It is a know fact that administrative skills always need improving. As John D. Rockefeller said, “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”

It is the deliberate improvement of our tools to help us become more effective that I am talking about. This needs to become a habit, rather than a disruptive activity; ideally, it should be embedded in the very way you do work, and you should regularly set aside time for more focused work in this area as well.

Can you imagine how a self-perpetuating plan for professional development would affect your work over time? The impact might at first seem to be minimal; over time, however, the cumulative effect of all these improvements will be to transform you from an employee who does what they are told to a professional who largely dictates the course of their career.

To make continual improvement a part of the way you work, it is best to strive to integrate it with your work, rather than disrupting your work patterns. This way, it complements your career instead of competing with it. Start with some simple daily routines and then, as those improvements give you better control over your workflow, start blocking time for more ambitious development activities.

Before you can master any skill or role, you must have a holistic vision what it encompasses and entails. Achieving excellence as an administrative professional is no different. If you do not have one yet, create a document to define the scope of your responsibilities and the procedures you use to fulfill those responsibilities. This is a time-consuming task, but essential.

Once you have this in place, you can use it to capture process improvements you make on the fly for later addition to your manual. For simple notes, I like to use digital sticky notes on my notebook as placeholders until I have a chance to document the change; when the screen gets too crowded, then I know I need to make time for an update.

At least once a week, it’s a good idea to step back and look at the bigger picture. If you have a professional development plan, set aside some minutes to review your goals and make adjustments. Take note of any areas where you are falling behind; eliminate or adjust any tasks or goals that have become irrelevant or obsolete.

Once you have gotten into the above habits, it’s important to start scheduling time for a deeper dive into your professional development plan, as well as for extended training sessions. For the latter, be sure to also include time to make a personal action plan based on the training.

If you are proactively making time for professional development on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, you will most likely find that you have an increasing ability to dictate where you invest your time and focus. This is a natural outgrowth of a continuous improvement habit and allows you to take your game to the next level.

Make no mistake, however – this level of commitment to your development requires planning. If you wait until you have a break in your schedule, you’ll never get to it. You have to make appointments with yourself and schedule other things around it. If you can get your employer’s blessing for this kind of a review day – or even just a half-day – that’s great! If you can’t, then make time to do this on your own. No one has a greater stake in your professional development than you do, and if you do not value yourself highly enough to make this investment, you will have a hard time convincing others to make the investment for you. Conversely, when you do believe in yourself, other people cannot help but notice; they will be attracted to your energy and drive, and will be eager to help you and to be a part of your success!

To truly reinforce all of these habits of self-management and professional development, nothing is better than total immersion in the company of thought leaders and peers who hold your values. Even with a mentor to help you through the work outlined above, self-improvement can often lead you to what feels like a lonely place. Administrative colleagues who have not yet adopted a professional attitude about their career may be perplexed, and even threatened, by your ambition and accomplishments. Whenever possible, put yourself in the company of those who understand what you are doing and why. Conferences will help you clarify your vision, inspire you with new ideas and connect you to the people who are willing to make what may at other times seem to be a lonely journey.

Step into the world of a conference, and you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, while you may be a pioneer among your peers, you are not alone in making this journey. I highly recommend making the time and investment to attend at least one major professional conference each year.

We can choose to coast along comfortably in our administrative career, or we can choose to pursue excellence. We can choose to uphold the status quo, or we can choose to seek continuous improvement. We can choose to let others dictate the path of our career, or we can choose to create a career that reflects the best of what we have to offer. Our careers – indeed, our lives – are driven by the values we hold and by the myriad small choices we make every day.

Remember that you are fully capable of deciding your own destiny. The question you face is: which path will you choose? This is something only you can decide.

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