Every you turn, there´s pretty much only one thing only everybody talks about - COVID19. Regardless of where you are in the world, most probably you are already working remotely.
Some Assistants work with Executives that are constantly on the go - so having your boss not present physically is something you are comfortable with. Meanwhile, other Assistants are used to working face to face and shoulder to shoulder with their managers. So being completely remote brings a new set of challenges. And finally, some Assistants get laid off or worry that they might due to a shrinking economy. Which is scary and paralysing.
What is true though for most of the Assistants,- we have more spare time now than ever. There´s no commute, no dressing up for the office, no preparing meeting rooms or putting catering in place. If your role also covers some areas of office management,- today is the day when you have some spare time to review your to-do list and recalibrate your focus.
So what can Assistants do with their spare time? LEARN.
The nature of most Admin professionals is the eagerness to learn. Assistants are cut from a very special cloth - they are a the ¨Jack of all traits¨ yet they also master pretty much everything they do. Now it´s a good time to catch up not only with self-development and leadership topics, but also with an industry your company is in. Or maybe you rather spend time learning human dynamics and negotiations?
I found myself learning about Computer Science at Harvard this week. As I am currently in a Tech Company - so the work-from-home weeks are a great time for learning something that you always wanted, but never had time.
World´s most prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale and Stanford opened their expensive online training programs. FOR FREE. Coursera - probably the biggest online training platform does the same thing. You can find pretty much ANY course you are interested in on those. The same thing goes for LinkedIn Learning - super quality training material that will teach you anything,- from Project Management to Public Speaking. And of course, there are wonderful channels tailored directly for Assistants and Admin professionals:
https://www.practicallyperfectpa.com/
http://executivesecretary.com/
https://www.allthingsadmin.com/
https://www.theassistantroom.com/
Or maybe you prefer to look inwards and learn how certain departments work inside of your company?
Maybe you can give an extra hand for Marketing or HR departments? And understand better how they work? Or now it might be a good time to understand better the Finances of your company? Whatever that is - most departments are happy to get extra pair of hands & a brilliants brain at this moment. Just talk to your Executive and managers in the company. The initiative and leadership is what matters most in critical moments.
There´s not a single reason to not use this extra time that we have for learning. So we can emerge after crises as even more bulletproof Assistants!