As an administrative professional, you’ll encounter all kinds of situations. Work will flow naturally, with ups and downs. The key throughout is to remember not to take things too personally.
Our role as an assistant is to support our executive. Most of us like to take pride in our role, we want to feel like we’re doing a good job, making our executive’s life as easy as possible. We may not look for praise directly, but when we’ve supported our executive and given them what they are looking, that’s where we get our gratification.
There are some things it’s hard not to take personally. When someone’s short with you or makes an unpleasant comment, it’s easy to have an instant reaction. If your executive is having a bad day or has just come back from a difficult meeting, they generally come back and talk with you. By default, you’ll more than likely be the one that receives the repercussions from that meeting or event.
In this case, you must take a step back and look at where they were before and what they must have just encountered. It’s often the case that you haven’t done anything wrong, it’s just that you were the person that they spoke to right after having an unpleasant meeting etc.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if a project that someone else has been working on doesn’t go as planned, your executive may get frustrated and ask you to help fix the problem.
Even though you did not create the confusion or the issue, they rely on you to fix the problem. You may be frustrated that a new project has landed in your lap, but this isn’t the time to take it personally. Instead, take pride in the fact that your executive depends on you and your ability to solve any problem at hand.
Your initial reaction to a difficult situation may be to react defensively, but that’s when it’s more important than ever to take a step back and refocus. Realize this isn’t about you but what your executive is looking for.
Remember your job is to support your executive, make them shine and solve any conflicts that may arise.
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