Virtual Assistant Blog

Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone: How to Make Inclusion Mean More than Just Checking a Box

12/9/2019

By Laura Renner

Diversity and inclusion are hot trends these days and they are certainly important. At the same time, when we hear diversity and inclusion, it is usually race or gender that comes to mind. Having a diverse--defined in numerous ways--team improves performance. While focusing on gender and race is important, there are more ways to be inclusive in your business. Preparing yourself to be open to anyone can really open up your hiring opportunities.

Negotiating Super Powers: How Women Can Support Each Other Further

12/2/2019

By Laura Renner

NPR’s TED Radio Hour is a show that shares highlights from different TED talks around a specific theme and then interviews the speakers.

About a year ago, I listened to an episode about Speaking Up and even now, I remember one speaker talking about how women can negotiate more effectively. It was not the whole theme of his speech, but rather one example of how and when to successfully speak up.

Essentially, Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, states that having psychological distance is key for women to succeed in negotiations for two reasons. One, people are more accepting of a woman speaking up on behalf of someone else (the mama bear effect) as opposed to herself. Two, it is easier to have the confidence to speak for someone else than for yourself.

Support & Shop Small

11/25/2019

By Jenny Boyles

As a small business owner, you know first hand the struggles every small business owner faces. Because of that it’s very important to support each other. Doing so not only promotes small business, but it also fosters community.

My Experience with the Global Good Fund Veteran Program

11/18/2019

By Laura Renner

Throughout 2019, I have been going through a leadership development program for veteran entrepreneurs. The program is offered by The Global Good Fund and the Veteran Program is sponsored by the Smithfield Foundation.

Smithfield hosted us for a retreat at their corporate headquarters. They were extremely generous with their time and access to senior leadership. I was blown away by how much time they spent with us and how open they were about their approaches to business.

To be safe, I will not share intimate details of the meetings here for confidentiality purposes. But I will share some lessons I took away.

A Veteran's Takeaway on Leadership

11/12/2019

By Laura Renner

Articles about leadership lessons from the military are limitless. As you might know, I an Air Force veteran. These are three of the lessons I learned.

Take care of your people, truly.

People will follow people who are real. They know if their leader is a leader or is simply good at managing up. A leader listens and does what is needed so that their people can do their jobs.

I am the daughter of an enlisted man. When I received my commission, he was the first to salute me and I could feel the pride oozing out of him. But he also advised me, “the enlisted will always know more than you, make sure you listen to them.”

Testing the Waters: Dealing with Differences in the Workplace

11/4/2019

By Laura Renner

I have never bought into personality or behavior testing for recruiting. Those tests, to me, are not predictors and thus should not be included in hiring decisions.

HOWEVER, having taken a few of them, I do like them for figuring out how to manage workplace differences. Even if they are not entirely accurate, they provide a common language and foundation for working together.

Lead From Wherever You Sit & No Matter Your Title

10/28/2019

By Laura Renner

People often think that to be a leader, you need to have the title. But leadership has nothing to do with a title.

When you are a problem solver, people will turn to you.
When you get things done, people will rely on you.
When people trust you, they will let you take the lead.

Avoiding Conflict in Your Business: Define Roles & Responsibilities

10/21/2019

By Laura Renner

In general, the best way to handle conflict is to share your expectations about how people should be working together. Then as roles reach gray areas, there is at least an understanding of how people should treat each other.

Who's the Boss: 5 Tips for Becoming the Boss Your Business Needs

10/14/2019

By Laura Renner & Jenny Boyles

Being a good boss is about combining leadership and management. Are you guiding your team toward your vision (leadership)? Are you giving them the tools to reach that vision (management)?

If not, what are you doing to fill the gaps?

Closing the Loop

10/7/2019

By Jenny Boyles

One of my favorite lines for my 16 year old son in life is “close the loop.” In his lawn mowing business, he likes to assume a lot. He assumes that his clients know when he will be coming to mow their yard and when he will not. He assumes they see the same weather forecast that he does. I encourage him to text them to let them know he will or will not be coming today. That way, they will know he has not forgotten about them. Essentially, he needs to COMMUNICATE with them, so everyone is on the same page. Like any teen, I have a ways to go before he will consistently “close the loop.” I do hope though that someday he will look back and this advice will surface to make sense when he enters the working world.

Throughout my years of working, volunteering and coordinating, I have learned how important is to bring a conversation full circle. By this I mean, the person you are communicating with is not left waiting and wondering. You confirm with them that yes the requested task will be accomplished or yes you did receive their email. It is simple, yet for many it is a foreign concept. As a virtual assistant, I look at this as part of my responsibility and I would not be fulfilling my job if I left people hanging all of the time. But “closing the loop” is also important for supervisors. It is important for everyone. If no one is communicating, you can bet that it will affect the business one way or another eventually.

<<Previous

Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone: How to Make Inclusion Mean More than Just Checking a Box

Negotiating Super Powers: How Women Can Support Each Other Further

Support & Shop Small

My Experience with the Global Good Fund Veteran Program

A Veteran's Takeaway on Leadership

Testing the Waters: Dealing with Differences in the Workplace

Lead From Wherever You Sit & No Matter Your Title

Avoiding Conflict in Your Business: Define Roles & Responsibilities

Who's the Boss: 5 Tips for Becoming the Boss Your Business Needs

Closing the Loop

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