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Did you ever have a question and turn to a peer and ask advice on
something such as the printers or couriers they find reliable, a
software question? Ever
take an awesome training class and go back to work and tell all your
co-workers? Many companies are now creating admin support teams.
They may have a name like A.C.E. (Assistants Creating Excellence) or
something simple like "Acme" Support Team, but they all
have a common goal; Getting admins together to share experiences,
enhance awareness, and obtain personal and professional growth, all
while working together towards corporate goals.
What does it take to create your own admin support group? It
takes a creative vision and effort. Start by preparing a proposal
for management. Include the expectations you would like for your
group. Who will be involved? What will it take to achieve the
desired results.
Here are some ideas to help get you started in the thought
process:
Expectations (what benefits will employees/management gain):
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Employee
Peer Support
Personal development
Mentorship
Targeted training
Team building
Improved Communications
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Management
Consistency within an Organization
Group Training
Improved internal communications
Professional growth
Admin staff working towards corporate goals
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Who involved:
- Executive Assistant
- Administrative Assistants
- Office Assistants
- Staff Support
- Office Managers
- Event Coordinators
- Management’s support
What would it take
- Commitment from admins
- Management buy-in
- Meeting space and time
Now that you have prepared a proposal it is time to present
your proposal to
management. After management gives you the go ahead to start an
admin group, start taking care of the other details. Reserve a
conference room, figure out who will attend, and how to invite the admins
that will be in your group.
Within any company, the admins combined have a vast amount of expertise
and knowledge in many different areas. One way to start the group and take advantage of the resources
each individual can bring is to have admins
sign up for one meeting and then cycle through them during the
session. An Admin can bring their area of expertise in by explaining
what it is they do in their area of the company. They can also relay
information they have learned from a training course, or possibly
invite someone they know or have worked with that could speak to the
group.
For the first meeting you will probably want to set up a schedule
of how often your meetings will take place, and lay out a general
overview of what you like to accomplish with your group. By
networking, and word of mouth, each subsequent meeting should
involve more people, and lead to more interactions between the
group.
Some ideas for meetings:
- Group Focus (setting up goals for the group, every few meetings
to evaluate how well you are achieving them)
- What can your group to do benefit the company (with the outcome
you can have meeting topics generated on paths to accomplish those
goals)
- Personal Expertise – are you an expert on something (legal
issues, money management, meeting planning, calendar organizing,
etc)
Group training; It may be cheaper and easier
to bring training seminars to you. Many of these training seminars
can be customized to meet the content of your specific needs. The
AMA has many great courses. (1-877-582-1398 or http://www.amanet.org/56p
for more information)
Offsite tours of local meeting space
Together we have a vast amount of knowledge and sharing that
knowledge is one of the best resources available!
I would like to thank Judy P. for her sharing
her expertise. If you have created a group and would like to
add your stories of success, please send your experience to
susan@AdminProf.com
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