Are
PAs
Getting Enough?
...Personal
training and development, that is!
By Maggie Love
Pitman Training London EC2
...the
answer is a resounding
‘no’
according to a spot poll carried out by
Pitman Training recently. Only 2 out of every 10 PAs we spoke to had
any sort of training in the last 12 months.
From your first
secretarial assistant role to your current position, the chances are
that you will have little or no training to develop your skills. You
will learn from your own mistakes, your bosses growls and scowls or
from the great PAs and mentors you meet on the way. This is bad news
so don’t let it happen to you!
Part of the problem is
that you are all much too busy to consider making the case for your
own development. You are often too busy to take a break or eat
properly; too busy working round your bosses’ work patterns; too
busy to pause to share a joke. Stress is high and your training is
low priority – but the case in favour of training is overwhelming.
STOP NOW!
Get off the
treadmill and consider the benefits of your personal development to
your company, your boss and yourself.
Your company will
experience the benefits of a more highly skilled and motivated
person, you will do some tasks quicker, take on more responsibility
and will stay with them longer. This will save them recruitment
costs. Your bosses will enjoy a more confident well motivated and
highly skilled PA, they can delegate and save time and your
proactive approach and initiative will solve problems before they
even knew they had them.
As for you, selecting
the right training will impact in a highly positive way and is often
better than a holiday – you will return with a clear mind, more
confidence and improved skills, refreshed and with a focused action
plan to put you in control. The benefits of many a holiday are gone
in a flash – one day back and it’s like you’d never been gone.
And the fantastic thing
is your company may well pick up the bill. When you build a case to
save your boss time, hassle or add value to their bottom line they
will amazingly rustle up the budget for your “holiday” and give you
the time “off”.
To help build your
business case see opposite for some tips from Pitman Training.
