Meeting People’s Expectations

1. Meeting People’s Expectations Patti Muxlow, RN,BSN,MHA

2. Introduction Dawson Trotman

3. Objectives • To introduce strategies to Meet People’s Expectations without doing it all • To introduce strategies for work/life balance

4. Unique Workload of the Administrative Assistant • Managing the schedule • Meeting preparation • Event planning • Phone calls • Managing email volume • Drop in regulators/inspectors/auditors • Angry customers • Correspondence • Everything else!

5. Tips to improve productivity Do you often feel the day flies by without your devoting the necessary attention to the one assignment you set out to do? -New tasks keep landing on your desk -Co-workers interrupt you

6. Plan Each Day • Planning can help you get more accomplished and feel more in control of your life. • Write a to-do list • Most important tasks at the top • Keep a schedule of your daily activities • Minimizes conflicts and last minute rushes

7. Prioritize Your TasksRelatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. • Assign a number or letter in order of importance to the tasks • Franklin-Covey method of assigning priority A – urgent and important B – important but not urgent C – urgent but not important D – not urgent or important • Include the date due or promised

8. Limit Distractions • Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, pager, and email.

9. Think it Through Upfront • Don’t assume that just because something has “always been done this way” that it’s the best way. • Thinking the project through early on allows you to do a better job of anticipating potential problems, setting deadlines, and planning your tasks.

10. Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. • Break the project into sections with deadlines and commit to them. • Schedule a few minutes at a time in your day until you get the task done • Practice the 10-mnute rule – work on the dreaded task for 10 minutes each day.

11. Say no to nonessential tasks • Consider your goals and your schedule before agreeing to take on additional work. • Ask what the due date for the task is. • If it is not possible to accomplish within the expected timeframe – ask if you can delegate the task to another. • Practice intentional neglect sometimes.

12. Delegate • Look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else. • Identify your subject matter experts • Remember – teamwork can result in exceeding expectations

13. Last Minute Requests • Help coworkers who make last-minute requests of you to change their work styles making them more efficient and productive.

14. “What you permit you promote!”QuintStuder • If you’ve taken on last minute requests, done them, and never indicated that this is a problem for you, then you’ve reinforced that it’s okay to do.

15. Educate people on how long a task takes • When certain tasks don’t fall under a person’s job requirements, they may underestimate how long they take to complete. • Let them know steps involved and about how long the job will take.

16. Use Collaborative Problem Solving • There might have to be some give and take in order to accomplish the last minute task placed in front of you. • Since you now have your tasks listed and prioritized, you can scan the list and collaboratively discuss what it will take to accomplish the task.

17. Already working on a project that is more urgent? • Let the coworker know when you’ll be able to tackle their issue. • Maybe you can tell them how to get their project started so that when you’re free you can hit the ground running. • You can suggest another coworker who will be able to help them. • Setting parameters will help you both work better together.

18. If you know that you are gong to be out the week before a finished project is due, you’ll know to: • Set an earlier deadline for yourself so that you get your portion done before you leave • Make sure the project point person knows your schedule, and • Ask for items that you know you’ll need ahead of time.

19. Follow Up Frequently • May sure your boss knows what you are working on and be upfront about your progress. • We work in an environment where things change quickly, companies frequently have to take a step back and recalibrate. • If you run into a problem, let the boss know about it.

20. Take the time you need to do a quality job. • Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in corrections = wasted time.

21. Anticipate Problems • Anything can happen. • Have a contingency plan.

22. Do everything you can to make sure you deliver on time!

23. Acknowledge you can’t do it all. • Accept the fact some things won’t get done at all. • Make peace with the fact that you must leave some things undone – for the sake of your own sanity. • You must know which things you can safely ignore and which things demand your intervention.

24. Evaluate how you’re spending your time • Look for time that can be used more wisely.

25. Get plenty of sleep, have a healthy diet and exercise regularly • A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will improve your efficiency so you can complete your work in less time.

26. Take a break when needed • Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and reenergize.

27. “I can’t give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all of the time.” Herbert Bayard Swope

28. References • Hyatt, Michael: When you feel overwhelmed by your workload. Retrieved from http://MICHAELHYATT.COM • Mayo Clinic Staff: Time management: Tips to reduce stress and improve productivity. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/WL00048?METHOD • Studer, Quint: The Great Employee Handbook: Making Work and Life Better. Fire Starter Publishing (2012)