Today’s Assistant is a multi-skilled, dynamic member of the management team. The demands of the job are huge, they lead themselves as well as their colleagues. The Assistant should consider that their role is that of a business partner so understanding the vision and mission of the organisation whilst thinking for their boss and complementing their boss’s weaknesses. Whatever the boss’s weakness are the Asssistant should make them their strength.

 

I am proud to announce that “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” and  “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” have both been endorsed by The Institute of Administrative Management. 

Sue France (FCIPD INLPTA) best-selling author and UK Times Créme/DHL PA of the Year 2006 has written 2 books to help all 21st century Assistants, business partners and office managers excel in their roles:

The Definitive Personal Assistant and Secretarial Handbook: A Chapter to Share with Your Boss

Please fill in your details to receive a FREE sample chapter of the 3rd edition of The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook.  This Chapter is one you can share with your boss as it is about how the boss and Assistant can work most effectively together. 

This book has been updated with a complete new chapter on neuroscience wisdom and tips on how to maximize your brain for excellence.

I have written this 3^rd edition, to keep it relevant for today’s assistant and the evolution of the role as well as update it with useful information from neuroscience. I am absolutely fascinated and enthusiastic about neuroscience, which is the study of the brain and the nervous system. With developing technology and neuroscientists conducting many studies and experiments, we know more about the brain today than ever before.

It will provide an insight into your own mind and to that of your colleagues’ minds. The brain regularly acts automatically, however, with self-awareness, self-vigilance and an understanding of neuroscience we can become aware of our automatic reactions and habits that rule our lives and learn to put conscious effort into making rational and sensible decisions in order to get the best outcome of every situation.

I have added a complete new chapter on Neuroscience, explaining brain physiology, how hormones make us think, feel and behave, how to prevent an ‘amygdala hijack,’ how to change our bad habits for ones that will serve us better and how we can use this information in our every day work life. I have also included neuroscience tips throughout the chapters where I think it is useful to know and understand as this will embed the learning and encourage you to put advice into action.

The book is full of practical advice for the role of an Assistant and is beneficial for experienced and inexperienced Assistants. It can be used as ‘required reading’ for professional courses, part of a training programme or during an induction process. It can help when transitioning into a new role or help with getting back to work after a break.

It has the same appendices as the 2^nd edition (below) with the additional appendices of:

Appendix 1 – ‘U-SOFAR’ technique to help you take control of your subconscious mind

Appendix 8 – Mindfulness and meditation techniques

Appendix 12 – Business Case for creating an internal Assistant network

Foreword for the 3^rd Edition written by Jan Hills, Neuroscience expert and founder of Head, Heart Brain. 

“In my career I have had the good fortune to work with some exceptional assistants. They made me more productive, contributed brilliant ideas, and were a social support in tough times. Assistants have a challenging and stressful job and need all the help they can get to carry it out in a way that gives value to their boss and satisfaction to themselves.

One of the things that can help achieve that is a better understanding of people and that is what this book uniquely provides the assistant with.  The reason is the inclusion of neuroscience findings to help assistants achieve a greater understanding of people, how to add value and achieve personal satisfaction.

Neuroscience was born as a specialist field of scientific study in the 1960s with the Neurosciences Study Program sponsored by Rockefeller University. And pretty quickly academic connections began to be made between neuroscience and psychology. The academic and public profile of the discipline was further consolidated by the establishment of the NeuroLeadership Institute in 2008, which aims to “encourage, generate and share neuroscience research that transforms how people think, develop and perform.”

As part of this ongoing trend since 2009 we have been working with neuroscience to help our clients. In our work we have seen remarkable change when people understand why they act the way they do and why others may be don’t do what they wish. Understanding how the brain works is fascinating to most business people and also helpful in the work they do because after all we can’t achieve anything in a complex business without engaging others and that means engaging their brains.  So for assistants the neuroscience findings in this book have been skilfully interpreted to what you do and the changes you face but there is another element which is essential. No matter how great the insight the science provides it is of little use unless you can go on to make changes or anticipate how you should do your job as a result. That I think is the real value in what Sue has done. The book is full of useful and accessible tools you can apply. We know from neuroscience that changing what we habitually do is hard but possible and the tools in the book will help you to do just that.

Following the principles of neuroscience, and practising what I preach, I’d love to have your feedback. I’d love to hear how the neuroscience had served you and the success you have had.”

Jan Hills

Head Heart + Brian

The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook – Third Edition

Sue France is a power force within the PA industry and the first two editions of this handbook are a mainstay in many a PA/EA’s desk drawer and bookshelf, a real ‘go to’ for any problem solving; be it communication, tricky working relationships, confidence building and much, much more. Regardless of how many years experience you may have, there is something for everyone at every level in here.

In this updated version Sue has introduced neuroscience into the mix too. I’m a complete novice in this subject and found this section completely fascinating. Sue explains the function and needs of the brain and the perceptions we have of each other (and ourselves sometimes) in such a way that I found myself constantly questioning why and how I do things the way I do, both in my work and home life.

Using her techniques I found they allowed me to step outside of myself and re-evaluate what I was about to do before I did it. There are so many resources she has made available to the reader that it’s definitely a study tool to go back to again and again.

This handbook is a real triumph, it constantly pushes boundaries and makes you think and learn, whatever industry you are in you want to be the best at what you do, and for the PA industry this book will definitely help you achieve that. I don’t believe any experience is wasted so long as you learn from it, and I learnt lots from this.

Donna Coulling, Celebrity PA  

The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook 2nd Edition

Book Synopsis:

“The Definitive Personal Assistant and Secretarial Handbook” is the ultimate guidebook and ‘friend’ for all assistants, secretaries, professional administrators, business partners and Office Managers. It places special emphasis on professional development, providing help and advice on the skills necessary to progress in your career. Along with a chapter to share with your boss for a more fruitful working relationship, it deals with every aspect of these vital roles and the wide range of skills they require, including:

• Minute-taking – everything you need to know – NEW in 2nd edition!
• Social Media – NEW in 2nd edition!
• Relationship management
• Communication, listening and questioning skills
• Confidence, self-belief and goal setting
• The secrets of body language
• Coping with pressure and stress
• Dealing with difficult people and managing conflict
• Time management and personal organization
• Presentation skills
• Networking

When Sue wrote the 1st edition of The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” in 2009, she conducted a worldwide questionnaire of hundreds of Assistants as well as bosses and some of the wisdom, tips and quotes in the book are derived from those answers.

The 2nd edition now includes a comprehensive checklist for managing events, as well as minute taking templates and examples; it also includes a chapter on how to use social networking to your advantage.

With free downloadable online resources to aid the day-to-day running of your office, this guide will help you keep your finger on the pulse and improve and maintain your professional image.
It will help you to maintain a professional image and achieve resounding success by helping you to be and look more confident increasing your self-awareness and your self esteem. It will help you to avoid stress and to be able to cope with pressure at work, how to deal with difficult people and manage conflict, how to create, nurture and manage excellent working relationships and how to use communication skills and body language to your advantage. It will help you to be organised, effective and efficient especially when organising small or large meetings and events. You will learn how to give effective, at ease, presentations whether it’s to 2 or 2000 people. Your time management will be improved, learning how to prioritise, set goals, deal with time thieves, manage deadlines and improve on your email management. It will help you with setting up an ergonomic workstation and includes necessary work station exercises for your posture and healthy body to help prevent, aches, pains and repetitive strain injury. It explains the benefits and the reasons for networking and the secrets of effective networking. Finally there is a chapter for bosses and their assistants to share encouraging ongoing communication including what bosses should know to work effectively with their assistants and how to motivate an assistant in order to create a rewarding and effective working relationship and therefore improving on the ‘bottom line’ of any organisation.
Free Resources Available for “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook”
The following free resources are password protected. To download them please go to https://www.suefrance.com/2nd-edition-personal-assistant-secretarial-handbook-resources/ and enter the password that you will find on the ‘Introduction’ page of the book.

Appendix 1: Personal Strengths Assessment Form
Appendix 2: Personal development plan (PDP)
Appendix 3: Preferred communication style questionnaire
Appendix 4: Pro forma for goal setting
Appendix 5: Problem solving master
Appendix 6: Positive adjectives/action verbs

All the above appendices are in the book. The following resources are mentioned in the book but not in it and are downloadable on this website:

Appendix 7 referred to in chapter 11 page 166: Example of an informal agenda
Appendix 8 referred to in chapter 11 page 166: Example of a full formal agenda
Appendix 9 referred to in chapter 11 page 167: Blank minute taking template
Appendix 10 referred to in chapter 11 page 167: Example set of minutes using Appendix 9 minute-taking template
Appendix 11 referred to in chapter 6 page 110 and chapter 11 page 163: Comprehensive generic check list for organising meetings and events

Testimonials for:
The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook:

5 out of 5 stars Must have this book 2014
20 years in admin and I loved it and bought one for each of the admins under me. if you are unsure, don’t hesitate to buy it!
Larry And Chelena, USA

5.0 out of 5 stars Wannabe Best Practice Girl
At my last appraisal my boss said he wished there was a book out there which showed him how he should best work with a PA (I am the first assistant he hasn’t had to share!) so I know he will enjoy this book as much as I do! Thank you. Mel

5 out of 5 stars GREAT REFERENCE BOOK 2014
I’ve been an Executive Assistant for over 10 years and found this book to be extremely helpful! I’ve even ordered it for both of the assistants that I oversee and it’s helped them to truly understand the assistant role and what is expected of them. GREAT BOOK! TL

Sue I have read your book! I am in the process of creating a mentor program at my school district to help the current staff as well as any new hires. I plan to incorporate your book as one of the tools to hand out to help them do their jobs to the best of their abilities and beyond.
Alba Hernandez, Head Secretary

I know we haven’t met in person, but I must say its an honour to meet you on LinkedIn. I am a Personal Assistant for an Executive in Lagos Nigeria, I have had just 1 year’s experience when I started, so I was desperate for information and started browsing the net, where I came across your book ‘The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook’. It changed my life, my style of work and made me a star. Now people don’t believe it when I tell them how long I have been in this role. I just have to say thank you for writing that book!
Faith Banjo, Nigeria 2015

“What a pleasure it was to meet and work alongside Sue when we were both speakers for the distinguished PA Summit in Australia. We spanned three cities over the course of a few weeks and I never got tired of peaking in her session to listen to her or to watch the favorable reactions from those in the audience. The participants always approached Sue to continue the conversation well after she was done with her presentation and I appreciated how Sue always took the time to speak to each participants offering continued advice within their career and professional journey – each participant walking away feeling ready to take on the office and the world! Sue’s professional talent combined with her personable approach makes her the ideal speaker to educate and inspire an audience. She is an icon in the industry of Management Assistants, Executive Secretaries and relevant in all industries across the board and continents.

Sue’s books “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” and “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook are something I often recommend in my presentations as a great tool and solid advice. I continue to be inspired by Sue and her incredible journey that she shares with others through her professional speaking series and books.
Laura Schwartz
Professional Speaker, Television Commentator and Author, Eat, Drink & Succeed! Former Special Assistant & Director of White House Events

I’ve read your book Sue and I recently passed the IQ IAM level 4 QCF in Admin for Exec Assistants as part of my CPD and that’s also another reason I know your book well :)
– it’s great and is well worn from being regularly referred to.
Cassandra Kelly 2014

Dear Sue, I was offered your book: “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” by a colleague who travelled to UK and bought it for me. It’s about 4 years that I have it. I found it very helpful for my career and my day-to-day work, I notice great improvements which motivate me constantly at work. The book is a coach I walk with everyday, I keep reading again and again. Thanks for your help.
Adeline Ngo Ndjock

5 out of 5 stars Love this book 2014
I have been a PA for almost 8 years, but still found this a really useful reference book. I would recommend this to colleagues and regularly pick it up to go over certain chapters.
Tweedle

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful guide for new and experienced administrators/personal assistants 2014
I am happy to recommend this book for new and experienced business support professionals. It’s full of useful tips and information. It’s introduced me to a few new ideas and tools to make my job a lot easier. It manages to cover all the basics an administrator / personal assistant would need to know and has useful chapters on networking, social media and managing conflict in the workplace which are aimed at the more experienced business support professionals. Brock

5 out of 5 stars A bible, 2014
Bought this book thinking it was a guide. Has proved to be invaluable, as it’s full of useful hints and guides as to the work a PA should be doing. Would recommend this to anyone in a PA role. Umesh Patel

5 out of 5 stars
I have been an Exec PA for nearly 14 years and wasn’t sure what I could learn from this book – wow – how wrong was I! The book is jam packed with tips, guidance, help and whole raft of things that are completely useful to me! I now consider this to be my new personal “Bible” and cannot wait to start reading book 2. Highly recommended Lucinda V

5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a bible for secretaries!
I have worked as receptionist, admin assistant and executive secretary before I bought this book. And, I must say that I should have bought this earlier because this is very informative. I especially like the part where the author says we should “manage our manager”.
I always carry this book whenever I go to work! Jacqueline Caparas

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential book for all support staff
A great book with sections you can choose to read in any order. This book is full of great tips and advice and is very motivating. It’s a little nudge to remind us that we all have room for improvement.

The sections are good training notes and beat having to spend a whole day in a workshop when time doesn’t always permit. I will use this book over and over and would recommend it to anyone in a supporting role who wants to better themselves. Sharon

5 out of 5 stars 2014
This is an important book in my office handbook library.
L Vincent

5 out of 5 stars The book is really very useful, and has a lot of well structured material 2014
I would definitely recommend it to my colleagues!
Oxana

Hello Sue, I am a huge fan of your books, you inspired me to become a very professional secretary and for your information I’m a student taking a course on E-SECRETARYSHIP. I told my lecturer about you and she is now one of your biggest fans … she always refers to your books before entering our class. Thank you so much for all the tips – we really appreciate it. We wish you all the best in life and future, from me and the secretarial students of our college…with love... Nazatul Shima

Hi – I am nearly at the end of reading your 1st book and it’s fantastic!. I started as a Team Secretary back in 1999 and bought “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” out of interest as I kept hearing about it – I wasn’t sure I would learn much but boy was I wrong!! I write my own notes from your book, picking out info etc that is relevant to me and re-read back through everything at least twice a week so I remember all the important things that you have taught me. I have found your book very helpful in developing my “behaviours” .
I am very much looking forward to getting to the end now so I can start Book 2 which is waiting patiently for me in my cupboard! Have a lovely day and thank you again for all the help & guidance you have provided to me through your books. I Just wanted to say a massive “Thank you”!
Lucinda Viney FAPA 
Executive PA

I’ve been reading your book “The Definitive Personal Assistant/Secretarial Handbook” and have found it to be incredibly helpful in building my confidence and expanding my knowledge in my role as an administrative assistant in the US. Thank you!
Anastasia Blaisdell, Washington State University

Such a great resource for aspiring or existing assistants
I’ve just started reading this book, and already I have found the information to be extremely valuable. I’m currently an assistant to a VPR & Dean, and recently have gone through a transition in bosses. Things weren’t going so great, but after picking up this book I now better understand what my role is and what I should be doing better to help my new boss transition into the business.

I’m now in the process of transitioning into a new city, and am searching for a job as an Executive Assistant. This book has helped me to better understand myself and be able to express my goals and ambitions for the business I’m going into, as well as being able to answer interview questions more thoroughly and completely, and I haven’t even finished reading the book! I highly recommend this book to anyone aspiring to be an assistant, or even existing assistants to better understand their roles, know more about what they want out of their position, and how to handle certain types of situations that they may not be as familiar with, or feel their skills are lacking. Make yourself a more valuable player in your job by reading this book! It is a great resource!! Anna B.

5 out of 5 stars Inspiration for getting back to work
This excellent book is packed full of useful information about the role of the PA, from efficiency tips and time saving ideas, to website links and the latest on social media. It starts with a thought-provoking exercise on self-awareness and contains a range of templates which challenged my pre-conceptions and helped me to set work-related goals. Several chapters focus on best practice for everyday tasks like time management, organisation, minute-taking and presentations. The chapter on organising meetings and events was especially useful with comprehensive checklists, which I am already making full use of. The chapter on social media and the power of networking is invaluable and I’m already getting significant benefit from putting Sue’s ideas into action.

I bought the handbook as I was planning to return to employment post-family, and the advice I read has enabled me to land an excellent job even before I’d finished reading the entire book. So I am delighted to recommend the Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook, by Sue France to all PAs and anyone with an admin role. Many thanks for your excellent advice, it was invaluable.
Sylvia Dell

I just read your EA Handbook and I enjoyed it very much! I decided to switch my career from accounting to admin support. Your book was a great starting point for me as I pursue this new career. Thanks for the tips and advice, I look forward to hopefully following in your footsteps!
Regina Clark, San Francisco

5 out of 5 stars A Must Read for novice and experienced alike……Excellent This reference book handles deep routed issues that exist in the field and how to handle them graciously and with confidence. I’m enjoying a second reading and implementing some of the ideas into my thinking to help me achieve that balance we all seek when it comes to working with others. Keep up the good work.

5 out of 5 stars YOU JUST CAN’T PUT IT DOWN!!!,
A very helpful book. Have been in the Administrative/Secretarial occupation for 30+ years and am also a teacher of the subject. Bought the book to refresh my own development and found it to be very informative with information I didn’t know; and that takes some I can say. Well worth it. Wish it had been around years ago! Mia

Comprehensive and motivational for PAs at all stages of their career
Having met Sue France at an event recently, I finally had the opportunity to thank her in person for writing this book – it gave me the motivation to address the problems I had been experiencing in my career and helped me to feel far happier and confident in my role. It is carefully divided into well thought out sections allowing the reader to dip in and out making it excellent for referring to as a resource – not just a read from cover to cover. The style of writing is very accessible. Charlotte TJ

I particularly liked Chapter 10 which was suitable for sharing with your employer – a really useful way of starting a conversation about the employer/employee relationship. I have recommended this book to several people. I look forward to reading Sue’s next book!

Great boost for someone returning to full time employment
As someone who has been working as a freelance Executive Assistant on a project by project basis for over ten years, the prospect of returning to full time employment in such a difficult market was daunting. So of course I turned to Amazon for ideas and came across Sue France’s Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook. And it really is definitive. I particularly liked the fact that she assumes that excellent IT skills are a given and that the book really concentrates on issues that are more difficult to quantify, for example relationship management, time, organising and stress management, and dealing with difficult people and managing conflict. The more practical matters such as checklists for event management and presentations are also very welcome. Yes, if you have been working as a PA for many years (as I have), then some of it will be familiar, but to have all of the information in one reference book written in a friendly open style will be an invaluable tool to anyone venturing into the job market at this time.
I purchased this book as I wanted to improve in my new job as secretary to Directors, nurses and performance managers. I am half way through this book and it has given me a lot of great advice. It has a section about PDP and minute taking. It has everything that I need to know. I am also taking notes in my note pad while reading so I can have a reminder whilst sitting at my desk. Would recommend this as a first choice for anyone in this field.
R. Sagoo (Middlesex, UK) The best choice

A brilliant author who has deep understanding of human interrelations and presents and shares her knowledge in a fascinating and at the same time quiet manner, which only a true professional can do. I’ve got a great pleasure when reading the book for the first time and still getting back to it to understand better and to gain confidence which this book inspires. Bev

Not just good, an absolute must-read
I run training courses for secretaries and PAs and read this book to see if it would be suitable to give to our students as a gift. Suitable? It is essential. I’m going to buy a box-load. We are a Pitman training centre (in Preston, UK) and our reputation has been built on turning out the best, most professional businesspeople in the business. So that’s why I highly recommend this book. It is about giving people the edge, turning them from “just a secretary”, “just a PA”, into a career person, a polished professional proud of their work.
However, the book is suitable not just for secretaries and PAs, but all business people. It provides well-written guidance on how to conduct yourself, prioritise your workload, network and increase your earning potential – things that are relevant to business people of all specialities.
I particularly enjoyed the section on networking – and despite having done quite a bit of networking myself, picked up new tips. The body language and presentation skills sections are also praiseworthy, but then the whole book is. Those who are looking for a book on how to type may be disappointed; this is much bigger than a single skill. It is about turning yourself into something more than a “just a …” aiming higher, succeeding and growing personally and professionally. I think those who followed its guidance would massively increase their promotion prospects.
Michelle Scott, Centre Manager, Pitman Training, Preston, UK

I bought your Book “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” I think it is brilliant – a great book. I have worked in event management and Admin for over 4 years, and I found your book was really useful and regularly refer to it for various projects.
Many thanks for your help.
Sarah Smith

A brilliant author with deep understanding of human interrelations, who presents and shares her knowledge in fascinating manner, which only a true professional can do. I’ve got a great pleasure when reading the book for the first time and still getting back to it to understand better and to gain confidence which this book inspires. Carry on, Sue!

As a newly appointed Office Manager / Personal Assistant I have found this book extremely useful and would recommend it to anyone in this field of work. R Boal

5 out of 5 stars A brilliant author
Can’t go wrong with this one in terms of price and content. The best on the market. Buy it. Julia Loginova (Novorossiysk, Russia)

It’s a great guidebook that helps with professional development and it made me realize how much I need to improve my game as an Admin Assist and take my chosen profession more seriously.
Ceredwyn F. Holt

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I was looking for a book to define the role of the modern Personal Assistant/secretary. This was and is the definitive book.
Dr Dave DJN

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook is a must for all Assistants. Whether someone is just starting in the profession, or has been in an Assistant role for years, Sue’s book offers a number of insightful tips and techniques to create and develop highly effective Assistants. The chapter for sharing with Managers is particularly insightful and can help nurture truly formidable Manager-Assistant relationships”
Dean Neill, Project Lead for the Making Your Manager Shine Assistant Development events at NHS Blood and Transplant

Great read!!
This book really helped me out. I purchased it for a co-worker who wanted some additional help and looked it over myself. There were so many helpful hints & although I’m not an admin, working in a small company makes you wear multiple hats. Therefore, I picked up a few notes not only for the work place, but for my personal life as well!
Lindsay Shaw

Very useful
I have been a PA for many years, but moving into a new and bigger job recently, I felt it was time I polished up on my skills. I was a little skeptical about whether this book would actually have any useful ideas that were new to me, but I’m pleasantly surprised. There are so many sections on body language, how to feel good about what you do, organising your day etc, that I certainly felt I got my money’s worth. I am still dipping in and out of the book and am impressed. Susanne, Surrey

Sue: I was delighted to discover your latest book “The Definitive Personal Assistant…” I will certainly refer to it often as being one of my top three “go to” books for advice in the field. Thank you so much for your efforts and compiling this valuable reference tool.
Linda Henderson

Book Details for “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook”:
ISBN: 9780749465766
E- ISBN: 978 0 7494 6577 3
Published date: 3 Aug 2012
Paperback
250 Pages
Dimensions: 234x156mm
Language: English
Price: £16.99

Book Synopsis:

“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” published in November 2012

This book complements Sue’s 2nd edition of “The Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” with further qualities required of today’s Assistant. “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” is suitable for all Assistants and Professional administrators at every level and in particular for Office Managers and anyone who supervises one or more team members. It will help those who want to understand themselves and want to understand how to work with others better. We are all leaders whether we have the title or not and this book focuses on understanding our values and beliefs and being able to effectively lead including ourselves, our colleagues and our boss(es). It explains how to negotiate, delegate, influence, persuade, motivate effectively using our emotional intelligence and be able to manage talent from recruitment through to appraisals. This book is full of insights, earned wisdom, tools and techniques including how to use Neuro Linguistic Programming tools and techniques. It also explains some managerial theories and contains several downloadable resources to help you effectively manage yourself and others.

There is a chapter on Project Management which is a part of an Assistant’s role in many guises from one-off projects to regular events and meetings of all sizes and for many different reasons. If a task requires planning, assessing options, organising activities and resources to deliver a successful result on time and you are accountable to others then you are already a project manager even though you may not have an official title or even had official training. Project Management is a key component of what Assistants do for their organizations and in their personal lives too.

Success depends on being resilient, positive and engaged through rapid and accelerating change which constantly turns our worlds upside down. There is a chapter that explains how you can help change happen for yourselves, your boss and your organisation in a productive and less stressful way.

There is a chapter that will enable you to be effective team member, supervisor and leader learning and understanding about yourselves and how you interact with others and how to communicate effectively. Disagreements will occur sometimes but it’s okay to have healthy debate as it often leads to more creativity and even better outcomes. However understanding behavioural models like DiSC®, TetraMap® , True Colors® and Transactional Analysis helps us make sense of our own and other people’s behaviour and actions and paves the way for controlled and healthy debate rather than conflict. There is also a chapter on increasing your influencing and persuasive powers.

This book is full of insights, earned wisdom, tools and techniques including how to use Neuro Linguistic Programming tools and techniques. It also explains some managerial theories and contains several downloadable appendices to help you effectively manage yourself and others. It can be used as a study guide for professional qualifications or as a ‘friend’ to have on your desk and it can be dipped in and out of when appropriate. It will become the 2nd half of the bible for all assistants and secretaries who wish to progress in their careers and take their self-development to a higher level.

Testimonials for:

“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook”

“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” was featured as a Top 10 English Business Book in WirtschaftsBlatt, which is Austria’s only business daily newspaper by GetAbstract who also featured it as abstract of the week in March 2013!

5 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Assistants and Execs!
I am an entrepreneur/CEO, just hiring my first executive/personal assistant. To be honest, I’m a little uncomfortable with this process. I’m used to “doing for myself” and am not fully sure what to expect.

I bought this and a few other “handbooks” to help me learn more about reasonable expectations for this position. This book – along with the author’s companion handbook The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook are the best! Other handbooks are really reference tools for tasks such as: how to book travel, convert currency, or use MS Office. My assistant can search for those tips online and get much more current information in the process. So, I returned the other books, keeping only the two written by Ms. France.

This book addresses important elements that I would have had to figure out as I go, such as acknowledging and mindfully developing the leadership roles associated with an exec asst. position. Already, I feel that learning curve has been cut in half! There are many more tactical tips for the execution of this role included, as well. I am using these books as communication/training tools for my new assistant and find them very useful!

Of all of the resources I evaluated and/or purchased, Ms. France’s books are the most relevant and practical for the needs of *today’s* assistants and execs. By Susan Kruger, M.Ed. SOAR Study Skills

5 out of 5 stars Professional guide to leadership for Administrative Professionals 2014

This is a very good book for administrative professionals, particularly with the increasing demands on better business knowledge. Actually I wished I had read it when I first started attending management team meetings. The author explains, in a simple and easy way, some of the terms that I have been hearing for some time at the workplace/management meetings, but hadn’t quite understood.

I really enjoyed the overview on Project Management, Leadership and Strategy. There are also great tips on Communication skills. We all know how good communication is essential for us to succeed, but sometimes can be challenging to find the right words. Therefore I did appreciated the real life examples given that I could start putting into practice right away.
J Svensson

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful and an easy read Oct 2014
Does exactly what it says on the cover!
Provides a comprehensive overview of all the key areas, more in-depth reading of areas of interest can be done as required. Amanda J Carter

5 out of 5 stars Very useful and current, a must for all PA’s and Executive Assistants, I have put a copy in our library at work. L J Farrell

5 out of 5 stars An excellent book for aspiring PAs. Very comprehensive compilation of Business and Administration skills. Would recommend it to anyone in this field of work. Dee

I wanted to say congratulations on the book – the book is fantastic. I am really enjoying reading it! Victoria Darragh, Hays

5 out of 5 stars A guide to being a top administrator
This is a book that is something that all PA’s should have on their desk and use it as a matter of course as a reference book for all tasks.
Miss N T Smith

Excellent resource tool 2014
This book outlines in detail the essential elements of being an executive assistant. Like other handbooks by Sue France, it is a handy reference tool.

This book however looks at the leadership elements that an Executive Assistant has, in organising and motivating staff, managing a boss, leading teams, performance management, leading projects, negotiation, and looking at change within an organisation. A great resource for office managers and executive assistants.
Yeppoon, Australia

This a good reference book for administrative professionals. Keep it handy–it’s full of great information. 2014
Sky Sutton, USA

I love “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook”. I ordered it and collected it last night from Waterstones and I stood on the Council House steps reading the decision making section whilst waiting for my lift home. A Director passed and admired my commitment for utilising every minute! Regards Janet Evans, PA Services Supervisor, Coventry City Council

Having had the pleasure of commissioning and editing two of Sue France’s new books, I can say that she is absolutely passionate about the needs of Personal Assistants. She spares no effort to champion their roles, instilling confidence as a role model and an authority on the subject. Her books, ‘The Definitive Personal Assistant and Secretarial Handbook, 2nd edition’ and ‘The Definitive Executive Assistant and Managerial Handbook’ are well written, accessible and identify the very real needs of the modern, busy P.A.’ She is a fantastic speaker and a leading voice for Assistants around the world. Liz Barlow, Development Editor, Kogan Page Publishers

Book details for “The Defintive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook”:
ISBN: 978 0 7494 6582 7
E- ISBN: 978 0 7494 6583 4
Published date: 3 November 2012

Paperback
242 Pages
Dimensions: 234×156mm
Language: English
Price: £16.99

Free Resources Available for “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook”
The following free resources are password protected. To download them please go to the Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook Resources page and enter the password that you will find on the ‘Introduction’ page of the book.
Free resources for “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” include:
Resource 1 – The global list of Professional Administrative Associations produced by The Executive Secretary Magazine
Resource 2 – Example Person specification
Resource 3 – Example questions for recruiting or being recruited

Resource 4 – Coaching questions
Resource 5 – Wheel of Life description of category
Resource 6 – Blank Wheel of Life to use creatively
Resource 7 – Preparation for all negotiations
Resource 8 – The Wheel of Life Categories for Improvement

Book synopsis plus book reviews 2015

 

Sue would be delighted to hear your views on her books, please submit a book review to sue@suefrance.com and you can also enter your email address here for Sue to send any news and updates!