Coaching Yourself

We know that as administrative support professionals, we are often the ones who have the distinct opportunity to effectively coach and support a variety of people we come in contact with. In addition to coaching others, we must also remember to coach ourselves.

I have not always been as confident in myself as I am today. And I was not a strong public speaker when I first began doing this type of work. The differentiator for me has been the personal development work I put into myself. These self-coaching techniques have been instrumental in helping me to keep a positive outlook, minimize my stress, and position me for greater opportunities through both my executive assistant role as well as my coaching and speaking business. Here are some of the techniques that I use and recommend doing regularly.

Have an attitude of gratitude.

By this, I mean being thankful every day, for not just the big things, but the small things in life. I do an exercise each day where I list the top five things I am grateful for in my day. On days when there is high stress or challenges, it is particularly helpful because it confirms that even while dealing with important issues, there is always something to be thankful for.

Use positive self-affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements that help us to defeat sabotaging thoughts and negative feelings about ourselves. Instead, they help to increase our self-confidence and self-esteem. Find a set of affirming statements and/or positive quotes and repeat them out loud. This becomes a daily ritual that you do for whatever time is necessary until your brain believes what you are saying.

Keep a daily journal.

Journaling is the practice of keeping thoughts and remembrances of events in your daily life. The benefits of journaling include clarifying thoughts, gaining self-knowledge, processing emotions, and providing an outlet for stress. Sometimes, many of the things we say to ourselves in our journal, we wouldn't want to say out loud to another person. Your journal gives you a safe place to express those feelings.

Celebrate your successes by ensuring you record your achievements and set up a system of rewards. You can't wait for others to celebrate you or your success. Instead, do this for yourself. Take time to reflect on your accomplishments and recharge for your next goal.

Self-coaching helps us to gain self-confidence, learn new things about ourselves, solve problems faster, and develop self-reflection skills. The benefits are clear. So why not work to become the best version of you today?

April's Courses - 24 x 7 Virtual Training on LinkedIn Learning

Administrative Professional Weekly Tips

Being an administrative professional is a rewarding and challenging career. This series provides tips to help you stay focused, balanced, and in sync with your boss and become an invaluable asset to whatever company you work for.

Job Interview Tips for Administrative Assistants

In this course, instructor April Stallworth covers the most common questions that administrative assistants are asked in job interviews, and she offers tips for answering each question with specificity and confidence.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

August

August 12, 2023, LOUD Women Webinar with Adrianna Foster (this is a private event, no registration link available)

September

September 14, 2023, Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, WA

October

October 5-6, 2023, Executive Support Professionals Annual Conference, Camden, NJ. - Registration Link