A Head For Business
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Published September 30, 2012 Job postings aren’t going to list “keen intuition” as a necessary skill, “But it is a big plus in all fields,” says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, a temporary staffing agency for administrative support workers.A survey jointly conducted by the International Association of Administrative Professionals and OfficeTeam finds that 88 percent of administrative professionals say they make decisions often on “gut instinct.” Instinct or intuition isn’t an in-born trait, but can be learned, Hosking says. Successful administrative workers especially need instinct. “Whether you can anticipate needs will ultimately impact the success of your boss,” he says. Using intuition doesn’t mean jumping to conclusions, stresses Hoskings. If, for instance, you’re uncertain about how to proceed on a task, be honest with yourself “if you don’t have enough details to make a reasonable decision,” he says. A new hire, for example, may find his boss “fires out requests quickly,” Hosking illustrates. “The worker thinks, ‘I don’t want to ask questions, he’s busy.’” But better to ask or to go to someone who has the knowledge on how to proceed. Hosking adds that by observing the communication and work style of managers and co-workers, new hires will begin to instinctively recognize issues to address before they become problems. - Written By Marilyn Kennedy Melia |