MBA Office Procedures

Working as a senior executive assistant, I deal with office procedures on a daily basis. I have to say it is not an easy job. It takes a wide range of knowledge including people skill, common sense, business knowledge, customer service skill, a positive and upbeat attitude, honesty, integrity and of course patience and administrative skills to be a good executive assistant. In the past, I used my best judgment and sometimes even gut feeling to deal with different situations. Luckily I have been doing well on my own. But I have seen people with more experience than me failed miserably. I couldn’t help to think what they did wrong and what I could learn from their mistakes. After taking the MBA class, now I know office procedures can be systematized.

At this class, I have learned that MBAs are not always bosses. Most start out as lowly analysts, planners, and associates. Ironically, these are the positions that operations classes characterize as corporate fat, ripe for trimming. Even if MBAs find themselves in more senior managerial jobs, it’s a safe bet that they will have a boss to deal with. Management of the relationship upward is as important as managing your relationship below, if not more important. According to John Gabarro and John Kotter,

“ The first step to success on the job is to understand bosses and their context, including:

·         Their stated and unstated goals and objectives

·         The pressure on them

·         Their strengths, weaknesses, blind spots

·         Their preferred work styles

“The second step is to be introspective and assess yourself and your needs, including:

·         Your own strengths and weaknesses

·         Your personal style

·         Your predisposition toward dependence on or resistance to authority figures

“The third step is to incorporate the first two steps and develop and maintain a relationship that:

·         Fits both your needs and styles

·         Is characterized by mutual expectations

·         Keeps your boss informed-bosses hate surprises!

·         Is based on dependability and honesty

·         Selectively uses your boss’s time and resources

Simply by asking a few questions at the start of the relationship , you can avoid making major political blunders in the future.