You never know who you might meet......

Part of the benefit of going to the International Convention is meeting so many peers --that cross an amazing number of industries. I remember thinking to myself last year-- just how cool it was that there were, indeed, thousands of dedicated and professional admins.

I met folks from the professional sports, university staffers, peace corps, federal and state government staff, and.. yep, Starbucks. ( I promise I was well-behaved!) It makes me want to write Dunkin' Donuts and make sure they are sending equal representation!

It's intriguing to me because some aspects of the career, the daily work day- are the same. Answering phones, scheduling travel, making appointments, prepping Board books etc.. but I gather an inkling that there would be some very challenging differences between working in the local School board office and, scheduling a call between your boss and say, LeBron James or perhaps a celebrity, ie) Meryl Streep.

Believe it or not, there are those peers of ours .. whose day-to-day work involves working with celebrity or sports celebrities or political personalities that are often on TV or in the news. They can share with you a multitude of very polite ways of telling people to: 1) buzz off, 2) mind their own business, 3 ) their boss cannot see them but another member of their staff can. Always a key skill to all admins...to be able to do this without insulting/demeaning the person trying to see your boss.

It is a reminder to me- always keep your business cards available. If your company does not provide business cards for you, then be certain to go the IAAP main webpage and get the template for IAAP business cards. You never know who you might meet.. they may be a key contact for you or vice-versa in the future. They may even become one of your best friends.... Just don't take advantage of their position. Their career depends on discretion at a whole different level.

More before I leave for Tampa!