Today — if you’re very lucky —  your office has a bona fide administrative pro or two, along with a whole cast of others who take care of duties big and small, each necessary for keeping business moving efficiently.

No surprise that the International Association of Administrative Professionals changed the focus of this year’s Adminstrative Professionals Week (this week, April 24-30) to Celebrate All Office Professionals.

A bit on their reasoning:

“The recession has hit everyone in the office. Downsizing has forced all of us to pull together and work harder, not just the administrative professionals in the workplace. IAAP recognizes the hard work and sacrifice from everyone. This year, celebrate all office professionals.”

According to labor statistics, there are 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants in the U.S. today along with 8.9 million people serving in other administrative support roles. But few “traditional” secretaries still exist. In fact, only 5 percent of the administrative trade group’s membership still has the title. In their place are a slew of administrative pros that perform complex tasks managing projects, putting together budgets, serving as the staff expert on computer software and more.

Blogging on the Small Business Trends website, Susan Payton of Egg Marketing & Public Relations makes some great points just how much we rely on administrative professionals. In 5 Things an Administrative Assistant is Better at than You, she lists (among other things)

1. Organizing your calendar
2. Managing travel plans
3. Removing the paper pile from your desk

I could name many (many) more. Where would we be, for example, without the office Excell expert, or the one guy who knows how to replace the toner? 

We are all, indeed, administrative professionals. Celebrate your success by recognizing the great effort everyone makes pulling together, and take pride in the work you do.

Please share your own examples of can’t-live-without admin duties performed by someone at your office. Happy Administrative Professsionals Week to us all!

Here at gThankYou we think celebrating in the workplace is a big deal; in fact, it’s critically important.

Many of us spend half of our waking days at work. We must find meaning and joy and personal growth in our work. If we don’t, it’s drudgery. It is essential for leaders to create real meaning in people’s work-lives. Often leaders make it more difficult than it really is.

OK. So what’s one easy way to bring meaning to work? Give up? It’s to say “thank you” often. Not just “thanks” or “I appreciate that”, say it forcefully, look someone in the eye and really mean it.

Yeah, I know this is simplistic and sappy and something your mother taught you. But, the truth is this: many business leaders don’t do it.

But Harvey Mackay does.

Harvey Mackay is one of my favorite business gurus. He is insightful, successful, entertaining — and on target. I read his column every week.

The Crux

As the consummate salesman, Harvey has an important motto: “Short Notes Yield Long Results”.

What SNYLR means is that “thank-you” notes are a time-tested way to communicate “recognition and courtesy, just as important as remembering names and taking a personal interest in people. And it’s not just for sales” (his words).

Twenty years ago, Harvey’s Mackay Envelope was already a huge success and Harvey was a business-guru-newbie. I had the good fortune to work with him on a couple projects. Afterward, he invited me to the launch party for his first book, “Swim with the Sharks, Without being Eaten Alive” , which became a smashing success and New York Times Bestseller.

At the time I was working around-the-clock on my first company start-up and Harvey was working long, long days to kick-off book sales of “Sharks”. I asked Harvey to inscribe my copy of his book. He did. I sent him a thank-you note. And what did he do?

He sent me a thank-you note thanking me for my thank you note!

Talk about Thank-You Best Practices! Here’s a guy whose book has praise from Gerald Ford and Lee Iacocca and he still has time to mail me a thank-you note.

And I’ve never forgotten it. (The note is tucked inside my copy of the book to this day).

Lessons Learned

You are never, ever too busy to say “thank you”. And the #1 way to say “thank you” with impact is by sending a personal note.

Jack Welch is famous for it; Tom Peters is famous for it; Ronald Reagan was famous for it.

Why don’t you become famous for it?

The positive impact lasts a long, long time.

The Bottom Line

Celebrating work is essential. Saying “thank you” with a personal note is one-to-one celebration. “Short Notes Yield Long Results” (SNYLR).

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