Secrets of Administrative Excellence

By Rodayna Tiraoui

The Administrative Excellence Book is designed to enhance the competencies of these

professionals, who work for executives and corporate leaders. In this book, the author

'Rodayna Tiraoui' covers best practices as a subject matter expert and shares new ideas to

transform current administrative activities into more innovative wa

• Language: English
• Publisher: Passionpreneur Publishing
• Release date: May 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781922456441

Book preview

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Secrets of Administrative Excellence

Copyright © 2021 Rodayna M. Tiraoui

First published in 2021

Print: 978-1-922456-43-4

E-book: 978-1-922456-44-1

Hardback: 978-1-922456-42-7

Secrets of Administrative Excellence is an independent publication and is neither affiliated with, nor authorized, sponsored, or approved by, Microsoft Corporation.

Excerpt from Don’t Reply All: 18 Email Tactics That Help You Write Better Emails and Improve Communication with Your Team Copyright © 2015 by Hassan Osman reprinted with permission

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without written permission from the author.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The information in this book is based on the author’s experiences and opinions. The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher; the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense any form of medical, legal, financial, or technical advice either directly or indirectly. Opinions expressed in this book are mine and do not represent my current or previous employers. The intent of the author is solely to provide information of a general nature to help you in your quest for personal development and growth. In the event you use any of the information in this book, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. If any form of expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Publishing information

Publishing, design, and production facilitated by Passionpreneur Publishing,

A division of Passionpreneur Organization Pty Ltd

ABN: 48640637529

www.PassionpreneurPublishing.com

Melbourne, VIC | Australia

Testimonials

Rodayna supported me for nearly fourteen years when I was Chief Executive Officer of three major oil and gas companies. She managed my offices efficiently and secured a sound image with a positive attitude, authenticity, and ethical values while maintaining effective office relations with stakeholders, including government, staff, and international shareholders who respected and welcomed working through her. She has in-depth business knowledge, excellent communication skills, and diverse experience for managing an executive’s office utilizing IT tools and bringing new innovative ideas with resilience to executive’s support ongoing demands.

—Saif Ahmed Saif Alghfeli

Senior Executive Advisor (Oil & Gas), Former ADNOC Onshore CEO

I have known Rodayna for more than twenty years now; she assisted me in running my office as GM of ADGAS (now ADNOC LNG) for seven years between 1998 and 2005. As the PA, she organized my daily schedule, meetings, travels, and all the demanding tasks of a senior executive in the Oil and Gas industry. She demonstrated her commitment to excellence in performing her duties, carrying out her tasks diligently, professionally, and most efficiently. Since the company embarked on a technology application in conducting the business, she was already well-versed with the applications. She helped me adopt and use these tools to run my job and communicate more effectively with management, staff, and external business partners. I deeply appreciate her talents, skills, and patience.

—Rashed Saif S. Al Jarwan Al Shamsi

Former General Manager of ADGAS (now ADNOC LNG)

Rodayna’s leadership as an executive assistant was instrumental to developing a highly efficient administration function throughout the entire company. Attention to detail, anticipation and planning, teamwork, and coordination, as well as multicultural sensitivity were all highly valued traits of the high performing administration organization.

—Rick Callahan

Former Senior Vice President, ADNOC Sour Gas

I have known Rodayna for more than twelve years and had the privilege of working alongside her at ADNOC during the establishment of a new operating company (Al Hosn Gas). Rodayna was the executive assistant to the CEO while I was one of his direct reports. I was always very impressed with Rodayna’s professionalism and how efficiently she organized a very diverse executive leadership team during challenging times. Rodayna is a master of her craft who excels in mentoring and coaching others. She is also a wonderful human being.

—Ian Edward Ross

Regional Director Russian Federation, Health & Safety at Kinross Corporation; Angel investor, Former ADNOC Sour Gas, VP-HSE

As an admin supervisor and CEO’s personal assistant with Al Hosn Gas (now ADNOC Sour Gas), Rodayna was an invaluable resource for the leadership team. Her cross-culture and interdepartmental communication skills and can do spirit were highly valued, and proved an important enabler in the setup and rapid growth of the company.

—Rick Singleton

Former Vice President (Development), ADNOC Sour Gas

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my mother, Fatme Braich; my dad, Mohammad Tirawi, and my two eldest sisters, Haifa and Khawla, who dedicated years of their life to supporting our family members (seven sisters and six brothers) to pursue education and move forward in life. Although my mom did not go to school, her responses to life challenges were motivating, and she always positively pushed us to move forward, even during difficult times. She is forever loved by friends and relatives. I wish my dad were still alive to witness the publishing of my book; he would be proud. He spent most of his life in education, and I always felt we had a connection in the same field as I am now dedicating my career to train and develop people, which is a source of happiness and satisfaction for me. My sisters Haifa and Khawla took on a big responsibility and sacrificed their careers and personal lives to help the other family members; I have always felt that no matter what I do, I cannot pay them back; no matter what we do, we will never be able to bring back their old days, but we continue to be positive, happy, and enjoy being proud of them.

Contents

Testimonials

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1

Understanding the Business and Roles

Chapter 2

Organizing Information

Chapter 3

Planning and Scheduling

Chapter 4

Messages

Chapter 5

Task Management

Chapter 6

Document Management

Chapter 7

Meetings

Chapter 8

Follow-Up Systems

Chapter 9

Email Best Practices

Chapter 10

Business Travel

Chapter 11

Office Procedures

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Glossary of Terms

References and Resources

About the Author

Introduction

Working for executives is an art! It requires creativity and innovation and asks that you constantly seek new ways of doing things. I decided to write this book after thirty-five years of office management and supporting executives, and to this day, I still come across new ideas for improving and adjusting my work and performance in different and more innovative ways. Why? Because I have a passion for supporting executives and helping assistants think better, work better, and adapt to new mindsets by tapping into their creativity.

Administrative professionals can add tremendous value to their offices by observing the executives’ work styles and preferences and then aligning those habits with their goals, objectives, roles, and responsibilities. When you tap into the executives’ ways of thinking and understand their expectations, you can create a dynamic office where efficiency, respect, and productivity take the center stage.

I believe if you have an interest and passion for an administrative professional career, you will progress well and enjoy both creativity and innovation throughout your career.

Depending on the executive’s mission and strategic business goals, your focus should adapt to and align with their goals. Working with more than one executive gives you the opportunity to excel in a diversity of work styles while gaining new knowledge if you take it seriously and engage yourself in your executives’ professional work.

You get to see things from different angles—strategically—and your personal competencies will become unique in