Before The Training
1. How assertive were you before the training?
- In comparison to current situation I can easily say I was only trying to be assertive.
- My assertiveness often come down to holding off with own opinion, staying neutral and inactive during the meetings.
- I almost always accept all the ad hoc tasks from the people coming to my desk which created a huge interruption to my own work.
- I agreed with my boss on many ocasions but inside I felt he was wrong but had no courage to say it out loud (even though I knew he does appreciate honesty)
- How confident were you with Microsoft Outlook?
- I thought I was quite confident, however I didn’t use all possibilities that Outlook offers.
The Training Days
3. Did you find the training useful? If yes how?
- I found the training very useful. I learnt I can have more control over my work and should not be afraid of using new tools.
- I learnt how to introduce tasks into project daily management.
- I learnt how to use outlook calendar in a more efficient way.
- A lot of quick tips helped me to understand that using short cuts will only help to use time and I should not be afraid of using them.
- The training was full of work life examples so I could compare the methods, check they’re working and apply to standards I’m using.
- How did the training meet your needs?
- The meeting was effective, compact with a lot of practice, case studies and useful tips
- Everything was supported by examples
- We’ve received the hand outs earlier (by accident) but actually having read some of the things helped me to ask proper questions and get the most of the training.
- The training helped me to manage my boss better and with bigger confidence.
After The Training Days
5. Did your assertiveness improve after the training? If yes how?
- I’m more focused and of control so I stopped hesitating and I have more courage to approach people. This confidence is now more visible the way I deal with daily interruptions and difficult tasks.
- I’m not afraid to say ‘no’ to by boss when I disagree. I tried and saw he does appreciate me being honest rather than me agreeing with everything he says. It broke the last ice!
- I don’t have a feeling everything depends on me anymore. I realized I’m more effective when I cooperate, focus or sometimes delegate things.
- I’m very confident in running the monthly meetings; I speak during the meetings, ask for actions, discuss things and appoint speakers, make sure the discussion is on right track. All meeting participants acknowledged the changes I introduced and said it was great. The meetings are more compact and ‘to the point’ now.
- Did your skills in Microsoft Outlook improve? If so how?
- My outlook skills improved a lot!
- I’m using outlook task list as a main tool to follow up changes in the projects, update my boss and track actions appointed to other people
- I’m not afraid to adjust the tool bar to my needs; I’m actually playing it, twisting around and trying new things so it’s more user-friendly.
- I use key shortcuts, drag emails, create and assign tasks. I apply rules which saves me a lot of time with filtering emails. My outlook skills are now definitely more practical
- Has the training made you more effective in your work? If so how?
- I’m more confident, organized and have a peace of a mind at the same time
- I’m quicker in responding emails
- I’m not using my paper notebook at all
- Having introduced ‘rocks & sand’ method, I’m now 85% more effective with my daily tasks and managed to improve effectiveness of my boss. I now have the full picture of what I’ve been doing for entire day.
- I’m more effective as saving time allows me to focus on new things or just talk to people which is also important in my job ( I can now develop my interpersonal skills)
- I’m less administrative and more managing now
- As a part of this domino effect I also managed to finally understand what’s going on at different levels of our organization, simply because I have now time to investigate
- I learn how to focus more in order to enjoy more time because all things are done
- Has your manager or team appreciated the changes?
- Yes he did, he thinks working with tasks is a brilliant idea
- He is more calm now as he doesn’t have to dig in he’s Evernote notes anymore. It’s not crowded anymore as project we follow have been moved to tasks
- He noticed my confidence in running the meetings, taking notes and making decisions.
- He appreciated the fact I introduced a break during his working day and got convinced that’s necessary.
- He feels the decision about having the training was a good decision