Many admins start as a jack-of-all-trades. Managers lean on them to pick up a variety of roles and support small businesses in every department. Part HR, part scheduler, part bookkeeper, part customer service, coffee fetcher, note keeper, file organizer, marketing updater, document reviewer, report preparer, IT troubleshooter, email scanner, message taker, mail sorter, you name it.
Often admins wonder, what’s next for me?
This is the story of the coffee and the cup.
Coffee was happy being coffee. Many people like Coffee. It starts its day early in the morning and gets right to work. Coffee is energetic and brightens people’s days. Coffee isn’t always the center of attention, but it punctuates many gatherings as either the first thing or last thing that people enjoy together.
Bob had everything he needed for an enjoyable cup of coffee, but he couldn’t seem to manage them properly together.
The structure of your admin support team is like the story of the coffee and the cup.
My highly sensitive 3-year-old let out a high-pitched scream. I begged him to cooperate as I forced his school uniform onto his impossibly squirmy body. The struggle continued with brushing his teeth and putting on his coat. I pleaded with him.
“Pleeeeeease, just put on your coat. Please work with me.” I managed to get one arm in the sleeve as he twisted his other arm out of the sleeve. “We’re going to be late!” More shrieking and wrestling.
Parents, you know this scene. I was engaged in a classic toddler power-struggle. And I was losing.
But I found a resource that worked for my toddler AND my team at work.
I was 12 weeks into chemotherapy. Healthy 36-year-old moms aren’t supposed to get cancer. But there I was.
Weeks earlier I’d sat my 6-year-old daughter down and explained that I needed medicine that would make my hair fall out. My empathetic daughter decided to cut her own hair short. She never thought I looked weird with a bald head. She was never embarrassed or scared.
It can be difficult to just be confident. The fear of judgment holds us back. Throughout my life I have chased self-worth through recognition and achievement.
What is the Stigma?
I’ve been given the unique opportunity of proposing my own title. VP of administration sounds like a great title, right? My boss was brilliant, but he couldn’t understand why I insisted he remove the last two words: of administration.
Administration is necessary in all businesses. However, small and medium businesses struggle to find the right structure for their administrative office staff. Admin is necessary, but it is not glamorous.
This article leaves you with one powerful and easy way to dismantle stigma now.
Have you ever thought, “My assistant would be perfect if they could just read my mind!”
I can’t teach them to read your mind, but I can help you get closer to that perfect assistant without replacing them.
Mentorship is not about teaching someone to do things the way you do them. It’s about helping them discover their own voice. It’s about teaching tools they can use for their own growth.
Let’s walk-through this metaphor with a nostalgic visit to a childhood house…
Gardens can be beautiful additions to a house, bringing additional growth, color and oxygen to its owner. The same is true for your admin’s in their Adminnovate Model House. While the house holds the primary duties and responsibilities of the admin, there is an opportunity to nurture growth outside the house, in the form of a garden.
In short, a garden is a passion project.
Book a Discovery Call!
You’ll get:
Quick survey about your company & needs (complete below)
30 minute call with Jamie to talk about your challenges
Customized workshop proposal. Pricing starts at $500
Free book!
