result of this programme?
Personal action planning – for now and the future  
Continuing my professional development

Open question and answer session
Sharing success stories
Certification, course evaluation and close

All Dates & Locations