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“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” 2nd Edition published November 2021.

“The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” 3rd Edition published  August 2015.

If you would like to buy “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook 3rd Edition” and/or “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook 2nd edition,” please scroll down the page until you see the relevant picture and details of the book and please make sure you choose the correct postage for your country.

Sue is extremely proud that “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” 2nd Edition was awarded by Member’s Voice Awards of www.pa-assist.com – “The best book for a PA 2015 and “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” that was revised in August 2015 with neuroscience was voted 2nd best book.  You can either purchase signed copies on here and Sue will write a personal note in it for you or you can buy them off Amazon or all good book stores will either have them or order them for you.

Please order by clicking on the ‘Add to Cart’ buttons to buy via Paypal. Alternatively, you can order by contacting Sue either through the Contact Page or via the Ask Sue Page, where you can make your request and be sent BACS details. Many thanks.

Both books have free Appendices and Resources that you can download on this website.

If you have found the books beneficial I would really appreciate a testimonial either via an email to sue@suefrance.com and/or on Amazon. Many thanks, Sue.

@suefrance Hv been studying for my 1st module #CertHE & love these as a resource. Can see I’ll keep referring back. pic.twitter.com/JJsKCWWrL5

— Melissa Francis (@Melissa_ExecPA) February 13, 2016

Both of my books “The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook” 3rd edition and “The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook” have been endorsed by The Institute of Administrative Management.

The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook 3rd Edition  published August 2015

I have written this 3rd 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. Why do we and others think, feel, react and behave the way we do? 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.

It includes chapters teaching you how to utilise social media and how to confidently take minutes with ease. I have added a complete 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 to help us destress. 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 Definitive Personal Assistant and Secretarial Handbook” is the ultimate guidebook and ‘friend’ for all management assistants, PAs, EAs; secretaries and Office Managers. It places special emphasis on professional development, providing help and advice on the skills necessary to progress in your career.

It has a chapter to share with your boss for a more fruitful working relationship and it deals with every aspect of these vital roles and the wide range of skills required.

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.

Appendices for this edition can be found on this website to download for free. It includes minute-taking templates; a comprehensive checklist for organising events; a useful appendix which is a list of positive adjectives and action verbs that you can use in your profile, personal branding and CV/resumé and more.

“The Definitive Personal Assistant & Secretarial Handbook”

Please make sure you choose the correct postage for your country 

EUROPE except for UK

UK ONLY

USA only

Rest of World except for Europe and USA

Please note that a flat fee will be added via PayPal for base shipping. The supplements for Europe and World are included above. If you wish to bulk order, please contact for possible reduced shipping rates. 

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: £18.99

“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook 2nd Edition” published November 2021

Please make sure you choose the correct postage for your country 

EUROPE except for UK

UK ONLY  

USA 

Rest of World except for Europe and USA

Please note that a flat fee will be added via paypal for base shipping. The supplements for Europe and World are included above. If you wish to bulk order, please contact for possible reduced shipping rates.

“The Definitive Executive Assistant & Managerial Handbook 2nd Edition” is suitable for all Assistants at whatever level whether they supervise one or more team members or not.

I have written the 2^nd edition to reflect the changing world of work as well as the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world that we now all live and work in. I have included new information from my continued learning and research and from speaking to Assistants and Executives worldwide.

The 2^nd edition will act as a reference book for insights, tips, tools, advice and earned wisdom not only from me but tools explained from other experts for which I am grateful including The World Administrators Alliance for permission to publish the Global Skills Matrix.

It will help those who want to understand themselves and others better, for those who lead teams or simply lead themselves and their boss. It will help those who aspire to progress in their career. 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 others 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. It will explain the differences of being a mentor, trainer, counsellor or coach and how to conduct or use those roles effectively.

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 organisations 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. It will help you to understand behavioural models such as DiSC® and TetraMap®. Transactional Analysis is explained to help you make sense of your own and other people’s behaviour and actions and paves the way for controlled and healthy debate rather than conflict.

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.

Both books can be used as study guides for professional qualifications or as a ‘friend’ to have on your desk and can be dipped in and out of when appropriate. They will be your aid to help you progress in your career and take your self-development to a higher level.

ISBN:

Hardback:  978 13 986 02489

Paperback: 978 13 986 02465

Ebook:         978 13 986 02472

Published date: 3 November 2021

Paperback

293 Pages

Dimensions: 234×156mm

Language: English

Price: £18.99

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