My Approach
POWER Skills That Elevate Your Effectiveness
To rise to the top of your field, you need a strong suite of administrative assistant skills and the ability to extend beyond being simply transactional. You need the interpersonal skills that will help you become a trusted partner and advisor to your manager and a role model and leader to those around you.
I call these your POWER Skills. The (anything but) soft skills that allow you to be effective, not just efficient and allow you to show up as a Linchpin Assistant.
The Linchpin Model and the Assistant Competency Model are the foundation of my approach to administrative assistant skill development. I'll help you become a high-performing Administrative Professional that is able to:
When you work with me, you're taking the first step toward a happier, more productive and more rewarding career.
You'll have the confidence to provide the level of support your manager
needs and expects.
To be the little hinge that swings
big doors!
Five Critical Elements
Linchpin Assistant Skills That Empower You To Become The Administrative Professional You Want To Be
My research and experience training and coaching assistants, as well as interviewing and engaging with the business leaders they support have convinced me there are FIVE elements that enable you to support you to show up as a linchpin. Developing insight and understanding in each of the five areas of The Linchpin Model® is a foundation element of my coaching and training.
Self Insight
Insight into your strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats that exist for you. Self-reflection on goals and aspirations. Your unique value proposition. The confidence and ability to blow your own trumpet.
Your POWER Skills
The Ten Power Skills for Linchpin Assistants®. Putting them into practice. Building confidence and competence. Understanding how and when to use them to advocate for your manager and for yourself to get things done.
Leader Insights
What makes your manager tick. Deepening your understanding and insight into the human being/s you support and how to leverage that knowledge and insight to protect their time and energy and enable them to be more effective.
Your Role
Improving your personal effectiveness and productivity and ensuring you are performing the functional aspects of your role at the highest level. Identifying and addressing skills gaps. Mapping your current skillset to the Global Skills Matrix.
Organisation Insights
Who does what, why they do it, and why it's important. Insight and understanding of the formal and informal org structure, the key stakeholders and competitors.
Elevate Your Effectiveness
The Road To Your Success Starts Here
The Assistant Competency Model categorises executive assistants and administrative assistants based on their functional and strategic competencies. Which zone an assistant sits in is determined by a set of characteristics like aptitude, development, mindset and experience as well as their confidence and capability in their Power Skills.
It doesn't matter where you sit in this model, with my coaching and training, you've got the ability to level up and become a linchpin.
Ten Power Skills for Linchpin Assistants®
Mastering Confident Communication
so you can communicate with self-awareness and better advocate for and support your manager
Balancing Negotiating Outcomes
so you can achieve outcomes that align with your manager's strategic vision without damaging relationships
Claiming Your Influence
so you can leverage your situational authority to become an effective leader and influencer bringing people onboard to support your requests and the goals of your manager
Managing Up Skilfully
so you strengthen the partnership and collaboration you have with your manager as well as using these same skills to manage across and diagonally to manage key stakeholders
Navigating Difficult Conversations
confidently engaging in and working through the complexities of these situations before they escalate and impact relationships for you or your manager
Revealing Your Leadership
so you can motivate and inspire others to contribute to the strategic vision of your manager and your organisation
Giving And Getting Effective Feedback
so you can grow and assist others to grow, embracing feedback as a mechanism for increasing your personal and professional effectiveness
Fostering Curiosity For Insights
Using this to foster creativity in others, particularly your manager. Developing empathy about those around you
and opening yourself up to new ideas and approachesBuilding Strategic Thinking
so you can see the bigger picture and anticipate what's ahead. Enabling you to be two steps ahead of your manager and be proactive rather than reactive.
Understanding EQ and Self Regulation
Strengthening your emotional intelligence and the skills to ensure you stay in control of your emotions even when you're under stress and pressure
'What I know is that without developing your POWER Skills it's not possible to consistently occupy the Linchpin zone and be respected, compensated and valued for the contribution you make.'
Liz Van Vliet. Founder, The Linchpin Assistant
Winning Outcomes
Administrative Assistant Skills That Give You The Competitive Edge
I Work With Talented Assistants Who:
Outcomes For Assistants:
Outcomes For Managers and Organisations:
Client Love
Liz Is an inspiring and forward thinking leader who has strong and solid skills as a trainer and expertise in developing EAs ability to be effective through improving their communication and influencing skills.
Sonia Petersen
Senior EA to the Board, Stowe Australia
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Liz Van Vliet
Liz works with executive and administrative assistants to equip them with the skills and confidence they need to influence more effectively and to demonstrate the leadership and interpersonal skills to make them a linchpin to their manager and organisation.