As the Chief Executive Dog of this family, it is important that I surround myself with staff that I can trust to get things done correctly without me having to micromanage them. Therefore, in celebration of Administrative Professionals Day, I decided to review with Mom and Dad the skills they must maintain to keep our family running the way I want to meet my needs.
Organizational Skills: In order to keep up with my fast paced lifestyle, my staff need to be very organized. This includes keeping my leash in one spot so it is ready to go at a moment’s notice, ensuring I have multiple bacon scented squeaky balls stored in the garage for when I want to play fetch, and promptly filling my bowl at mealtimes. It also applies to answering the call of adventure, by making sure my treats, water and first aid kit are in my backpack and ready to go. In short, as my administrative assistants, Mom and Dad must be organized and ready to meet anything that I demand of them.
Time Management and Strategic Planning: In conjunction to organizational skills, the ability to manage time is crucial for my administrative assistants. There simply isn’t enough time in the day to get through everything that I want to do. Yet it is Mom and Dad’s job to make it all happen anyways, and be punctual when doing it. This requires prioritizing my needs while working through Asa’s distractions, and fitting in time to do their other jobs that actually pay. This also means planning my schedule for the entire family to follow. For example, my day must begin with a brisk walk, followed by breakfast, and a morning nap. With that said, I also insist that Mom and Dad maintain a degree of flexibility in our routine.
Flexibility: While I can be sure of maintaining a relatively consistent schedule, there are occasions where working outside of the conventional routine is required. In life things can change at a rapid pace and my administrative assistants need to be able to adapt quickly to get my needs met. There may be a very rare situation where Mom and Dad can’t immediately do what’s next on my schedule. Or more likely something will catch my fancy, and I’ll insist they drop everything to do it with me. Therefore, it’s important for my staff to be able to think on their feet and respond appropriately. For example it may be raining at the time of my afternoon walk. No one wants to get wet. So I’ll graciously insist that it happens as soon as the last drop falls, regardless of what else is scheduled for that time.
Communications Skills: Ultimately communication, interpersonal relationship and listening skills are the top desired qualities every Chief Executive Dog looks for in an administrative assistant. I need to know I can trust Mom and Dad to understand what I need without barking a single word. In fact, the difference between a good assistant and a great assistant is their ability to anticipate my needs and complete important tasks without needing to be asked. As their boss, I simply give them a look and they know what I want, whether it be to go out, eat, play a round of fetch, or set off on a grand adventure. In addition, I need to know not only are Mom and Dad reliable in fulfilling my daily tasks, but that they will go above and beyond when urgent situations arise without any complaints or hesitation. This is especially important when I’m about to vomit in the middle of the night, and need to quickly get outside.
I admit that being my administrative assistants is not an easy task, and it takes special humans to do this important job. However, it’s all worth it. So on this Administrative Professionals Day, I give Mom and Dad a positive review as they continue to demonstrate proficiency in the skills required to work as my staff.
