• reach out to people they normally would not
• use their creativity and be resourceful
• notice things they don’t see in calm waters
• “muster up” every bit of strength
• be invigorated – come alive
• and display courage

High seas can come in the form of

• changes at work
• dealing with personal challenges and trying to balance work
• taking on a major assignment or project
• an exciting new administrative position
• picking up your family and moving to a new place
• leaving the administrative profession after many years

In Joan’s dynamic opening keynote, she will share with you how to use the STAR® approach to Realize Your Full Potential!

Joan Burge is the founder and CEO of Office Dynamics, Ltd. and the creator of the Forum for Administrative Excellence™. Joan has been a visionary for administrative training and development since 1990. One of the first to venture into the administrative training industry. She has become an international administrative expert, trainer, author, and consultant. Joan’s never-ending quest for providing top-notch educational programs has earned the respect of premier clients like Cisco, Boeing, Humana, Sunoco, Caterpillar, Nokia, Procter & Gamble, and the University of Pennsylvania. (More on Joan Burge)


DREAM BIG! What's the Best That Can happen?
By Barbara Sanfilippo, CSP, CPAE

• rate your life satisfaction index
• define what success and happiness means to you
• make time to enjoy more Cappuccino Moments™
• and create your biggest dreams
  

You will leave energized with a renewed sense of priorities and actions you can take to achieve success and live a life of significance.

Barbara Sanfilippo, CSP, CPAE
Based in San Diego, California, Barbara Sanfilippo, CSP, CPAE, is an enthusiastic, dynamic and popular national and international speaker, author, coach and consultant specializing in the areas of sales, customer service and motivation. She is the author of "Dream Big! What's the Best That Can Happen?", contributing author in “The Service Path – Your Roadmap For Building Strong Customer Loyalty!” Described as a diminutive dynamo, Barbara is known for delivering "how to" ideas in a highly entertaining and energetic style. Previously, she was a Vice President and Regional Sales Manager with two major corporations and prior to that an executive and administrative assistant for 12 years.

Her clients include: Bank of America, Starwood Resorts, AT&T, Coldwell Banker and hundreds of others. Barbara is one of 83 speakers worldwide to receive both the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and the CPAE, Speaker Hall of Fame award from the National Speakers Association.


Sailing True - Hoisting the Sails of Personal Focus
By Lisa Olsen, Office Dynamics West Coast Speaker / Trainer
Unlike cruising on a luxury liner, sailing is the complex art of controlling a sailing vessel and it requires focus and the ability to read the winds. Experienced sailors understand how to manage the forces of the wind on the sails in order to change direction and speed. They know the value of “centering of effort” – the point at which all the forces acting on the sails are concentrated. Sailing experts utilize many “aids to navigation,” fixed objects that they use to navigate their position. These can be buoys, lighthouses, sea markers or even land.

Success minded administrative professionals have the same challenges. Sailing true in today’s fast-paced corporate environment requires dedicated focus. Your boss and your company depend on your navigation expertise to gauge the winds and react accordingly, with confidence and diplomacy using essential critical thinking skills.

In this dynamic presentation, we will hoist the sails of personal focus and discuss the following key points. Focus

• on your values. Know when you need to “come about” and make course corrections.
• on specific “aids to navigation.” Learn the 3 aids to navigation that will keep you from going adrift when you have to suddenly change hats.
• on strength of character. Don’t be afraid to “luff-up!”
  on influence, not position. Learn 10 Methods of Influence that will set you apart.
• lifting your boss’s load. Discover 89 specific attributes that will keep you both afloat.
• developing good habits. Experienced sailors must be disciplined and cultivate habits to bring results.
  

Lisa Olsen, Office Dynamics West Coast Speaker / Trainer
Lisa is the West Coast Representative for Office Dynamics. She is a speaker, trainer, consultant and author of the newly-released book When Work Becomes You (It’s All About the Fit). Lisa is a veteran of the administrative profession – having worked her way to the highest corporate levels over 20 years. From early days as a human resource specialist to the present she has navigated her career path wisely, developing the essential skills needed to be successful. Her extensive experience in the Administrative Professional field led her to new opportunities including accepting a part time college teaching position. She has developed a passion for sharing her knowledge with other Admins and is now focusing on consulting and training to encourage others to be their best in this dynamic and valuable career.


Administrative Stardom - Rising to the Top! An Office Dynamics' First!
In this Oprah-like interview format, you will hear first hand how to achieve administrative stardom from three top executive assistants from Silicon Valley.  They will openly share the skills, attitudes, and actions they embraced to be successful. And tell you how they continue to sail to success!

Joanne Linden Chief Executive Assistant to Chairman and CEO (Aart de Geus) of Synopsys, Inc. Joanne Linden has been a professional administrator for over 30 years. Prior to that Joanne was Executive Assistant to the CEO at Octel Communications. She held many roles during her 10-year membership with IAAP, is currently a member of SVCA and is also on the Advisory Board of UCSC Extension "Executive Administrative Certificate Program." Joanne is a Star Achievement Certified Trainer and has been teaching this program internally for more than 2 years. Linda McFarland Executive Assistant to the President & CEO (Pat Romano) of 2Wire Incorporated With a dedicated and extremely successful career as an Executive Assistant, Linda has spent over 30 years mastering her multi-tasking skills and her “never-panic-under-fire” demeanor, so prized by senior executives. She has held Executive Assistant positions with a variety of FORTUNE-listed companies, spanning the legal, medical, and high-technology industries. With a passion for developing and training others, she is a founder and current member of the Silicon Valley Catalysts Association (SVCA), serves on the advisory board of the University of California Santa Cruz Extension’s “Executive Assistant Certificate Program,” and is an instructor for that program. Debbie Gross Chief Executive Assistant to the President & CEO (John Chambers) of Cisco Systems Debbie has over 20 years of experience in the administrative field. She has been instrumental in promoting Cisco programs that support administrators, and is a strong proponent of best practice sharing and career development through mentoring programs, process and policy improvements councils, and training opportunities including recently becoming a member of the UCSC Extended Campus Board for Curriculum Development and is teaching within the newly formed Administrative Professionals program there. She is also a Certified Star Achievement Trainer for both Level 1 and Level II Administrative training programs developed by Joan Burge. Debbie was a top-ten finalist for the 2006 Office Team Administrative Excellence award. She is a member and one of the original founders of the SVCA (Silicon Valley Catalysts Association) which is a 30 member organization of Executive Assistants who support CEO’s in the Silicon Valley.

Don't Jump Ship -- Riding the Waves of Change
By Kathy Tosoian, Office Dynamics
Change is inevitable. We can't stop it, so we must learn to deal with it - using it to broaden our horizons and expand our territory. Just when we think we've navigated the perfect course, we have control of the steering, all systems are "go,” we find that the winds have changed directions, the crew has bailed out, or the destination has been changed! Now what will we do? Where do we find help? Who will sink? Who will swim?
Learn to ride the winds of change and keep your head above water! Don't let change force you to jump ship!

• Change Happens - What is change? Why do we react to it? How does it differ from transformation? Identify major changes you have experienced in your life/career and share how you handled them.
  
• Change Response Profile - Take this self-assessment and discover how you naturally respond to change and where you may wish to improve. Although we all respond differently to change, we generally progress through a wide range of feelings as we come to terms with any new situation. Learn about these different phases and how you can move through them with greater control.
  
• Change Management - Identify current changes you and/or your company are dealing with. How will this change impact you? How can you adapt to your changing environment? Learn effective tools and strategies for dealing with stress and worry brought on by change.
  
• Seeing Change as Opportunity - We always have a choice about how we perceive change in our life. Do we run away from it? Do we hide until it passes through? Do we meet it head on and ride the waves with it? Our attitude about change will determine how we adjust. Do we see change as a challenge or as an opportunity? Create a personal action plan that you can follow when you are in a "changing" environment so that you will be able to navigate your ship smoothly!
  

Kathy Tosoian
Kathy is a Star Achievement Certified Trainer and has been with Office Dynamics, Ltd since 1997. Kathy combines her love for people and her passion for excellence to help professional men and women develop their confidence, people skills, and communication abilities.  As a motivational speaker, she inspires, motivates, entertains, and educates her audience.  Her clients encompass a variety of organizations in the automotive, service, sales, business and educational communities, including General Motors as her largest client.  Kathy is also a Certified Instructor of the Dale Carnegie® Course, motivating and inspiring audiences since 1993.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Michigan State University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Oakland University.