We have a saying at our house. It goes like this: Do you know who an I.T. genius is?
Answer: Someone who knows one more thing about I.T. than you do – especially when you’re in a pinch or need help.
The same concept applies in the admin world. Some days it doesn’t take much to look like or be an admin genius. But to those we support, our one little bit of admin knowledge or expertise can make all the difference in their day…or life!
I was working with a long time client, friend, and avid binder user this week at her office when she burst out with, “That alone was worth your entire trip today!” What earth-shaking, innovative, mind-boggling strategy had I just shown her you ask? How to stuff a spine into a view binder. That may not sound that impressive to you…if you know how to do it with ease. But to my client – and probably to a few of my readers, too – I had just shared a seemingly simple tip that will save her A LOT of frustration, time, and waste the next time she creates a new binder cover for her office – and she has A LOT of them.
In the business world, this is referred to as the “expertise gap.” I was first introduced to this concept by Nancy Marmolejo of VivaVisibility.com. It’s the gap between someone else’s knowledge and experience and your knowledge and experience in a given area. We often assume everyone knows what we know, but they don’t. And while our executives and clients may know more about some topics than we do, they aren’t experts in the best practices and finer details of administrative support like we are. That’s why they’ve hired us to support them administratively. That expertise gap is where we create significant VALUE to the executives and teams we support.
So what do you DO with this “expertise gap”?
My goal as an administrative professional is two-fold: to shrink and to expand my expertise gap EVERY day. I think of it like breathing. I take a breath in, and I exhale a breath out. I repeat this non-stop. This is what keeps me alive each and every day. I view my expertise gap the same way. I shrink my expertise gap daily by sharing the knowledge and experience I have with others – generously. I expand my expertise gap daily by doing a few key things so I’m continually adding value to the executives and teams I support. Here’s my list of expertise expanding activities:
- I regularly interact with other smart, experienced professionals in as many varied professions as possible. I do this through professional association membership, face-to-face networking events, and social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out this cool new online newspaper with some of my best social media admin resources featured each day at: http://paper.li/JuliePerrine/AdminResources
- I take advantage of every free and low fee training opportunity I can find. Social media is another great resource for finding these options. It’s part of the reason why I also share as many of these same opportunities with you in my weekly newsletter.
- I work side by side with other admins every chance I get so I can learn their tips, strategies, best practices, and shortcuts to standing out in this profession. I’m constantly snagging new shortcuts or website resources from the members of my own team when we’re working together. They’re doing the same with me. It’s funny how we often look at each other and say in amazement, “You didn’t know that?”
- I do everything I can to make sure someone never asks me the same question twice without me having an answer for it. I may not know the answer the first time, but I research it and learn what I need to know so I have the knowledge the next time someone asks.
- I plan and budget annually for my own professional development. Whether you work for a company that budgets for or reimburses you for your professional development or not, it’s ultimately your responsibility. We are living in a knowledge-based economy. If you aren’t continually learning and educating yourself – no matter what your age – you will not be able to remain competitive or relevant in this profession. End of story.
If the little things we know can make such a big difference to those we support, imagine what an impressive impact our full administrative expertise can have when we regularly share it with others. The more you share your expertise, the more you become recognized as an expert in your profession.
And since I’m sure the suspense is killing you… I’ll share my secret for successfully stuffing view binder spines smoothly and wrinkle free EVERY time. I have three basic tips.
Tip #1: Always turn the binder inside out before you begin stuffing the spine label (see photo at right).
Tip #2: Make sure your spine label is trimmed narrowly enough to fit inside the spine size you’re working with.
Tip #3: If the paper is flimsy or even standard 20 lb. paper, trim a piece of cardstock to use as additional support to push into the spine with the paper but behind it until you get it pushed almost in. Then gently pull the cardstock out using your finger nail to hold the paper spine label in place. Then ease the last remaining portion of the paper spine in the rest of the way.
BONUS TIP: To get a spine label out of a binder, use a small post-it note and slide it down behind the spine label so the sticky side is against the spine label. Press it firmly so the two sheets stick together. Pull the spine label out using the post-it as a pull tab.
So what are you doing to shrink and expand your expertise gap? Share your thoughts with us by commenting on this article or send me an e-mail through our contact us page.
While you’re at it, share a tip or resource with us that has made someone declare, “You’re a genius!” We’ll share some of the responses we receive in upcoming issues so we can all expand our expertise gap together!
© 2011 Julie Perrine International, LLC
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Julie Perrine, CPS/CAP, is a personality strategist, personal brand analyst, and administrative mentor who teaches administrative professionals and entrepreneurs how to increase their professional opportunities and achieve more productive and meaningful relationships by utilizing innovative technology, ideas, and people. Learn more and request your FREE copy of our special report “Creating Your Strategic Administrative Career Plan” at www.AllThingsAdmin.com
