I’m so happy to be writing this first entry – finally. It might not seem like it, but I agonized about the best way to start for a long time. So long, in fact, that I didn’t actually start it.
I decided to just start the blog and see where the road took me.
What is Team: Solo Admin about?
To be frank, I feel like there isn’t really anywhere for admins to “be.” Not just virtually, but in the world. We, of course, exist everywhere, but just like there’s no clear path to becoming an admin – there’s no place we belong.
We exist in every industry, company, and organization, but how we got there – all different.
I want to have a place where we can talk about more than just how to be a “good admin” for other people.
A place where we can:
- discuss how the role continues to expand while the pay, level of respect, recognition, and perception of our roles remained stagnant.
- brainstorm ways to be better for ourselves, not for our bosses and companies.
- come together as our own team of individuals as we often are alone.
I love being an administrative support professional, and everything that entails. However, I think we often aren’t given a place to safely express ourselves, especially in our work environments.
My intention is not to tell you how to be a good admin, but just talk about my experiences and what I did, albeit, not always correct. I have a lot of tips, questions, and topics that I am eager to share with you all. I hope you enjoy my admin nerd-dom.
I’m so happy you’re here.
Below is my personal, true story of the moment I decided to create this blog.
The Story
It was about 3:30 pm on a Thursday. The enormous weight of all the growing lists of projects, tasks, deadlines, and expectations seemed to crush the life out of me.
“How did I get to here?”
Thinking back, I remembered accepting these tasks, planning for the events scheduled, and preparing for the reports that were due, and now – it’s 3:30 pm. “How on earth could I do this all on my own?!” I thought, “Was it even possible?” “How much overtime would it take?” “How the hell am I supposed to succeed all on my own?”
Then the idea hit me – the Internet. There’s got to be something on the Internet about for admins on how to cope with this feeling! Tools, resources, strategies, tips… something!
I found nothing.
The closest result I found was for one-person team marketing professionals. Feeling defeated (and very disappointed in the Internet), I put my head in my hands, took a deep breath, and simply continued with my work as best I could.
I have worked in the administrative field for most of my career successfully. However, that day, however, I sat at my desk overwhelmed, begging to find somebody who would understand my struggle of being a solo admin.
Where were the people who understood being the one person upon which the daily building blocks of an organization rested? Everywhere I looked on-line, people had a team, and I thought to myself, defeated, “What about the teams of one?”
My Realizations
I realized that though I, personally, was ready and trained to take full accountability for any of the failures, my feelings and situation weren’t necessarily all my fault.
In fact, there were many factors that contributed to my current feelings.
- The lack of a team,
- a rapidly expanding organization,
- unspoken expectations,
- bureaucratic red tape,
- feelings of being:
- undervalued,
- underpaid,
- overlooked, and
- overwhelmed.
I harbored resentment directed towards many things, people, and myself. For admins, not having any control when your position expects you to be in control is hard.
The Resolution
Later that night, after a few (FINE!! Many.) glasses of wine, I said, “Fuck it. I’m going to write MY thoughts!” I might not be a perfect admin, but I am damn good!
I thought, “There had to be other damn good admins out there who share my feelings and wish they had someone/somewhere to offer understanding, advice, and comaraderie.”
I came up with Team: Solo Admin.
I really appreciate you being here and hope you enjoy the blog!
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