Management skills enhance every ministry assistant’s professionalism. Whether supervising employees or volunteers, knowing how to develop and motivate excellent workers increases your effectiveness—and your value to the office team.
The best managers strive to work in harmony with others while still fulfilling their leadership role. This is a skill worth working on.
• Identify goals. An important part of the supervisory job is to determine what needs to be done and who will do it. Be specific. If your purpose is to free up your own time, use your calendar to clear your agenda of jobs others can do.
As you outline tasks, be sure the boundaries of authority are clear. Avoid having responsibilities overlap. Take adequate time with this first step; it is the foundation for successful management.
• Write short job descriptions. Formalize each position by writing a clear, concise description of what is expected of and from this worker. Depending on the task, this could be a couple of sentences to the maximum of a page.
• Meet with the worker. Schedule a private meeting with your worker to introduce and discuss the job description. Field questions, make revisions if necessary, stress the importance and value of the position. Be upbeat and positive. Assure the worker of your support.
• Give clear instruction. At this same meeting, explain each aspect of the job. Even experienced supervisors sometimes make the mistake of assuming workers can read their minds and somehow just know office procedures: how the phone is answered, mail is sorted, data is entered. Making your expectations clear gives confidence to the worker and prevents wasted time later.
• Appreciate individuality. Get to know the members of your team. Understand differences in personalities; identify strong and weak points. Capitalize on strengths. Seek to give workers opportunities to expand in those areas in which they excel.
• Trust. Once workers know what must be done, respect their ability to perform well. Although you will be available for questions and will check on progress from time to time, give them authority to make decisions within the realm of their responsibility.
• Listen. Get input from others on decisions affecting them. Encourage your team to give feedback on projects, evaluate results, and offer suggestions. Respect their opinions; use their ideas and credit their contribution.
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Do you have anything else on “office skills”? I’ve been searching online for free refresher courses for secretaries. I was hoping to see filing, time management, using word and excel, etc. I’m not sure what else just basic office skills.
Regarding the request for more articles on office skills: approximately sixty of my articles are archived on this site. They cover topics from time management to filing to conflict resolution and so much more. Be sure to browse all my articles (Columnist Gayle Hilligoss under Popular Sections). You will find scores of practical and helpful resources—an up-to-date course in office management for the serious administrative assistant.