5 Tips For Success!

5 Tips to Help Admin Professionals Focus and Become More Productive

In honor of Administrative Professionals Week, Sharron Richardson, Manager of Franchise Support at EXIT Realty Corp. International reminds real estate admin pros that 5 little W's can make a big difference.

In a recent article written by the International Association of Administrative Professionals it was noted that even during the current recession, becoming an administrative professional is a solid choice for the future, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Dept. of Labor. More than 4.2 million people were employed as administrative assistants and secretaries in 2006, with another 362,000 jobs expected to be added by 2016, an 8.5 percent increase over the 10-year period.

Each component of a system has the ability to stall or accelerate that system. That statement can be applied to us as individuals, to our work, and to a real estate brokerage. The administrator is a key component to the success or failure of a real estate brokerage. From time to time, ask yourself the 5 W's with respect to your work, and help ensure your brokerage's forward momentum towards success.

What?

What do you do all day? Busy work? Crisis management? A productive work day should consist of important but not urgent work. Spending most of the day in crisis management means that key "building block" efforts are being ignored. For an administrator, these building blocks could include things like training, staying current with industry programs, tools, information and resources, and staff management.

Tip: Leave 20% of your day unscheduled for the inevitable crises that will arise.

Why?

Why are you working the way you're working? If you're working in crisis management most of the time, ask yourself why. Have you not made your associates accountable for information? Are you doing their work for them? Do you over-schedule yourself and leave no room for emergencies? Do you refuse to delegate so your workload is heavy while your colleagues and staff have time on their hands?

Tip: If you hired competent staff, train them, and trust them. If you are a one-admin office, prioritize and work your way down the list. You may not finish everything, but the important things will have been handled.

When?

Are you working 24/7? Those who haven't learned to leave the office behind, at least now and then, run the risk of burn-out, disinterest, and making mistakes due to fatigue. I'm not talking about being on call. Many in senior positions are indeed on call 24/7 to handle crises which occur outside of business hours - it comes with the territory. But if you can't stop working either because it is expected of you, or out of habit, you need to reassess. A life where work is balanced with good health, rewarding relationships, and enjoyable personal time will result in higher productivity when you are working.

Tip: Meet with your broker to discuss what constitutes an emergency outside of business hours. Everything else can wait until tomorrow. Get a life!

Where?

Is your work area conducive to a productive day? If your job description involves handling confidential material of any kind - and real estate transactions are considered confidential - then you should have some privacy for a least part of the day. Don't delegate confidential tasks to a receptionist who is going to have high traffic in the lobby. Confidentiality is important in our business. In 2010, another aspect of "where" is what technology now allows us to do. Most of us can now work from home in an emergency via the internet or smart phones.

Tip: Add critical website URLs to your desktop or laptop at home so you are prepared for an emergency.

Who?

This is the most important W. Who is doing your job? You may think that's an obvious answer - you are. But I'm asking who is the person you bring to the job each and every day? Are you motivated, calm, focused, in tune, positive, with a team-oriented perspective? Or are you frazzled, disorganized, stressed, and overwhelmed, with a ‘poor me' attitude? I am sure you have encountered people who always seem on top of the work and in control of every situation. They arrive on time, fully prepared, and leave at a reasonable hour, ready to enjoy their personal time. They bring the best person they can to each day.

Tip: When you start to feel overwhelmed, acknowledge your stress level rather than becoming engulfed in it, and then calmly search for a solution before it gets out of hand.

The 5 W's can be applied to your life, your job, or your brokerage. I would wager that well-run, professional brokerages have an administrator who regularly works through these 5 W's. They know what they need to do and why they are doing it. They proactively manage their schedule and workload, and have created an environment conducive to productivity. They work on themselves through a balanced lifestyle, regular affirmations, clear goals and plan of action, a positive outlook, and a team mentality.

For more info contact Leigh Giannotti 321-749-4179

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