Secrets of Successful Office Managers

SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL OFFICE MANAGERS

Office managers are a special breed. They possess a job title that's difficult to define, with a myriad of responsibilities that vary from office manager to office manager. If there's any consistency in the position, it's that they're typically multitaskers and the "go to" people in the office. They're the people that know where the bodies are buried. They know what to do when incoming phone lines are ringing like crazy or whom to call when the copier is out of toner or when the cleaning service didn't show up the night before.

Indeed, a job description for the average office manager might state that he or she does just about everything and with enthusiasm. That pretty much describes office manager Lynn Greenwade's role at Aguirre Corp. in Dallas, Texas. "I would even clean the toilets if that's what was needed," says Greenwade. "I don't feel that anything is beneath me." And because of that attitude, she's given many more important responsibilities as well. "My job description is 'Lynn will do it,'" laughs Greenwade.

Greenwade also recognizes that she's part of a team. "I do everything that it takes for people to do their jobs seamlessly," says Greenwade. "They should never notice, as far as I'm concerned, what I do, unless they have a problem."

The business of communicating

Office managers require superior communication skills. "Communication is paramount over anything," opines April Tryck, office manager for Personal Growth Systems in Anchorage, Alaska. But, Tryck maintains, communication works both ways. "If you don't quite understand the entire assignment-and don't want to admit that you don't know-don't keep doing it," advises Tryck. "It's much better to go back and ask, 'Could you please clarify this?'"

Greenwade adds that explaining to your team why you're doing things a certain way helps you get buy-in from the team. "If you're working on a project, it certainly helps to get their buy-in and input on it," adds office manager Sherry Dalton with Johnson Controls in Milwaukee, Wis., "because, they'll support it when it's time to implement it and measure the results." Plus, getting input from other team members will allow others to see particular dilemmas you're experiencing in a new light and could introduce new and more efficient solutions.

An office manager must also have excellent written communication skills. When you send memos and e-mails, there are clearly two types of people who will receive them: those who will read them and those who won't, says Lizi Hagan, an office manager with Spotlight Productions in Louisville, Ky. She uses the "short message and long reason" approach to get her point across. "There are people who care about the reasons why you are sending a memo and those who won't get past the first two lines," explains Hagan. "I divide my e-mails into the short message, 'Please turn out the lights when you go home,' and the long reason, explaining why, how much we pay and how [keeping the lights off] helps us. So, the people who will only read the first sentence get what they need, and the people that care can read the rest."

The ability to communicate information about a new policy, report, or office equipment simply, succinctly, and tactfully so as not to demean anyone is also a necessary skill. "Giving them information-the big picture-in terms they can understand is important," says Dalton. When team members didn't understand some of the financial terms discussed in a meeting about financial statements, Dalton tried a different approach. "I borrowed a presentation that substituted elements of their home checkbooks in place of business terms," explains Dalton. "That helped them understand the financial statements so that when they heard the different terms come up around the office, they knew what they meant."

Visual aids are helpful for communicating specifics in numbers, costs, and directions on how to do something. "We have these all-in-one machines, and it is intimidating to walk up to this big copier and make it fax," explains Hagan. "So, I wrote short, specific, step-by-step directions on how to do it. I even illustrated which button to push and posted [the directions] above the machine. But still people were intimidated." Hagan finally got her co-workers to use the directions by saying, "You know, I've written these directions, and I wish you would help me see if they're any good. Walk through them step by step, and if there's some place that doesn't make sense, tell me, and then I'll change the directions."

It's one thing to know what needs to be done, by when, and by whom. It's completely another feat to actually make it happen. To get their teams to respond, successful office managers must do more than just communicate a point. They must show team members the value of participating. Showing co-workers and team members their role on a project encourages creativity and productivity. "Show them their value in that strategic action item," notes Dalton. "Once they can see their value in the organization, then I've got lights going on in people's heads. They are excited and motivated about what they will do and about the results that I will share with them."

Dalton says that this can be done first and foremost in group meetings or in private meetings with individuals using reports and progress graphs to chart the project's advancement. Also, for high-priority projects, a note dead center on a keyboard is a perfect way to catch a team member's attention.

"When things get busy, keep everybody on one specified task," observes Hagan. "This will keep your team focused on working and not discussing the amount of work."

Attitude goes a long way toward this goal: If you put out a helpful, positive attitude, this is what your team will give you back.

Buying time

Buying supplies can also be a tricky business. Although some office managers are influenced by brand, others tend to buy on price. The best option might be somewhere in between.

Tryck sticks with quality, "If something is top-of-the-line, I know it will last a long time."

Raising children and buying supplies for her home has helped Greenwade bargain shop. "You learn to be firm on price," she says. "Always ask for what you want on service, negotiate and be specific. Take lots of notes when you are talking with new (or old) suppliers. And, make spreadsheets to compare their prices-or ask them to do it."

She also recommends being loyal to good suppliers because they just might return the favor. "Everyone loves to be praised, and asking to be a reference for a company could keep you in their good pricing graces," maintains Greenwade. But often suppliers have to earn Greenwade's business. And sometimes it's the little things that make the difference. "One courier service wanted our business so badly that the rep sat down with my 'Paid' folder and went through six months of records, comparing delivery-by-delivery what [his company] would have charged with what we actually paid," explains Greenwade. "He got my business too."

Greenwade suggests that you compare your suppliers' prices every year or two to keep them on their toes. "If you show them you can get a better deal someplace else, they will do what they can to keep you."

Also, consolidate where you can. "We lease copiers and fax machines, and when I took over, we had four different brands. Now, they are all from one company and much more manageable," Greenwade notes.

Easing the tension through laughter

Offices are like families. They get cranky. Successful office managers who stay positive and genuine in these situations can help matters tremendously. Dealing with a heated situation with a smile can translate the bad energy into something positive and give a manager an edge as a mediator.

"Some years ago, I worked in an office with engineers who all knew I had a teaching background," recalls Hagan. "One day, two engineers were screaming at each other in the middle of the office, and nobody seemed to be doing anything about it. They were just sitting there with their mouths open, watching. So, I walked right up between them, and I looked at them with my best teacher look, and I said, 'If you don't stop this, you're not going out to recess!' It broke the tension, and they realized, yes, they were acting like children."

Power of positive thinking

Successful office managers also have a positive attitude. "You have to dress for success, which also includes dressing your attitude for the day," says Dalton. "You must be positive almost 100 percent of the time."

"If you want to be a good office manager, you must be flexible, roll with the punches, and do almost anything," says Greenwade. "When I interviewed candidates for an administrative assistant position last year, I told every candidate, 'You may be asked to take coffee into a meeting. But that doesn't mean that we think of you as the coffee [gofer].'"

Adds Greenwade, "Whomever I hire here, I am hiring for [his] brain. [That person] might be asked to review a proposal before it goes out to a client. So, [he's] an important part of this group."

Dealing with stress

It takes a special person to multitask at the speed of sound, and taking time to catch your breath at work and outside of work is essential. "Chances are I'll get a five-second break if I give myself that," says Tryck. "When I'm stressed, I take a walk to cool down or do some neck stretches, but I don't ignore my stress."

She maintains that scented candles or an occasional piece of chocolate might give her the break she needs. Most of all, she tries to leave her work at work when she goes home at the end of the day. "That's easy to say, but if I want an ounce of lucidness left for Friday, it's therapeutic," says Tryck, who concedes it's not always easy to forget about work. "When I go home and I'm still thinking about work, I have to remind myself that I'm not at work anymore and I'm not getting paid right now. That usually works for me."