Leading The Way - May 2015

LEADING THE WAY MAY 2015VOLUME 12 No 1

ENABLING DEVELOPING PROMOTINGTHE MAGAZINE FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

creativityin motionAIOP’S FRESH START

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

The Australian Institute of Office Professionals announces its AIOP 60 —Ready Set Go Campaign

AIOP’s 60 Ready Set Go Campaign is an ongoing membership

initiative whereby new individual members are offered

the opportunity of joining AIOP for $60 for the first year

of membership. Members will be given General Member

status and their membership will be valid for one year.

How to Join

Participation is simple. Visit www.aiop.com.au and

complete the online form. It’s that simple.

If a General Member wishes to upgrade their membership, they

will be required to submit an Upgrade Application form along with

evidence of qualifications, working experience and continuing

professional development together with the relevant subscription fee.

Welcome to the first edition of Leading the Way for 2015.

This edition’s theme is ‘Creativity in Motion’ and is very apt for this period in time when the role of the office professional, in particular the EA, is undergoing change from a stereotypical ‘secretary’ to one which, as revealed by a survey undertaken by Hays, can require formal tertiary or certificate qualifications, advanced technological knowledge and skills, advanced communication skills and accountancy fundamentals. Just as important are the soft skills which enable the office professional to strategically manoeuvre situations to achieve successful outcomes.

The articles throughout this edition provide valuable insight into identifying your personal brand and the image you portray to those around you, as well as further promoting and solidifying your reputation through social media channels and the opportunities for connections these avenues provide. Practical tips on regularly reviewing and refining your brand, as well as working toward your goals and aspirations are provided.

AIOP itself has been undertaking a journey of reflection on its image and branding, and where it wants to be and how it is going to get there. As with any reflective and development exercise, the gap between where you want to be and where you currently are can seem overwhelming. The key is a vision which not only inspires and excites you, but one which attracts others to support you along the way. Come on the journey with us to be the best we can be, in turn inspiring you to be the best you can be.

We thank members for their contribution of articles for this edition, and also thank the editorial committee for the continued dedication in meeting our timelines to produce this edition.

Stephanie PaulissenEditorial Committee

If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done

14

25 ways to keep ideas flowing in your workplace

22

Chapter diary of special events

26

Seven habits of successful people, and how they change the world

28

Leading The WayOfficial Publication of theAustralian Institute of OfficeProfessionals ISSN 1448-1537

The Australian Institute of OfficeProfessionals is not responsiblefor statements made oropinions expressed in Leadingthe Way – The Magazine forOffice Professionals nor do anysuch statements or opinionsnecessarily reflect the view ofAIOP or its committees unless it is expressly stated.

Published by AIOP National BoardPostal address:

PO Box 548South Perth 6951

Design: www.garethnealon.me

Privacy Act 1988 Collection NoticeThe Australian Institute ofOffice Professionals (AIOP) iscommitted to protecting theprivacy and security of personalinformation collected about you in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. AIOP’s privacy policy is available from the Company Secretary or at www.aiop.com.au.The information contained inthese articles has the permissionof the contributor and/or hasbeen included in a previousAIOP National Magazine.

Editorial CommitteeChristine StewartFAIOP HLM, PHFWA DivisionE: [email protected]

Stephanie PaulissenMAIOP, AIMMACT Division

Carole HutchensGradDip Comms (PR), FAIOP, HLMSA Division

Aine DowlingDip.Bus, MCSE FAIOPACT Division

Linda FrithMAIOPPerth Chapter

National Executive:National PresidentMs Leanne FisherGradCertBus(Exec Admin)JP(Hons) HLM AIOP AOP PMIAAPE: [email protected]

National AdministrationDirector and CompanySecretaryDoreen De’Athe FAIOPE: [email protected]

See www.aiop.com.au forfull directory

Welcome…

Features General contents

National President’s Message ........... 4

Chapter Diary of Events ...................... 5

Personal branding: 7 ways to build yours and use it to score your next job ................................................. 6

Personal branding ............................... 7

Seven lies that will damage your personal brand .................................... 8

What it takes to be an EA ................. 10

Does your brand deliver good value for the price ............................ 11

Unzip your workplace creativity ...... 12

Creating congruent customer relationships ..................................... 13

If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done ................... 14

Cairns Business Liaison Association (BLA) Partnership - AIOP Brisbane Chapter .............................................. 16

The reluctant leader ......................... 18

Removing the ‘threat’ of performance measurement ............. 19

Why you need a recruitment specialist ........................................... 20

What is organisational innovation ... 21

25 ways to keep ideas flowing in your workplace ................................. 22

Ten tips on preparing board papers ................................................ 23

Book recommendation .................... 24

Subscribe to Leading The Way ........ 24

The relationship between creativity and innovation .................. 25

Seven habits of successful people ... 26

Chapter diary of special events ....... 29

LEADING THE WAY, the MOTTO of the Australian Institute of Office Professionals, promotes a powerful message to its members and the wider community. It expresses the dynamic achievements and vision which underpins the activities of the Institute.

AIOP VisionTo be the leading office/administrative organisation that provides pathways to educate, develop and mentor its members.

AIOP Statement of PurposeThe Australian Institute of Office Professionals aims are:

1. Enabling/delivering the needs of the office professionals by providing skills, education and mentoring for tomorrow.

2. Linking and supporting members with opportunities to further personal, educational and professional development.

3. Promoting excellence in the role of the office/administrative professional.

Creativity in motion… AIOP’s fresh start 3

I thought I would talk more about our Business Improvement Plan which is a work in progress.

First of all ― we need to know what the Business Improvement Plan is! Long term organisational success begins with positioning ― that is, being postured to take advantage of a variety of critical opportunities. Positioning requires strategic planning and a commitment to realise a shared vision.

The ideal organisation would be characterised as purposeful, direct, successful, and financially sound that is flush with a cadre of committed personnel and volunteers. A certain brand of enthusiasm for the organisation’s mission would seem infectious to all who came in contact with the board and volunteers, and obstacles to progress would simply wither away in the face of an overwhelming consensus for action. Every client served by the organisation recommends it to others in the community. Every volunteer encourages others to become personally involved with the organisation. It always seems to be in the right place at the right time making good things happen.

The truth is that the urgency of daily problems overshadows the willingness to address fundamental organisational flaws and to pursue sound opportunities for growth. The pattern of moving from crisis to crisis and keeping the operation afloat from year to year all but precludes these organisations from taking a hard look at their missions, service delivery, staffing, competition and sources of revenue. The irony, of course, is that if such an organisation engaged in strategic planning, then some of its operational “fires” could be extinguished, and it would be free to move on to face more challenging and rewarding ventures.

So that is what we have done! We have sat down and taken a hard look at ourselves and we have developed a Business Improvement Plan.

The Business Improvement Plan is a long term strategy for transforming the Australian Institute of Office Professionals into the peak business organisation in the world. Our association is dedicated to the very highest levels of service and support for its members and committees and is competitive among like-minded associations of the world.

The seven goals are designed to direct and inform strategic and business planning at all levels of the Institute. The seven goals are:

• Growth and Retention of Membership TostrengthentheAustralianInstituteofOfficeProfessionals

asapreferredandsupportiveassociationforcurrentandprospectivemembersfromAustraliaandaroundtheworld.

• Marketing and Promotion ToenhancetheInstitute’scorporateimagebypromoting

excellenceandbestpracticeanddevelopandmaintainrelationshipswithbusiness,themediaandjointventures.

• Knowledge and Information Management Tobethepreferredreferencesourceontheofficeprofession

andmaintainnationalandinternationalcorporateknowledge.

Leanne FisherNational PresidentAustralian Institute of Office Professionals

National President’s Message

Welcome to our first edition of Leading The Way for 2015. I am sure you will enjoy our magazine and the exciting articles it has to offer.

4 Leading the way May 2015

National President’s Message

• Professional Partnerships Toinvestinonlythebestpartnershipsprovidingboththe

Instituteanditspartnerswiththeabilitytobenationallyandinternationallycompetitiveatthehighestlevel.

• Excellent Leadership/Management ToachievecontinuousqualityimprovementinChaptersand

National Board management and administration of the Institute byinvestinginahighlevelofleadershiptotheNationalBoardandCommitteesofManagementoftheInstitute.

• Enhanced and Effective Communication Providequalityinformationtoourcurrentandprospective

membersandbeaccountableforthebusinessoftheInstitute.• Education and Professional Development Tocreateandmaintainapositivelearning

environmentofferingfurthereducationandprofessionaldevelopmentofthehighestquality.

The above goals have been transformed into three year Business Plans for the Chapters. The seven goals can be undertaken over a three year period.Long term goals and strategies must always inform and shape the way the Institute sets day-to-day priorities and makes business decisions. The business targets themselves relate only to a single year.

The challenge for 2015 will involve not only changing internal circumstances as the Institute moves forward, but also the need to manage a range of major external threats and opportunities. Key features anticipated in the business environment in 2015 will include:

• Changes in business worldwide arising from technological, entrepreneurial and corporate challenges to traditional Institute structures and conventional practices.

• The challenge of maintaining a sense of belonging and morale within the Institute in an environment of continuing uncertainty in Australian business.

• Pressure on the Institute’s budget.• The importance of improving efficiency and effectiveness

in the marketing and delivery of the Institute’s programs and activities in the national and international market.

Our task throughout 2015 will be to invest a genuine sense of strategic direction and priority into the day-to-day management of the Institute at all levels, to maintain morale through good communication and effective belonging and to place a premium on discharging ordinary functions extraordinarily well.

So please join my colleagues and me on our journey and I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for Office Professionals’ Day on Friday 1 May.

Warm regards Leanne Fisher, GradCert(Bus) JP(Hons) HLM FAIOP MAICD National President


Here are 7 ways to cultivate and build your personal brand for success and longevity in your career:

• Define your personal brand: The first step is to decide on how you would like the general public (and more importantly, potential employers) to perceive you. Just as businesses strive to offer a unique product to consumers, so should you. Outline what your value proposition is - i.e. what do you have to offer over other candidates? Brainstorm five words which you would like work colleagues to describe you. Then, with these five words in mind, list measurable career goals over the next five years. This will not only give you something to work towards, it will also help you measure how successful your personal branding efforts are.

• Google yourself: Conduct an audit of any existing evidence of your personal brand. Searching online is the most obvious way to get visibility over how potential employers view your credibility. Be sure to delete or make private anything that would be potentially damaging to your job prospects. This could include any old social media profiles (can you remember the last time you looked at MySpace?), tagged photos, and even public comments you have made on website forums. Be ruthless - keep only the things that show you in a positive light, and remove any which don’t fit in within the branded persona you have mapped out.

Personal branding: 7 ways to build yours and use it to score your next jobNot just a buzz-word used by marketing professionals to wow their target audience, ‘branding’ – and in particular your own ‘personal brand’, is the perfect way to differentiate yourself when you are up against other jobseekers with similar roles and experience in the hunt for a new job.

• Build your online profile: After you’ve cleaned up your existing internet footprint, the next step is to cultivate a strong online presence using whatever is left after the audit. Social media is of course the easiest way to begin building your personal brand online - read our article ‘how to leverage social media to land your dream job’ to learn more.

• Getting your resume found online: Social media is an excellent place to start, but don’t fall into the trap of relying just on LinkedIn and Twitter to find your profile. While it might be a prerequisite of younger generations to be on Facebook, never assume that all hiring managers will be on these same media. One of the best things you can do is to host your personal resume on a website (there are many places where you can do this for free), where it can be indexed by Google and searched for by recruiters and potential employers. Include links to any digital evidence of achievements including awards you have won, blogs you have written, photos, videos you have made – anything that supports and shows your professional experience and skill set.

• Take a look in the mirror: Promoting your online brand is important, but there is nothing worse for a hiring manager when they interview someone whose offline identity does not match up to the amazing picture which has been painted online. Take a look at your personal appearance – does your clothing match the roles you are going for? What about your general demeanour? Do you present yourself professionally at interviews? Are you as engaging in regular conversation as you are when answering LinkedIn group polls?

• Align yourself with a specialist recruiter within your industry: Did you know that less than ten

per cent of active job vacancies are ever advertised? Developing a long term partnership with a specialist recruitment provider means that you will get all the benefits of someone who knows your industry inside and out as well as access to exclusive roles which have not been posted on job boards.

• Continuous improvement: Building your personal brand is not a one-off project. The people who have the best personal brands are continually working to improve, promote and boost their brand reach. Upskill, ask for recommendations, subscribe to blogs online in your industry, get involved with LinkedIn groups, attend conferences and try to remain as innovative as possible in everything you do.

In an economic downturn where the number of jobseekers vying for roles exceeds the number of available jobs on the market, it’s important to have a competitive advantage wherever you can over other eligible candidates in the hiring process. How do you grow your personal brand?

Ximo Soler, CMO Asia Pacific at Randstad.

Leading the Way


Personal branding

McDonalds Golden Arches are a stylised M (for McDonalds) but their colour and size convey happiness, warmth, comfort, and optimism—much of which you get from close family when you sit down to dinner. The Nike Swoosh is fast and racy and could be said to symbolise Nike, the Greek winged goddess of victory—you can run much faster with a swoosh on your shoes. Disney is famous for animation and fairy tales, so what better than Sleeping Beauty’s castle to portray their business.

A logo is part of the company brand, which not only includes the easily recognised symbols, but identifies who they are, what they do, and what they mean. The logo is what people recognise, but the brand is all encompassing. A logo doesn’t have to be an image; it can be a name, or letters, but generally, it heads up the brand.

So what is a brand, and why should we, as individuals, have one? Well, you may not realise it, but you already have a brand—it’s your personality; it’s how you want people to see you; it’s your image, and, it doesn’t matter what you do or where you are on the corporate ladder, you need to start focussing on your professional brand and getting it out there.

RECOGNISE YOUR BRAND

Are you passionate, serious, funny, a born teacher or mentor?

Facebook should not be ignored as a brand tool. Facebook has over 3 million active users and forty per cent are 35 years or older. Keep your business profile separate from your standard (home) profile by creating a business page from your standard profile. Use it like LinkedIn by liking individuals and organisations you follow or admire. Use the page to highlight events, training and personal development, conferences (include a photo of you with a key speaker), team building exercises, and post motivational and inspirational comments.

If your goal is to be a leader or an expert in your field you should consider a blog such as Wordpress—you can’t comment expertly or be a thought leader in 140 Twitter characters or in a Facebook status update. There are other blog and websites available but Wordpress is easy to use, has great tools and support, and, more importantly, is free if you choose the right theme. You can promote your blog through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that when using social media keep it professional. Don’t be negative; think carefully about what you say and how you say it. Once you hit send, save, post or publish—it’s out there for the world to read. How do you want to be perceived? Google yourself. Do you like what you see? If not—change it!

Finally, take time to work on your brand—even Disney didn’t get there in a day. It’s not something you can do overnight, and in most cases it will be a work-in-progress for many months. Make sure you’re consistent across all platforms including how you speak, how you comment, and your images. Share information and motivate and congratulate others. By being consistent online and offline you will be seen as genuine and trustworthy, and if you keep your message positive you’ll have a head start with a great career/business building tool.

What do you love to do? As opposed to what you actually do. Identify your goals.

CREATE YOUR BRAND

Develop a toolkit for your brand. It doesn’t matter if you’re the receptionist or the CEO—everyone should have a business card stating who they are, what they do, and how they can be contacted, and if appropriate, a logo.

Create a portfolio of your work including certificates, testimonials, references, publications, notices, and highlights.

Know how to do a professional résumé. Highlight your achievements and accolades, and showcase what you can do. Check and change it regularly so you don’t have to spend hours on it when you need to update it. Link your brand into the résumé by including links to your social media networks.

Join relevant organisations and professional networks.

SOCIAL MEDIA

There are three main social media outlets where you can take your brand.

Create a LinkedIn profile. Include your current and most recent positions, and a few sentences on what you do, or did. Build your contacts and endorse them—choose contacts in similar roles or mentoring roles and those who could be useful in the future; join discussion groups—they are full of information and support; follow people you admire; create personal advertising, and search for jobs. If you’ve been nominated for an award, or received an award, highlight it and include a picture if you have one. Keep your profile up-to-date.

Create a Twitter account. Follow people and organisations in your field, and comment on issues and topics of interest.

What do you think of when you see golden arches, a stylised tick, or a fairy tale castle? Chances are you’ll come up with McDonalds, Nike, and Disney—three of the most recognised logos on the planet.

Leading the Way

Aine Dowling D.Bus, MCSE, FAIOPCanberra Chapter


Seven lies that will damage your personal brand

A new recruitment year is just starting to get underway in Australia so now is the time to refresh your job-hunting strategy, including your LinkedIn profile.

More than ninety per cent of hiring managers and recruitment experts are estimated to use LinkedIn to find and vet candidates. Savvy candidate screeners can spot a false claim on an online profile very quickly so make sure you can back up every claim you make. Here are some of the most common LinkedIn lies to avoid:

GIVING YOURSELF A RETROSPECTIVE PROMOTION

It can be tempting to go back in time to give yourself a promotion. You may well have taken care of managing a broad range of tasks while working as an accounting assistant but that doesn’t make you an accountant unless you are the real deal. Expert screeners know when something just doesn’t add up and will see you as dishonest. Elevating your title from Finance Manager to Finance Director because you worked in a small firm and you were the most senior finance person could unnecessarily put your credibility at risk. A fib here or there could see your chances

reduced from shortlist to dust bin in a moment. Even if you made it to a shortlist, you’ll be left floundering in a job interview when peppered with questions testing your work history in detail.

DON’T TAKE CREDIT FOR THE WORK OF OTHERS

The great thing about LinkedIn is it’s so accessible but this also means any claims you make can be seen by lots of people, including co-workers and former colleagues. Responsibilities tell a potential employer about your job role while achievements describe your job performance, and so both should be showcased on your LinkedIn profile – but make sure they really are yours. Claiming an achievement that belongs to someone else is definitely not an example of a good team player. Australia is a small place and industry or professional sectors even smaller. You will be found out.

PAPERING OVER YOUR JOB TIMELINE HISTORY

Where you worked, exactly when and for how long is a key focus for any potential employer. Don’t fudge dates and try and fill gaps with fake employment experience. Also, make sure any claim you make in your online profile is consistent with what you outline in your resume and employment applications. Inconsistencies are a red flag for those screening candidates.

QUANTITY IS NOT QUALITY

While it is tempting to try and connect with as many people as possible, the real strength of your LinkedIn network lies in connecting to those in your industry, profession or sector. Accepting every invite that comes your way weakens the quality of your network. Always view the profile of someone asking to connect with you to ensure they are relevant to your network.

SPOTTING A FAKE LINKEDIN PROFILE

People set up fake profiles to farm or scrap info from those they connect with. Fake profiles are used to create lists and bombard your email with spam. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you know how to spot a fake profile. Here are some telltale signs to watch out for:

• Fake profiles use stock library shots or no photo at all.

• The person wanting to connect with you has a profile comprising a name, a title and little else.

• Often the faker profile features a first and last name starting with the same letter – e.g. A.

• Fake profiles also appear to be a member of dozens of groups. Joining lots of groups helps them farm information.

INCLUDE AN IMAGE BUT MAKE IT REAL

As mentioned, fake profiles often have no image or use an image from a photo library. Ensure you include a professional-looking head and shoulders shot of yourself with your profile – preferably smiling. Avoid heavy photo shopping – you want to be recognised at job interviews – as well as wedding shots with your spouse cropped out or holidays shots showing you in casual gear.

TIT-FOR-TAT RECOMMENDATIONS

LinkedIn recommendations work best when managers, clients and other people you interacted with as part of doing an outstanding job provide them. Recommendations provided by peers, friends and only those you have recommended are not a credible way of building your personal brand.

Printed with Kind Permission

Nick DeligiannisManaging DirectorAustralia & New Zealand at Hays

Leading the Way


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What it takes to be an EA - the invisible glue behind every executive

More than ever, today’s Executive Assistants (EAs) are balancing an ever-increasing list of responsibilities. Those who rise to the top of their field are hard-working, organised, collaborative, and efficient, with a suite of strong technical skills, the ability to prevent problems before they arise, and the capacity to balance deadlines, travel and any and all claims on their executive’s time. That’s

why the top EAs can earn up to, and in senior positions can exceed, $120,000.

From qualifications and experience to personal development and work-life balance, our report gives you an insight into what it takes to be an EA.

If you’re considering your career options and want to become an EA, our report

will give you an insight into what’s involved and what it takes. And if you are already an EA, we hope you find what your peer group have to say about success to be interesting and engaging.

KEY FINDINGS

Technical SkillsEighty per cent of EAs have formal post school qualifications. Sixty-seven per cent said communication was in the top three skills needed, but several said updating their technical skills and learning the latest technology was the biggest professional challenge over the next 12 months.

Soft SkillsSoft skills are becoming ever more important in an EA’s role. EAs are also having to become ever more commercial and are integral in their executives’ and company’s success. Seventy-two per cent said organisational skills were among the top skills needed and forty-two per cent said prioritising was in the top three skills. Time management is hence one of the biggest challenges in a EA’s role.

A top EA holds• A certificate or higher qualification• Advanced computer software skills• Ability to quickly grasp

the latest technology• Advanced written and verbal

communication skills• Accountancy knowledge.


Hays spoke to over 500 EAs across Australia and New Zealand to uncover what it takes to be an EA, and we are very grateful to them for their time.

Leading the Way


Does your brand deliver good value for the price?

Whether the brand is personal or organisational, it resides within the hearts and minds of your friends and family, your customers, clients and prospective clients. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.

Once a brand has been developed and launched it is not the end of the story. Brand service delivery and management must be assessed for performance, in a similar manner to regular employee performance interviews. How many times do you hear from your friends and colleagues about their experiences with organisations that have not provided the service expected. The product does not arrive within the stated time, it may be damaged or faulty, there is no follow up to by the company to ensure the customer is happy, service charges are not clear, etc.

Recently an advertisement on TV for a plumbing service posed the question: What is most important to you? The advertisement then gave a selection of responses: good service, skilled tradespeople, well-equipped vans, and tradespeople who arrive on time, do the job efficiently and at the charge quoted.

If you are reviewing your company’s brand the most obvious starting point is its customer service. Are your customers happy with the quality and timing of your services? A review of customer service should include an assessment of any complaints received and how these were resolved and also recommendations from existing clients. Once a client’s satisfaction is lost it is very hard to regain their trust. These brickbats and bouquets can tell the reviewer a lot about the way customers perceive your company.

The same applies to your personal brand. You should review your personal brand from time to time to ensure it accurately reflects the type of person you are. When you initially developed it you probably analysed your strengths and weaknesses, listed your passions and goals and described your working style. These are all good points in developing a brand. However, one of the most important factors is how

you are perceived by other people. Does your perception of yourself match their perceptions of you? Does your behaviour and appearance reinforce your image? It is a good idea to keep a note of thank you notes received for a job well done as well as making a note of when there were issues about the quality or timeliness of your work. Both will be useful in ensuring your perception of your image matches the perception of your colleagues, friends and family.

Our personal and professional relationships are considered as part of an image review. We all have busy lives with multiple roles – wife, mother, daughter, relative, friend, or colleague (or their male equivalents). Managing all these roles successfully is a difficult task as our personal circumstances change and therefore our priorities do as well. Managing and maintaining a personal image is not easy, but the hard work you put into it will pay off in the long run.

All brands, whether personal or organisational, have cost good money to develop. Only regular reviews of your brand’s performance will tell you whether the brand is delivering good value against the cost of development.

Leading the Way

Carole Hutchens FAIOP, HLMAdelaide Chapter


(reprinted 2007 edition)

The best way to improve efficiencies at work is to create, plan and execute. Most people plan a little, execute a lot, and then use their creative powers.

START WITH CREATIVITY.

You are a much more valuable employee when you contribute significant practical ideas for improving processes in your workplace. To be your best creator of meaningful ideas, enlarge your Creativity Quotient (CQ). Your CQ is your ability to find solutions.

I have noticed that some people have situational creativity. When they are in the presence of someone they perceive as brighter or more creative than themselves, they tend to slow down their thought processes and idea contributions. In essence, their ‘idea button’ is switched off. In environments where they are valued, they contribute freely (button switched on). At your next brainstorming session, observe how many people are actually contributing ideas. You can turn a person’s creativity button on by encouraging their efforts and recognising them for their offerings no matter how small.

People become more creative when they have an awareness shift by observing from a different perspective. Being inventive/creative is nothing more than teaching yourself to observe a problem or opportunity from a different viewpoint. For example, businesses hire secret shoppers to determine the quality of their customer’s experience. Owners feel it will keep employees on their toes if they are aware that a secret shopper might be evaluating them (a fear-based approach).

A different perspective would include looking at customer service from the frontline employee’s perspective. They see what customers want and they notice the shortcomings of their peers. Ask them for their opinions, insights and ideas on how to improve customer relations (recognition based) and they will freely and gladly donate their perceptions. I have found the latter strategy to be the more effective of the two.

Leading the Way

of view. Many of my entrepreneurial clients with large businesses have little or no college. In my opinion, in many cases college training teaches people to be average. It is possible for college trained people to learn how to increase their creativity.

3. Teach techniques for responding to problems and opportunities from different viewpoints. Some categories include: reverse logic, mind mapping, affirmations, expectations, brainpower conditioning, location change, and interviewing others, to just name a few.

Who do you admire that has great creative skills? Interview them about how they became creative, what techniques they use, and who taught them. They will be pleased that you sought their counsel and will most likely tell you everything. Take notes and construct a document of their sayings. Study and test their concepts and find ways to do what they do in a way that works for you.

Everyone is more creative than the picture they have of themselves, including you. I am here to affirm that you can be more creative than you ever dreamed possible! Try looking at something from a different point of view today.

DISCOVER VIABLE CREATIVE TEAM BUILDING CONCEPTS FROM NATURE IN THE INNOVATIVE ARTICLE: ‘THINK LIKE A COYOTE’.

The coyote is the master of cooperation and exploitation of any environment. This article will inspire and provide a framework to work from when you need new team building ideas in the future. You will catch the vision of how to leverage another person for generating new ideas.

The workplace creative team building article ‘Think Like a Coyote™’ is Part Three of the Managers Best Practices Toolkit™, a unique highly refined package of management tips.

©Jim Rooney, People Smart Tools, www.PeopleSmartTools.com

FIVE ATTITUDES PEOPLE HAVE THAT KILL CREATIVITY:

1. Feeling mentally less competent than those who hear or receive their ideas (situational shutdown). Do others feel uplifted or shut down when around you?

2. Do not want to risk appearing dumb. It is easier to clam up than to speak up. A good facilitator finds ways to get these people to contribute because some of their ideas are fabulous. The extra time and effort it takes to get these people to participate and contribute is worth it!

3. Previous experiences have reinforced their lack of creativity. Someone has shut them down and they believed them. Before a thought-storming session, ask people if they have been shut down in previous sessions. Assure them that you value their efforts and input. At the beginning of the meeting passionately assert how valuable they are to the process. (You must believe with your heart that they are important.)

4. Have no desire to be creative. They are comfortable letting someone else come up with the ideas. This kind of apathy is hard to fight. Individually ask this person for solutions to problems. Over time they will develop means and methods for improving their CQ (Creativity Quotient).

5. Negative self-talk/internal dialogue. What you think about comes about. Make a concerted effort to think and say positive uplifting things about yourself and others. This takes a lot of effort but the results are more than worth the extra effort. The most successful people have the most positive self-talk.

ENCOURAGE PRODUCTIVITY AND CREATIVITY WITH THESE THREE IDEAS:

1. Encourage people to be more creative by complimenting them verbally and in writing for little things they do. They will come along as they learn that you value their input.

2. Up-play the fact that creativity has little to do with a college education. It is more about looking at problems and opportunities from different points

Unzip your workplace creativity


Creating congruent customer relationships … family, friends, colleagues, customersOn a scale from important to not so important, how do you rank this list? Now list them in the order that you would give your best attention and manners to. Is it in the same sequence as your first list?

Many people save their best manners for the people they know the least, their external customers resulting in office and personal relationships that are not as congruent or mutually beneficial as they could be.

External customers are definitely worthy of attention and time, after all their purchases pay the bills and paying the bills is important. Successful companies put processes and systems in place to make sure that their external customers don’t get ignored or overlooked to encourage the customer to buy again. Some of those systems include regular call cycles, transactional rewards and annual thank you’s. Good leaders make sure that all staff display attitudes of respect for customers at all times and they expend resources asking questions and listening to make sure that they are meeting their customers’ needs.

But it’s not just external customers that deserve time, attention and reward. By considering family and friends as internal customers it makes building better relationships easier. Systems that nurture internal customer relationships aren’t uncommon; birthdays, mother’s and

father’s days and anniversaries are just a few systems that remind us to say hello and thank you.

That colleague that sits at the workstation beside us is also an internal customer. They help us get what we need to do our own job which makes it important to treat them with the same manners and respect that we treat our external customers with. It’s vital that we also ask questions and listen to make sure that we can meet their needs and expectations to help them get what they want too. Simple systems that remind us to recognise and reward them go a long way to building good relationships in the office.

Generally, people don’t go to work just to earn money. They don’t even go to work to earn money to buy things. Most people go to work to earn the money to buy the things that give them opportunities to spend time with the people they care most about - opportunities like holidays with friends and meals and experiences with loved ones and their job is the vehicle that gets them there. Taking the time finding out how to help them achieve those opportunities reaps rewards in congruent relationships in the workplace and in the home.

Considering the processes and systems that your company puts into place to look after their external customers, what simple recognition and reward systems and what

attitudes of attention could you adopt towards your internal customers that will foster congruent relationships? What simple reminders could you set to make sure that you are listening to them and rewarding their own attention to you?

DANIELLE STOREY Defining the Art of Service Speaker, Author & Writer, Mentor, Business Woman

m 0408 372 432e [email protected] www.daniellestorey.coma PO Box 9011, Scoresby Vic 3179

Leading the Way


So how are you going on your goals, your dreams, your challenges and your plans for this year? Are you almost half way there? I honestly believe that most of you won’t be. For most people, time just passes and plans slide by. All of a sudden it is the end of another year and we have not accomplished what we wanted.

Too often we leave things until the last minute. It seems the hardest thing to do is START. Consider your days of study. I know in my first year of university I had one assignment that I did not start until the day prior to its due date. After pulling an all-nighter to complete it, I got a very poor mark and made the commitment to myself to never do that again. A commitment I met for the remainder of my studies.

The work environment and our home environment are no different. You cannot cram good parenting in to the few weeks you may spend with your child around their holidays. You cannot get eighty per cent of your project completed in the last twenty per cent of your time. If you do, chances are very high they will not be successful.

When working in IT, there was always the dreaded ‘Death March’ where the team worked 16 to 18 hour days to try and hit deadlines. Overtired workers made far too many mistakes, morale plummeted, blame was apportioned and the client was never happy. It is fantastic to see that IT has finally progressed with development methodologies like Agile and Scrum now ensuring that sanity prevails and progress is made.

That is great for IT, but what about how you and I operate our lives? How can we use some of these ideas to achieve our goals and desires?

1. Be flexible John Lennon famously said, “Life is

what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Thank goodness for that! Sometimes what actually happens far exceeds the plans we have. So one of the secrets to achieving your goals is to have the flexibility to defer them, change them or even cancel them. Do not get so attached to the goal that you don’t enjoy the present.

2. Decide what you want It is not enough to have the goal to be

better, richer or more successful. If I give you $10 you are now richer, is that really what you wanted? What do you mean when you say you want to be successful in business? Is that by your measure, your parent’s measure or your colleague’s measure? Be really specific about what you want and how you will measure it. Consider also the impact of this goal. How will it impact not only you but those around you and your community? Sometimes you need to think bigger than yourself.

This is Stephen Covey’s ‘Begin with the End In Mind’. How will you know where you are going without having some direction? This is particularly important in the non-work context. What sort of parent, friend, sibling, child, and member of community do you want to be? How do you want to be thought of by others? Without considering this, how will you know how to act or what to focus your attention on?

3. Break it down The secret to eating an elephant is by

taking one bite at a time. Even though Australian Media Mogul KerryPacker was heard to say ‘Take big bites and chew like anything’ he was still only taking one bite at a time. So break your goals down into smaller manageable parts.

Look at what it will take to achieve your goal and then break it down into

the components to set yourself up for success. For example, let’s say you are a car sales person who wants to sell 200 new cars this year. That goal on its own may be daunting, but if you know that each sale will take 4 test drives and each test drive needs 2 dealer visits and each dealer visit needs 5 sales calls, then you know exactly what to do. You need to do 8,000 sales calls! (That’s 200 by 4 by 2 by 5)

Break them down into weekly and daily action lists. It is so much easier to measure and manage 28 sales calls a day than 166 sales calls a week or 667 sales calls a month or 8,000 sales calls a year.

4. Set check points There will be some logical check points

for your goal. It could be quarterly, monthly, based on certain actions or even events taking place. Having a check point gives you a chance to evaluate where you are at and what the next steps are. You may find that you want to change track, take into account new information or even take no further action.

5. Put actions in your diary This is where most people fail. There

have been planning sessions, strategic discussions, and goals broken down into smaller components, and then they forget to take action or even allow time for the action. It is imperative you allocate time for your goals. Put that time in your diary – particularly for your non-work activities. All too often work can take priority unknowingly because social and family events have not been allocated their due time.

6. Enrol others Get others excited about what you

are trying to achieve. It could be your family, your team, your management committee or simply your mastermind group. Sharing your goals means that they know what your focus is

Leading the Way


Leading the Way

Look at how far through the year we are already.

Here are the top 10 tips to actually achieving your goals



and can support you when you need help or even show you some short cuts to achieve what you are after.

As a leader, enrolling others means you are more likely to achieve your team goals. The best way to enrol others is to show them the big picture and share with them WHY it is important. Once they understand your WHY it is easier for them to share the why and be just as committed to achieving it. But don’t just share your vision once, keep going back to it. Make sure all you do fits in with the vision that you have.

Too often goals and visions are set at the start of the year and then they are put aside and forgotten. It must always be current. You nearly want your team to be sick of you talking about it! The frequent conversation will show your passion on commitment to the goal.

7. Measure progress The management adage of What Gets

Measured Gets Improved has never been as important. Measure your progress and share that measurement with others. If that means a big measurement thermometer, coloured graphs, or status updates on the noticeboard, them do it.

It will inspire others to keep going as well as keep them informed of updates.

By the way, if you are a solo operator you still need the coloured graphs and charts to keep yourself motivated and focussed on what counts. Just because you may have a smaller team does not make your goals of focus any less important.

8. Celebrate success For many years I have been a believer

that if you make celebrating success a habit, you will make success a habit. It is almost Pavlovian. Knowing that you celebrate success your mind and body will strive in its endeavours to achieve the success to then celebrate it.

So when you set your goals and your checkpoints, make sure you set how you will celebrate them as well. That way you can focus on the achievement as well as the celebration.

One of my clients is a real estate agent. To inspire her team we set goals and sales targets for each month. As soon as they reached these targets they only had to work five days a week and not six. It was astounding the difference

this made to the performance of the team.

9. Lead first – manage second As a good manager, you need to take

less than your fair share of the credit and more than your fair share of the blame. This is the same whether you are leading a team in business, social circumstances or the family unit. Too often people fall in to blame-storming rather than brain-storming.

Look for what you can do to resolve an issue, solve a problem, obtain success and inspire your team. While you must manage the details and projects, the inspiration and leadership will payback far greater dividends than the management.

10. Have fun The most important thing about

having goals is to remember to enjoy the day. While you learn from the past and plan for the future, don’t forget to live in the present. This is particularly important during the tougher times. The camaraderie and enjoyment that you have with your team, family and friends will be worth far more to you than the goal you achieve.

When it comes to achieving your goals, don’t leave it until the last minute. While you focus on the goal, be sure to enjoy the journey.

Printed with kind permissionWarwick Merry, Get More Pty Ltd

Leading Master of Ceremonies, Exhibiting Expert, Inspirational Keynote Speaker, Business Development Consultant, Conference Host, Workshop Facilitator, Author and Writer, Musician and Entertainer

Video footage www.warwickmerry.tvBlog www.warwickmarry.bizWebsite www.warwickmerry.comTelephone +61 408 592 158Email [email protected]

Leading the Way


Cairns Business Liaison Association (BLA) Partnership - AIOP Brisbane Chapter

For the last 16 years AIOP Brisbane Chapter has been partnering with the Business Liaison Association (BLA) in North Queensland. This partnership involves AIOP sponsoring an annual Award which is open to students enrolled in Business Communication and Technologies, Business Organisation and Management and associated business subjects. The BLA Annual Awards Presentation is held December each year at a 4 or 5 star hotel in Cairns. This event had a record-breaking attendance of 450 students, parents, teachers and sponsors. The previous winners were Kimberlee Fowler, Mareeba State High School; Luke Martin, Trinity Anglican School (2012), and Matthew Church from Trinity Anglican School (2013). The winner receives a beautifully engraved trophy and certificate. In addition, in 2013 we offered a $250 cash prize to the winner.

The BLA has been operating in North Queensland since 1993 and provides a unique role in linking education and industry in Queensland’s Far North. They collaborate with schools, training providers, employment agencies, government departments, professional associations and industry representatives. The BLA facilitates a range of events, including the Annual Careers and Education Expo, the Annual Health Industry Expo and competitions and awards designed to bring students, educators and the business community together. The BLA are dedicated to advancing career opportunities for secondary students and are uniquely placed to broker these opportunities for our young people.

The partnership has provided opportunities for AIOP members to enhance their personal and professional development. In 2011, Louise Burton as Queensland Chapter runner-up Office Professional of the Year spoke at the BLA’s Business Breakfast on the Move which was attended by 100 business students, teachers and supporters of the BLA. Louise spoke on the topic of WilltheplacecollapseifmyExecutiveAssistantsuddenlyresigned? As part of her presentation, Louise also covered goal setting, career planning, and mentors.

Vanessa Stott, Brisbane Division Office Professional of the Year 2012 was asked to speak to business students as part of our partnership with the BLA. Vanessa visited three North Queensland schools (Redlynch State College, Cairns State High School, and Malanda State High School) from 27 February to 1 March 2013. http://www.bla.org.au/business-administration-workshops1-event.html

Vanessa spoke to over 350 students ranging from Years 8 to 12 over the three days. She gave one main 45 minute presentation to senior Business students and then also prepared two different 30 minute talks on CV preparation and interview techniques for years 9/10 as well as giving a five minute talk to year 8s on goals setting and motivation.

Vanessa said “Itwaschallenginghavingtochangetrackforthedifferentagegroupsbutimmenselyrewardingandverysuccessful.Ihadanumberofstudentsapproachmeandseniorsattwoofthehighschoolsgivinguptheirlunchbreakstofurtherdiscussionswithme.IhadareallywonderfulexperiencewhereoneoftheteacherscalledmewhileIwaswaitingmyflighthometotellmethataparenthadcalledherthatafternoonintearstotalktoherabouthowhappyshewasthatherchildcamehomeallmotivatedandenthusiasticaboutthefuture.Somethingapparentlythestudenthasreallystruggledwith.Iwasreallytouchedbythiswholeexperienceandgainedalotbothprofessionallyandpersonallyinmytimethere.”

Leading the Way

Kimberlee Fowler (2011) Luke Martin (2012) Matthew Church (2013)

Our contact: Angela Toppin (pictured), Principal, Cairns State High School AND Chair, Business Liaison Association (BLA) http://www.bla.org.au/about

Additional links:www.cairnschamber.com.au/Angela-Toppin.410.0.html www.bla.org.au/site/user-assets/ANNUAL%20REPORT%202012%20FINAL.pdf www.bla.org.au/annual-awards-presentation-night-20131www.bla.org.au/site/user-assets/Presented%20Awards%202011%20-%20December%201st%202012.pdf


Leading the Way

CRICOS Provider Code: 00111D TOID: 3059

Improve your career opportunities with a qualification in Executive Administration}

Executive and Personal Assistants – develop your knowledge and skills with a qualification designed to meet the needs of office professionals who want to develop high-level knowledge and skills in the professional area of executive administration.

While short courses target skill gaps, a postgraduate qualification will develop senior level skills relevant to your executive administration discipline. It will also assist develop key research, analysis, critical thinking and report writing skills to further develop your capacity to support senior management.

Advance your career by calling 1300 275 794 or visit our website.

Apply now. Start Semester 2, 2015.

}swinburne.edu.au/postgrad

CRICOS Provider Code: 00111D TOID: 3059

Improve your career opportunities with a qualification in Executive Administration}

Executive and Personal Assistants – develop your knowledge and skills with a qualification designed to meet the needs of office professionals who want to develop high-level knowledge and skills in the professional area of executive administration.

While short courses target skill gaps, a postgraduate qualification will develop senior level skills relevant to your executive administration discipline. It will also assist develop key research, analysis, critical thinking and report writing skills to further develop your capacity to support senior management.

Advance your career by calling 1300 275 794 or visit our website.

Apply now. Start Semester 2, 2015.

}swinburne.edu.au/postgrad

The Graduate Certificate of Business Management (Executive Administration) at Swinburne University gives participants insights into the complexities of management, communicating in the electronic space and a strong understanding of the functions and dynamics of global organisations competing in a dynamically changing environment.

This qualification was specifically developed for executive administrators to provide a high level, postgraduate qualification for office professionals who want to:

• have their vast experience formalised with a high level qualification;

• give themselves a competitive advantage in the market place; and/or

• use the postgraduate qualification to enhance their career prospects

There are 3 core units and one elective which can be completed part time in one year. Units can be undertaken wholly on-campus or wholly online enabling students to complete the qualification if they cannot attend classes. The qualification develops senior level skills and through completion, students develop sound research, analysis and critiquing skills to assist them with senior responsibilities in the business environment.

Successful completion enables students to progress to the Master of Business Management which has not previously been an option for students if they did not possess a Bachelor Degree.

Tenille Craig saw the Graduate Certificate of Business Management (Executive Administration) as an opportunity to re-enter the learning environment and gain new skills in business management. She completed the Graduate Certificate of Business Management (Executive Administration) in 2011 and continued on completing the Masters of Business Management in 2013.

“Thiscoursehasincreasedmyawarenessoftheenvironmental,economicandsocialimplicationsthatareessentialforabusinesstobesustainable.After10yearsworkingasanexecutiveassistant,thecoursehelpedmetopursueadifferentrole,ofwhichmyemployerisfullysupportiveof.Ithasalsomotivatedmetotakeonadditionalprojectworkandgainfurtherexperienceinotherareasofthecompany.TheGraduateCertificateofBusinessManagement(EA)offeredanexcellentopportunitytostudyasamatureagestudentatapostgraduatelevelandprovidedmewithaneasytransitionintotheMasterprogram.”

If you have any enquiries about this qualification please contact the Program Manager, Kathy Thomas – [email protected], mobile 0410 569 361 and landline (03) 9214 6887.

Postgraduate Studies in Executive Administration

Tenille Craig


The reluctant leaderI never wanted to lead. I’m quite comfortable in the background, thank you very much. Until recently, I had left that ‘leading’ business to extroverted, charismatic, story-telling, entertaining others. Very happy to quietly work away behind the scenes and just get on with it. Nothing to see here. Move along. Then something strange happened. One day, out of the blue, someone told me I was leading. This came as quite a shock to me. “But how can that be? I’m not a leader...” I heard myself say.

After noticing their bewildered look, I rallied, laughed it off and gave myself a good internal rap on the knuckles. What was I thinking? I’m running a leadership training organisation for heaven’s sake.

After thinking about this shocking revelation - and I did spend quite a lot of time thinking about it - I realised the problem was not that I was leading; the problem was that I didn’t identify with leadership: Female. Introvert. 5’2”. Middle-aged. Non-drinker. Me.

Before you get your back up, let me explain what I mean: I was brought up in a strict army household. Dad is a Vietnam Veteran (two tours), and mum just got on with living the way women do with a VV and trying to raise her kids in a minefield with the minimum of

trauma. So my entire life, up until the age of 18, centred around a male-dominated lifestyle - army camps, regimented home life and the Sergeant’s Mess as our only regular social outing once a month on a Saturday night (read: sit with the other kids, quietly, and wait till the dads stopped drinking). Sometimes the Mess showed movies such as Rambo and The Deer Hunter. At home on Sunday afternoons we watched westerns, predominantly John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. You get the picture.

So my idea of leadership was based on what I saw and what I heard. And what I saw and heard was male, military-based leadership. Storming the beaches kind of leadership.

This is difficult to admit, but up until two years ago, if I closed my eyes and imagined a leader, I could only see some nameless, faceless man in a uniform, storming a beach (possibly on a horse) invariably pointing and shouting at the huddled masses waiting for his command that would save their lives ... or not. This was what I was exposed to. And that was stuck in my head somewhere deep and unknown, quietly paralysing me without my knowledge or consent.

It didn’t matter that I had been working with men and women who were becoming, or who already were, exceptional leaders. It was not how I saw others; it was how I saw myself. They could lead, but I could not. And although life was a continual series of beaches that needed storming, I was not that person - I had no uniform. I had no horse.

And when the epiphany hit me, like a train, I honestly couldn’t believe I had been so blind

to my own paradigm. I had identified ‘The Thing’ that was holding me back without me even knowing it; it was rooted in childhood experience and reinforced by almost every movie I’ve ever seen (not many movies based on successful female leaders back in the day ... or now come to think of it).

I suppose I’m writing this because I’m sure I’m not the only person out there who doesn’t, or can’t, see that they’re actually leading. They don’t recognise their style of quietly achieving as leadership. There are no movies glorifying the introverted leader who would rather go in with a well thought out plan, thorough risk assessment, and perhaps a sandwich (first aid kit, sat phone and back-up plan as well).

To them I would say: “Check your head. Root out that malignant, unhelpful paradigm which may be holding you back. There are so many other styles and ways to lead; find the one you’re comfortable with and that works for you and your team - remain authentic to your nature. If it’s working (and check that it is) - keep doing what you’re doing.”

As for me: two years on from the epiphany I’m still not entirely comfortable with the term Leader but I’ve accepted it (I did write I’m learning to accept it, but it occurred to me just then that I have actually accepted it). I am still a work in progress, however, I now own the beach.

http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reluctant-leader-sheryll-fisher?trk=object-title

Leading the Way

Sheryll FisherPerth Chapter


Leading the Way

Removing the ‘threat’ of performance measurementIf the employee benefits from performance monitoring, the job wins and your company gains too. All three of these positives can be realised by any willing manager! Two performance-monitoring methods that, in our opinion, don’t work are:

SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS APPROACH

There is not much good to say about being on the wrong end of an intuitive decision about a person’s performance. This subjective assessment: You’re not doing your job. Get outta here! probably represents the monitoring means for about eighty per cent of businesses. Not very exciting for the employee.

CONVOLUTED APPROACH

Large companies, in an attempt to be progressive, reach out to well-established performance consultants who carry out in-depth analyses of the firm. The consultants’ complex methodologies for performance measurement, developed by respected performance gurus, often result in a mass of details that are difficult to relate to by the average worker. Huge amounts of information often leave both the manager and the employee confused.

“The data is there but I don’t know what to do with it,” says the manager. “This makes no sense to me or my job,” gripes the employee. Unfortunately, this top-down management approach has this sort of predictable outcome.

Every employee knows that - but ‘management’ remains in an ambivalent

fog: I’m unclear how to use it, but it must be good - I paid a lot for these experts. There is a maxim: A true expert can explain complex things in a very simple way.

THE SMARTER APPROACH

An enlightened approach to job measurement is based on the belief that employees within a company can be motivated to move into the excited-about-the-job category by applyingtherightmeasurementsforeachemployee.

By having each employee answer the following questions, a partnership can be developed between employee and manager:

• What they do• Why they do it• What are the priorities• Who they are trying to please• What, in their minds, constitutes

success or failure at that task

The employee sets the bar - and keeps raising the bar - because this newer form of working has them competing against the most formidable opponent possible - themselves. They then assume the role of owner of the job versus tenant in the job.

Often for the first time, the employee knows the results that they are supposed to get, and becomes liberated by it. And if their reward system ties directly into this, everyone wins. How?

For starters, employees become motivated, they want to do a good job, to exceed those

goals they set for themselves, and more importantly want to stick around.

Being able to retain your employees not only saves you the high cost of replacement testing and training, it also generates increased company performance results as these employees move into a higher productive bracket.

A second feature of this approach is that it makes it startlingly evident to people who cannot perform in the company, or a particular job or environment,that they should move on. They leave on their own - no awkwardness, no severances, no hard feeling, no prolonged re-approvals. Again money is saved.

Andeveryone’sawinner!


WE Caswell of Caswell Corporate Coaching Company (CCCC), Ottawa Canada


Which is why, if you haven’t had much luck on your own, partnering with a specialist recruitment agency within your chosen industry can be the best course of action.

Here are five top reasons why you should use a recruitment specialist to help you find a job instead of going it alone:

1. Specialist recruitment consultants know your industry like the back of their hand

It is a recruitment specialist’s role to understand your industry lingo; how your particular job works, and where your skills would be most suited in potential employment. Since recruitment specialists are so well versed in all of the technical and personal requirements for the roles you are applying for, they will be able to give an accurate evaluation of where your experience and skills would be best utilised, and also provide you with advice on how to remedy any gaps in your knowledge.

Why you need a recruitment specialist

2. Specialist recruitment agencies actively cultivate strong (and often exclusive) relationships with industry leading businesses

For you as a jobseeker, this means that your specialist recruitment consultant will know of jobs that are going in your industry that may not have been advertised, and will be able to float your resume to key organisations you want to work with - as a result you may be offered a role that actually didn’t exist.

3. Specialist recruitment agencies reduce the number of times your referees are contacted

Partnering with a recruitment specialist means that instead of the individual companies all contacting your referees (which can become time consuming), your specialist recruiter will simply call just once, and provide the same referral details to each of the prospective employers to whom you applied.

4. Recruitment specialists can offer you salary advice based on benchmarking within the industry

Since your specialist recruitment consultant works exclusively within your chosen industry, it stands to reason that they will have an in-depth knowledge on the type of salary you can expect from new roles. They can also provide advice on what you need to do in order to secure a higher wage, and in the majority of new work arrangements, your specialist recruitment consultant provides you with an edge, by handling the negotiation for you when it comes to your new contract.

5. Recruitment specialists are in constant contact with employers within your industry, which means they’ll be the first ones to know if your dream job has just opened up

A good specialist recruitment consultant is proactive and will regularly find out well in advance about available roles for you before they are advertised on traditional job boards - which means you will get in first above other candidates to interview and also be exposed to a larger number of available roles to pick and choose from.

Jo Jakobs, Operations Director Business Support, Contact & Assessment Centre, Randstad

Leading the Way

For the average person looking for jobs in Australia, it can take weeks, even months to find work, particularly due to the heightened competition there is in the market to secure an ideal job and the uncertainty around hiring for many organisations around the country. With businesses wanting to ensure they make the right hiring decision the first time, every time, now has never been a better time to ensure that you strengthen your chances of finding your dream role.


What is Organisational Innovation?DEFINING INNOVATION

Organisational innovation refers to new ways work can be organised, and accomplished within an organisation to encourage and promote competitive advantage. It encompasses how organisations, and individuals specifically, manage work processes in such areas as customer relationships, employee performance and retention, and knowledge management.

At the core of organisational innovation is the need to improve or change a product, process or service. All innovation revolves around change - but not all change is innovative. Organisational innovation encourages individuals to think independently and creatively in applying personal knowledge to organisational challenges. Therefore, organisational innovation requires a culture of innovation that supports new ideas, processes and generally new ways of doing business.

THE BENEFIT OF AN INNOVATIVE ORGANISATION

In promoting a culture of innovation organisations should foster:

• Cross functional team building while discouraging silo building

• Independent, creative thinking to see things from a new perspective and putting oneself outside of the parameters of a job function

• Risk taking by employees while lessening the status quo

The value and importance of knowledge and learning within organisational innovation is crucial. If innovation is about change, new ideas, and looking outside of oneself to understand ones environment, then continuous learning is a requirement of organisational innovation success.

The value of learning and knowledge can only be realised once put into practice. If new organisational knowledge doesn’t

result in change, either in processes, business outcomes, or increased customers or revenues, then its value hasn’t been translated into success.

The road to organisational innovation lies in the ability to impart new knowledge to company employees and in the application of that knowledge. Knowledge should be used for new ways of thinking, and as a stepping stone to creativity and toward change and innovation.

STEPS TO INNOVATION

To determine how supportive your current environment is in fostering innovation read the frequently asked questions and answers below, about how to build an organisational culture that encourages innovation.

1) Is a climate of innovation supported by senior management?

a. That means, that such activities as risk taking and small ad hoc work groups that brainstorm and talk through ideas need to be promoted, supported and encouraged in the organisation.

2) Do managers routinely identify and bring together those individuals more oriented toward innovation those willing to think new ideas and act on them?

a. Identifying new thinkers and individuals oriented toward change helps to ensure an outlet for innovation by supporting these individuals and giving them and like-minded colleagues the time and opportunity to think creatively. This is tantamount to becoming an innovative organisation.

3) Is there a process in place monitoring innovation teams and identifying what has and hasn’t worked as a result of them?

a. Maintaining and monitoring innovation is important. This requires checks and balances that identifies how innovation is developed and managed

and processes that capture what did or didn’t work. In order to be able to continue to innovate in a changing environment, continually monitoring the internal and external environment to determine what supports or hinders innovation is key.

4) How can an organisation be strategic and focused on it goals yet build and develop an innovative culture?

a. The value of a strategic focus remains important to a company’s success. In fact, clear direction and understanding of a company’s mission can help fuel innovation - by knowing where in the organisation innovation and creativity would provide the most value. An innovative organisational culture creates a balance between strategic focus, and the value of new ideas and processes in reaching them.

5) Is there a single most important variable or ingredient that fuels an organisation toward an innovative culture?

a. Similar to other successes of an organisation, what drives innovation are the people of the organisation. First, management must set the expectation of innovation and creativity and then doing business is about how to improve processes, products and customer relationships on a day-to-day basis. This mindset itself will create an ongoing culture of innovation.

With 20 years’ experience as a business and learning needs analyst, Ruth offers a strategic business approach to learning. Ruth’s knowledge of adult learning methodologies, and strong analytical skills, ensures she quickly understands the big picture of how business goals align to learning.

By Ruth KustoffEzineArticles.com

Leading the Way


Leading the Way

25 ways to keepideas flowing in your workplaces1. Ask for ideas. Make sure everyone

on your team knows that, yes, they ARE paid to think!

2. Ask the new employees immediately for their ideas. Don’t let them walk around thinking to themselves, ‘There must be a reason they do it this way’ and not telling anyone!

3. Create an idea or inspiration room specifically designed to encourage people to brainstorm and debate ideas in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

4. Put up a What If board in your workplace, where employees can pose outrageous what if kind of questions.

5. Have a What If section in every meeting.

6. Have an Idea Challenge of the Month that encourages employees and customers to generate ideas on a specific problem or in a specific area.

7. Design your workplace to encourage spontaneous, random encounters between employees.

8. Create job swap days where people experience each other’s jobs and become more aware of each other’s challenges and perspectives. Creativity thrives on connections, changed perspectives, and synchronicity.

9. Create contests around idea challenges and include not only all the employees, but the families of employees.

10. Create mentorship programs that encourage newer employees to develop their critical and creative thinking skills.

11. Create mastermind brainstorming teams that meet regularly to brainstorm key issues and opportunities.

12. As some organisations do, give employees 10 – 20 per cent of their work time to work on their own pet projects and initiatives.

13. Start a book club that meets once a month to discuss current, hot books.

14. Create sabbatical programs that allow employees to take an extended leave every five years.

15. Take your team on an inspiration hunt. Walk around your downtown; go to a museum or a zoo to look for ideas and inspiration related to a specific challenge.

16. Facilitate employees taking colleagues to lunch with whom they normally wouldn’t interact.

17. Create more space for thinking: a dedicated quiet, tech-free room or lounge area with relaxing chairs.

18. Create more time for thinking, incubating, and more face-to-face conversations by creating a technology-free day once a week or twice a month.

19. Meet in unusual places. Hold the occasional meeting off site: at a park, at the zoo, over breakfast, at a picnic site, on someone’s patio.

20. Reward smart failure. If you’re truly valuing creative ideas, then people need to be given room to make smart mistakes without fear. Creating a reward

program that actually recognises people’s blunders in the face of trying something new sends a powerful message.

21. Create a straightforward and transparent system for assessing ideas. Ensure that anyone can submit an idea and have it properly heard by whoever needs to hear it, and a system for acknowledging and getting back in a timely manner to the person who submitted the idea.

22. Listen to ideas and immediately, when possible, put them into practice. One of the most motivating things you can do at work is to show people that their ideas can actually shape their business or workplace.

23. Offer training on creative thinking, creative leadership, and brainstorming skills.

24. Create an idea repository on your internal website.

25. Inject more fun and humor into your meetings, hiring practices, and workplace culture. Humor is one of the biggest catalysts for creative thinking! (Ha + Ha = AHA!)

“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprang up.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.


Leading the Way

Working for a Company Secretary in one role and looking after 12 Committees in another means I have spent more time than I care to admit putting board papers together. They have been the absolute bane of my life and I must admit I hated that part of my role. Constantly chasing people for supporting papers, printing thousands and thousands of pieces of paper only to be told that the documents have been amended, stapling through massive reports – god I hated it.

That’s not even mentioning the unbelievable amount of paper cuts I got! Oh, and the idiots who would mess up the order of my printing if I dared step away from the printer for two minutes. Urgh! I often had quite heated conversations with one of my managers about taking the board papers online or if that was too much of a leap just emailing them to board members. Neither happened and I was stuck printing out board packs practically every week. But, dear readers, through my wonderful experiences I am able to offer some tips for those of you that do still have to print out board papers. Here are my Top Ten Tips on preparing board papers:

• Print off a few extra copies of the board papers; someone will always forget to bring their pack.

• Make sure you give strict deadlines to those who need to produce supporting papers. You can be pretty hardcore with anyone who is preparing a board paper who is not a board member – if they are late with the paper remind them it is going to the senior management team!

• As soon as you receive one of the board papers print it off straight away. It is worth getting the papers organised over a period of time rather than a day before the meeting.

• Insert a numbered divider in between each supporting document, this is particularly useful in a large pack. Then add the number of each board paper to the correlating agenda item.

• Although time consuming it is worth delivering a copy of the board papers (in a confidential envelope) to each board member. At least you know they have received it.

• Scan the final board papers into a PDF format for future reference. The document should be secured in a safe/password protected file.

• If you are missing one or two supporting papers do not wait for these before you send out the board pack. Although a little frustrating you can send the additional papers to board members at a later date. Ideally you want to give the Executives plenty of time to read all the board pack prior to the meeting.

• The agenda, action list, and previous minutes should be the first three papers in a board pack.

• Ideally the board pack should be bound but if this is not possible put all the board papers in a clear plastic wallet so that they are neat and in the correct order.

Make sure each supporting paper is nicely formatted and easy to read. All of the supporting documents will enable the Executives to make business decisions. The easier the document is to understand the easier the decision is to make.

Nicky Christmas

Nicky Christmas is the founder of Practically Perfect PA, a website dedicated to the support and development of assistants throughout the world. Nicky blogs about her experiences and knowledge which has grown over the last decade working her way up from a Junior Administrator through to an Executive Assistant and Marketing Manager at a global events company. Nicky has experience working in a variety of industries including accountancy, banking, insurance and in the public sector. She has worked for a number of high profile organisations and Executives in both London and Barcelona. Nicky plays an active part in the Assistant community and has written many articles for high level industry publications, presented at events, webinars and trade shows. She also launched her first event – The Assist Conference, in February 2015.

Ten tips on preparing board papers

WHAT BLOCKS CREATIVITY?

• Micromanaging projects and people • A lack of open and honest communication • A stuffy, stifling meeting room • Too much red tape • A risk-averse attitude and culture • Buzzword jargon • Inaccessible leaders • Teams working in isolation • Small, unexciting goals and targets • Idea-killing language (‘We tried it in ‘57’) • A lack of trust • Leaders who take credit for others’ ideas • Blame-storming • A conflict-adverse culture • A vague or confusing vision • Analysis paralysis and

waiting for perfection

• Hiring similar personalities and profiles • Big egos • Seriousness

WHAT HELPS CREATIVITY FLOW?

• Giving people more autonomy • Open and honest communication • A fun, inspiring meeting room • Simplified rules and processes • Recognising that NOT changing;

not trying anything new, is often the biggest risk

• Simple, plain, everyday language • Accessible and open leaders • Teams that interconnect with other teams • Bold, audacious goals and targets • Idea championing language • High levels of trust

• Leaders recognising innovators • Brainstorming on a regular basis • Embracing healthy conflict and debate

focused on ideas not personalities • A clear and bold vision of the future • Recognising that ninety per cent

is sometimes all you can ask for to move forward on an idea

• Hiring people with varying perspectives and backgrounds

• Confident egos • A healthy sense of humor

Michael Kerr

Hall of Fame International Business Speaker and author of The Humor Advantage. www.mikekerr.com


Book recommendation –The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook by Sue FranceSue France is the best-selling author of The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook, 2nd edition

A professional guide to leadership for all PAs, senior secretaries, office managers and executive assistants.

“SueFranceunderstandsthatina‘post-recession’corporateworld,anassistant’sleadershipskillshaveneverbeensoimportanttothesuccessofboththebusinessesthattheyserveandtheircareers.”LucyBrazier,Editor,ExecutiveSecretaryMagazine.

It is the ultimate guide for PA’s, Executive Assistants and Secretaries who want to take their career to the next level. Placing special emphasis on personal leadership development and the practical skills that go with it, it will teach you how to:

• Lead yourself, your boss and your colleagues

• Build and manage a productive team• Negotiate with style

• Manage projects confidently• Recruit and induct other

assistants into your team• Conduct a coaching session• Detect and resolve demotivation

within your team• Use NLP and emotional

intelligence every day• Successfully communicate with a

range of different personalities

Sue France has over 30 years’ experience in the professional administrative in the professional administrative industry and is the UK National Chairman for European Management Assistants (EUMA). Sue presents at PA conferences around the world and facilities workshops for all Professional Assistants and Office Manager. In 2006 Sue was awarded The UK Times Crème PA / DHL PA of the Year.

From the Bookshelf

leadingTHEWAYSUBSCRIBE TO AUSTRALIA’S MAGAZINE FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

You are invited to subscribe to the Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP) bi-annual magazine, Leading The Way – The Magazine for Office Professionals.

Members of AIOP receive a copy of this magazine as part of membership.

If you are a personal or executive assistant, secretary, office manager or business educator, Leading The Way – The Magazine for Office Professionals is essential reading.

Incorporated in Victoria ABN 68 004 992 527[formerly Institute of Professional Secretaries & Administrators (Australia)]

Privacy Act 1988 Collection NoticeThe Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected about you. The primary purpose of collecting the personal information you supply on this subscription form is to process your subscription.AIOP may disclose the personal information that you provide in this form to external service providers to whom AIOP has contracted out such as printers and mailing houses, but only for the purpose of providing you with a copy of the AIOP National Magazine: Leading The Way or the AIOP National Annual Report.

Subscription ratesAustralia: Two (2) issues $15.00 (including postage and GST)

Cheques should be in Australian dollars and made payable to the Australian Institute of Office Professionals.

The EditorAIOP National MagazinePO Box 548, South Perth, Western Australia 6951Payment: www.trybooking.com/EPCG

Please complete this section in order to process your subscription New Subscription Renewal 1 Year (2 issues) @ $15.00 (including postage and GST)

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P 2015


Leading the Way

The relationship between creativity and innovation - and why you need both

The relationship between creativity and innovation is often misunderstood. In fact, in business and the media, the two words are frequently used interchangeably. Many believe you have to be creative in order to produce innovative products or services. Others might say, without innovative thinking, creativity doesn’t stand a chance. Both viewpoints are understandable, but neither explains the crucial distinction, nor the importance of the relationship between creativity and innovation.

First, it is important to understand that innovation and creativity are not synonymous. It is especially critical for business leaders, competing in today’s innovation-driven marketplace, to understand the distinction before attempting to launch an innovation imitative.

But even before considering the distinction, it is worth noting that creativity is an ability everyone is capable of, not only the artistic souls of the world. Most of us, when we think of creative people, often focus on a special artistic talent such as the ability to paint or

sculpt, compose music, write bestselling novels, sing, dance, and so on. But creativity encompasses much more than artistic expression. Creative thinking potential exists in all of us.

Creativity is more broadly defined as the mental ability to conceptualise (imagine) new, unusual or unique ideas, or to recognise new connections between seemingly random or unrelated things.

So what is innovation? Innovation is a process that transforms unique, creative ideas into new realities: products, services, or processes that deliver greater value or benefits. Such transformations can be incremental, evolutionary or radical in their impact on the status quo. They can represent a natural step forward in a concept’s development, a leap to the next generation, or a totally new and different way of doing something altogether.

Consider Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple and his company. We think of Steve Jobs as creative because he had the rare ability to conceive new ideas for products, and to recognise new connections between unrelated things (such as combining an mp3 player, an online store, an Internet browser, a video camera, a GPS, and a cell phone, to create the iPhone).

As an organisation, Apple is innovative because of the way in which they embrace and develop those forward-thinking ideas to produce desirable products that deliver value to its customers. Apple’s innovation-driven culture continuously strives to improve its products’ functionality, design, and ease-of use to best-in-class levels.

So with this clarification of the two concepts, why is this distinction between creativity and innovation important?

Simply because it is impossible to develop a truly innovative organisation if creativity isn’t recognised and nurtured. And likewise, failure to put effective processes in place that can transform creative thinking into practical, high value application, creativity is of virtually no use in business.

When you understand the relationship between creativity and innovation, and begin unleashing all the creative capital in your organisation, the road to success opens up.

Liberate creativity, and watch innovation flow.

SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer are leading experts in the fields of creative problem solving, innovative thinking and persuasive communication. Through their powerful training programs, keynote presentations, consulting and coaching, they help organizations and individuals solve tough business challenges in new, more innovative ways. Rigie and Harmeyer are co-authors of the groundbreaking book, SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas.

http://www.SmartStorming.com

EzineArticles.com

Are you creative? Does your organisation foster a culture of innovation? Do you really understand what either of those two things even mean?

By Keith HarmeyerCo-Author: Mitchell Rigie


Seven habits of creative people, and how they change the world

Marcel doesn’t need money to change his world. What Marcel really needs is a bit of creativity. One of the joys of adulthood is that as time passes we gain more and more experience from which we can draw upon to solve our problems. We learn through our experience for example, what is the best strategy for getting the kids to school on time (most days!), what is the best way to approach our partner on a sensitive issue, what is the best day of the week to fill up the car, and what is the best time of year to plant the petunias.

By contrast, in childhood we have relatively few experiences on which we can draw from. Creativity is the force that enables children to solve problems for which they have no experience. Children practice creativity daily because they depend on it to navigate through the multitude of novel situations that they experience in the world. However, as we grow older, we have less need to rely on our creativity as our primary problem solving method. Despite the popular notion that everyone is creative, unless it is practiced, developed, nurtured and cultivated, our creativity becomes latent.

The shift from creativity to experience is not a bad thing. It is arguably far more economical for us to be able to draw from our experience and get it right the first time by predicting the consequences of our actions, rather than relying on the trial and error approach required to turn a creative vision into reality. We learn that there are certain rules and laws, norms and expectations that will help us solve the given problem much more efficiently. Much of our problem-solving becomes automatic, highly efficient and relatively painless as a result.

Invariably however, we come across a problem-solving challenge that our experience has not prepared us for. When the answer cannot be found by searching back through the experiences we have had, or the lessons we have learned, there is a tendency to define the problem as unsolvable. War, global warming, increasing interest rates, price of fuel or changing market economies are all examples of problems that are too hard and have become unsolvable. For others the unsolvable problem is how to simply get through the day against the backdrop of internal turmoil, depression and sadness. For others, it is not single problem but the sheer number of them, and the seeming futility of one person’s action, that overwhelms us. It may not even be a negative problem, but a vision for which we simply have no familiarity with the ways that it might be translated into reality.

Interestingly, it is in the face of these types of challenges and problems that children - whose creativity has not yet been squandered or squashed - offer us the most promising solutions. By calling on children we can discover the possibilities for our so-called unsolvable problems:

“Wedon’tlikeitthatourfathersmustbesoldiersandshoototherchildren’sfathers.” (Engbrottsskolan, Ctvidaberg, Sweden).

“Therecomesanarmy;herecomesanother.TheymeetinthemiddleanddeclarePEACE.” (Holy Cross Primary School, Western Cape, South Africa)

“Thewarisnotaroundhimbuttrappedinsidehishead.Warisnotbattles;itisstruggleswithoutend.” (Friends School of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, US).

“Theconditionoftheheartcanaltertheperspectiveofaperson.Theconditionoftheheartsofanationcanalterthestateofmankind-PEACE.” (Walnut Ridge Middle School Library, Walnut Ridge, AR, US).

Creativity is therefore essential to all people. More than merely a good artistic ability or an active imagination, it is a combination of process, product, thought and action. It combines trial and error, imagination, and freedom that ultimately reconfigures what used to be, into something new. Creativity therefore matters not only to dancers and painters, but to any person who - like Marcel - longs to see something change, to experience the hope of new possibilities. Whether we want to make a difference in our world, in business or simply in our own lives, creativity is deeply needed in many homes, communities, hallways and offices today. To be asked to change the world and to confront the unsolvable problems is to be asked to cultivate the habits of creativity and foster them in ourselves and our children.

The good news is that even the most latent creativity can be reawakened. One of the pioneer researchers in creativity - E. P. Torrance - extensively studied creativity in both children and adults. He found that people with a highly creative approach tended to have particular styles in their approach to problems, situations and relationships - such as a certain type of flexibility and fluency. Many other researchers (particularly in early childhood education and in business) have also studied what it means to be creative, and there are some remarkably consistent themes. Here’s what the research says about habits that build creativity:

Marcel sits alone, at his workstation with his head in his hands. It is Monday morning and he cannot believe he is here, in this same situation yet another day, another month, another year. He had sworn to himself that this year would be different. But it wasn’t. It was the same. He is not sure which is more soul-destroying: the problem that causes his unhappiness, or his sense of powerlessness to change it. He knows that if he could just solve this one problem, everything else would fall into place. The trouble is, no matter what he tries nothing seems to work.

Leading the Way


HABIT #1:TAKE DELIGHT IN DEEP THINKING

Creativity requires us to not accept things at face value. Like the child who becomes engrossed in watching an ant struggle against a bread-crumb five times its size, deep thinking allows us to ponder and observe rather than judge. By suspending judgment and allowing ourselves to become completely absorbed in our curious, to contemplate what is?, what else?, what if?, what about?, and why not?, we begin to see beyond the standard answer and open ourselves up to new possibilities.

HABIT #2:DEMAND IMPERFECTION

Creativity is not simply a thought, but requires an action. The most imaginative visions are not creative until they are translated into being. However, particularly in Western cultures, there is an increasing emphasis on achieving individual perfection

with little tolerance for getting it wrong. To foster creativity, we have to be willing to place a higher importance on immersing ourselves in the world, than we do on being perfect. Whatever we define as perfect is highly specific to cultural and historical contexts. Because perfection depends on the achievement of these arbitrarily constructed rules, and creativity depends on something beyond the rules, we can never be truly creative whilst in pursuit of the perfect. We tend to tolerate imperfection in others more readily than in ourselves and our children. Therefore, freeing ourselves from the chains of perfectionism requires, above all else, the cultivation of self-compassion, laughter, and a bit of perspective.

HABIT #3:GET TO KNOW YOURSELF

Our world is filled with barriers that limit our opportunity to cultivate our creativity. Social judgments and expectations, dogmatic rules and bureaucracies, and simply the need to curb our passion so that we can

earn a dollar and put food on the table are all common creativity inhibitors. By far the most significant personal cost of being creative is the risk of become alienated from the community to which you belong. History is filled with creative geniuses who are pathologised as eccentric, mad or - as increasingly the case of highly creative children in schools today - a nuisance, a problem, oppositionally defiant, or learning disabled.

Practicing creativity therefore requires that we also cultivate our acceptance that - in working toward something new - we are likely to challenge the comfort zones and expectations of those around us. For most people, the practice of creativity as an all-or-nothing endeavor is profoundly costly in personal terms. To practice every-day creativity requires that we learn to discern when to push and when to pull back. Every person has different thresholds for alienation, isolation and criticism. Knowing ourselves and our limits allows us to take risks, but always ones that we can live with. Make your creativity energising, sustainable and for the long-haul” rather than isolating yourself and making your creativity a source of misery.

HABIT #4:USE YOUR STRENGTHS

Creative people are usually interested in everything with a particular focus in one area. Discover a strength you have and immerse yourself in it. Explore it from every angle. Pull it apart. Put it back together. Contemplate, play and challenge everything you can about it. Be curious about everything, and consider in what ways and

Leading the Way

Continued over page >


Leading the Way

contexts your strengths could be applied and connected to other areas. Give yourself permission to change your mind. Discover every possible use for what you’ve got. Use it. Reflect on it. Use it some more.

HABIT #5:FIND A CREATIVE ROLE MODEL

Creativity is one of the key learning strategies we have to survive our early childhood. The difference between someone who is creative, and someone who is not, is simply whether creativity has been allowed to flourish or wither beyond the early years. Instead of sitting back in the hope that creativity will discover us, we need to actively seek out sources of inspiration for creativity. Surrounding ourselves with people who navigate through their own lives with creativity provides valuable insight into the genuine nature and nuance of creativity (rather than the sanitised and contrived Hollywood version). Observing, discussing, and sharing stories with (or about) the people who inspire our passions can help to identify the core values and strategies that might be useful in our own creative development. It also helps to strengthen and buffer us against the criticism that can sometimes be directed toward creative action.

HABIT #6:CHALLENGE THE MYTH OF INDEPENDENCE

In a culture obsessed with making children independent from birth we do great damage to our creativity. Creativity is a collaborative process and everything that is created is simply a new version of what was before. The creation of a new person, for example,

comes from the splicing and reconfiguration of its parents’ DNA. Likewise, to approach any problem creatively, we have to be able to connect all parts, to be able to discover unexpected interactions and inter-relationships that we might not otherwise have seen. People who are creative tend to have a tendency to see most things (including themselves) as one part of a bigger whole, where they can actively influence and shape the world they live in. In order to be creative we need to challenge ourselves to see interdependcies, rather than seeking to be alone and isolated in the world.

HABIT #7:MAINTAIN A STRONG PLAY-ETHIC

A strong work-ethic is a highly valued quality by many. However, it is in play that all the parts and pieces flow into the totality of creativity. Businesses whose bottom-line depends on high levels of creativity - such as software developers and advertising agencies - understand this principle extremely well. These workplaces more closely resemble a child’s playground of color and freedom - rather than an office - where a genuine Play-Ethic and culture is actively fostered and encouraged.

Play (which is distinct from competition and sports) enables us to let go of pre-imposed dogma. In play we are free to move in multidimensional and illogical ways (mentally and physically), to try out different combinations and roles, to laugh at ourselves, to act without fear of failure, shame or measurement, and to be wholly led by our curiosity and our sense of discovery. In play, we can truly connect to each other, to the problem at hand, and to our hearts. Far from being limited to games and children, introducing a

sense of play into any context that we want to change is the most direct way to be creative.

With the possibility that as adults we may re-learn to play creatively we have the greatest hope of solving the unsolvable and changing the world in the process.

Mary Campbell

About Mary: Here’s Something About Mary [http://www.creativelife.citymax.com/author.html]

For 18 years, Mary has worked with communities, families, schools and organisations affected by poverty, war, child abuse, torture, geographic isolation, natural disaster and displacement to transform their futures. Her first hand experiences have repeatedly shown her that any type of change we dream of is possible - even in impossible circumstances - when we draw from our creative power.

She established the Creative Life website, dedicated to all people working towards a more hopeful, compassionate and authentic world based on the principles of creativity.

Mary now works as an organisational leader & consultant to major corporations, non-profit organisations and schools seeking to make a difference. She has received numerous government and industry awards for her highly creative and innovative approach. She is a Registered Nurse, has postgraduate qualifications in Disaster Management, Health Education, and is a fully qualified Project Manager and Director.

EzineArticles.com

< Continued from previous page

Seven habits of creative people, and how they change the world


Leading the Way

ADELAIDE CHAPTER

DATE NAME OF EVENT VENUE COST REGISTRATION DETAILS

5 May Office Professionals Celebration Cocktail Evening

Aurora Skydeck Function Room

[email protected]

29 June Toastmasters: Tips for Public Speaking

To be advised [email protected]

15 September AIOP SA Chapter, Annual General Meeting and Dinner

Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hindley Street, Adelaide

[email protected]

27 October Dressing for Success Workshop Venue TBA [email protected]

12 November City networking lunch Venue TBA [email protected]

1 December AIOP SA Chapter, Christmas networking event

Venue TBA [email protected]

CANBERRA CHAPTER


1 May Office Professionals’ Day Breakfast 2015

Kamberra Winery $35 members$40 non members

www.aiop-act.eventbrite.com.au

24 June AIOP@Lunch Belconnen TBA Own lunch [email protected]

28 July Professional Development Event - Visions Can Change – and That’s OkaySpeaker: Kate Sykes, Career Mums

Venue TBA $10 members$20 non members$15 non member multiple purchase. New member first event free.

www.aiop-act.eventbrite.com.au

17 August AIOP@Lunch Tuggeranong TBA Own lunch [email protected]

9 September Professional Development Event – My 15 Minutes Program– Emma Grey, WorkLifeBliss

Venue TBA TBA www.aiop-act.eventbrite.com.au

24 September Canberra Chapter AGM and Dinner

Venue TBA TBA [email protected]

20 October AIOP@Lunch Woden TBA Own lunch www.aiop-act.eventbrite.com.au

DARWIN CHAPTER


22 May AIOP NT - Office Professionals Day Breakfast

Darwin Convention Centre

$69 members$89 non members

[email protected]

Continued over page >

Chapters diary of special events


Leading the Way

PERTH CHAPTER


8 May 2015 Office Professional of the Year Awards – Black Tie Dinner

Hyatt Regency Perth $100members$125 non- members

[email protected]

May –December

‘Lunch and Learn’ one-hour sessions – BYO lunch with 30 minutes of hints and tips from business speakers and 30 minutes of social networking

Various TBA [email protected]

23 June Business Breakfast TBA TBA [email protected]

8 August Professional Development Half Day Workshop with High Tea

TBA TBA [email protected]

8 September Swan Valley Corporate Open Day

Swan Valley with Networking event at Sandalford Winery

FOC [email protected]

23 September Perth Chapter AGM and Dinner

TBA TBA [email protected]

27 October Business Breakfast TBA TBA [email protected]

SYDNEY CHAPTER


8 May Office Professionals Day Cocktail Event – Celebration of the JourneyGuest Presenter:Lara Kamenos from Boxes of Babylon

Courtyard by Marriot North Ryde7-11 Talavera Road North Ryde

$45.00 per ticket or two for $80.00 when purchased together

RSVP through Sticky Tickets

18 June Chapter Café Chats Coffee Club ChatswoodLevel 3 Westfield Chatswood28 Anderson Street, Chatswood


23 July Professional Development Evening – Interview Skills – Putting your best foot forward Speaker: Adrienne McLean from The Speakers Practice

Venue TBC $25.00 members$35.00 non-members


20 August Chapter Café Chats Coffee Club Macquarie Park, Macquarie CentreCnr Herring & Waterloo Roads, Macquarie Park

NIL RSVP through Sticky Tickets

17 September Annual General Meeting/Professional Development EveningGuest presenter TBC

Courtyard byMarriott North Ryde 7-11 Talavera Road, North Ryde

$25.00 members$35.00 non-members


15 October Chapter Café Chats Coffee Club Norwest Business Park 2-8 Brookhollow Avenue Baulkham Hills

NIL RSVP through Sticky Tickets

< Continued from previous page


Boost your career development prospects by

joining a Chapter Committee of Management team orby contributing articles to AIOP’s National Magazine.

Membership offers trainingand development, networking events, informative seminars:

upskill in a fully supportive environment.

The ability to utilisethe expertise, support,

and networks, of membersAustralia-wide andin New Zealand.

Regular networking and self-developmentevents to meet peers,

share knowledgeand learn.

If you are reading this advertisement you are likely to be a member of this professional association. With the above five reasons, encourage your colleagues to join AIOP.

• Education• Accreditation• Professional Development

• Self Development• Mentoring• Networking

Supporting Office Professionals www.aiop.com.au

Five reasons to join your professional association

A professional membershipis a valuable addition to your

resume, promotionalopportunities and/or next

career move.

ProfessionalAssociation-FPAdvert.indd 1 25/04/2015 5:40 pm

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Leading The Way - May 2015