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Partnering with Your Boss: Strategic Skills for Administrative Professionals

Attend this seminar and master techniques for effective goal setting, prioritizing, planning, decision making, relationship building and listening. Learn how to communicate confidently and assertively—and develop and use power and authority. You’ll return to work better able to support your organization’s/boss’s goals, adapt to various communication styles to successfully influence and work with your boss and others, establish trust, credibility and authority to strengthen your relationship with your boss.

Seminar Number: 02268

5
(209 reviews)
  • In-Person
  • Live Online
  • At Your Company Location

Course Scheduling & Pricing

Home>Course Topic>Office and Administrative Support>Partnering with Your Boss: Strategic Skills for Administrative Professionals

About This Course

Administrative professionals create more value when they can anticipate needs, and apply and operate with stronger business judgment. This course helps participants build a more strategic partnership with their leaders by strengthening initiative, communication and follow-through. It is especially relevant to professionals working in C-suite executive support roles, where discretion and proactive priority anticipation directly contribute to how well senior leaders operate.

Read the FAQs

Who Should Attend

Senior administrative support staff, executive secretaries, administrative assistants, staff assistants and executive assistants.

  •   In-Person2 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU
  •   Live Online2 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU
 
 

Attend this seminar and master techniques for effective goal setting, prioritizing, planning, decision making, relationship building and listening. Learn how to communicate confidently and assertively—and develop and use power and authority.

You’ll return to work better able to support your organization’s/boss’s goals, adapt to various communication styles to successfully influence and work with your boss and others, establish trust, credibility and authority to strengthen your relationship with your boss.

  • Consistently anticipate your boss’s needs
  • Gain the respect of your boss and be taken seriously
  • Get what you need from others to accomplish your job and achieve your boss’s goals
  • Have the authority to make—and act on—decisions
  • Confidently represent your boss
  • Be seen by your boss and by others as a valuable professional resource
  • Develop a trusting relationship with your boss
  • Partner with multiple bosses and other office professionals
  • Effectively use time and get more things done in a day

Defining the Strategic Partnership

  • Identify the characteristics of effective partnering with your boss and use these features to create a positive partnership
    Developing a Trusting Relationship with the Boss
  • Adapt methods to complement the boss’s preferences by completing a self-evaluation exercise and creating a blueprint for change
    Planning Skills to Anticipate and Proactively Support the Boss
  • Choose and apply the active listening skills that allow you to anticipate the boss’s needs by completing a communication assessment and enacting a listening skills role play
    Extending the Partnership
  • Define and integrate your personal power bases by revisiting trust…and by completing a “power-base planner”
    Aligning and Expanding  Partnering Relationships
  • Use influencing and persuasive communication skills in planning and delivering a business case presentation

Special Feature

AMA Blended Learning combines instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses and other resources to maximize your training goals. Through a blend of proven instructor-led seminars and powerful online technology, AMA Blended Learning provides a compelling and more comprehensive experience for the learner—producing a greater return-on-investment for the employer and the seminar participant.

Learning Objectives

  • Build and Preserve Productive and Trusting Workplace Partnerships with Your Boss and Others
  • Apply Planning Skills to Anticipate Needs, Manage Time and Projects, and Gain Recognition, Personal Power, and Authority
  • Identify and Practice Personal Behaviors and Modes of Interaction That Form the Basis for Strategic Collaborations with Your Boss and Others
  • Apply Decision-Making Skills in Order to Become Proactive in Anticipating the Needs of Your Boss and in Acting for the Benefit of the Organization

Defining Your Strategic Partnership

  • Identify the Characteristics of Effective Partnering and Use These Features to Create a Profile for Your Partnering Relationship with Your Boss
  • Define Your Role as a Partner By Completing a Partnering Worksheet/Planner

Understanding Your Boss (and Yourself): A Study in Behavioral Styles

  • Identify Your Own Behavioral Style Preferences
  • Identify Your Boss’ Behavioral Style and Build a Better Working Relationship
  • Identify How to Build Trust with Each Type of Behavioral Style and Make a Trust-Building Plan to Incorporate with Your Boss
  • Demonstrate the Best Way to Communicate with Bosses, Peers, or Employees Whose Style Preferences Differ from Yours
  • Describe the Concept of Different Work Styles and Determine How You and Your Boss Complement One Another

Anticipating Your Boss’ Needs with Good Communication Skills

  • Choose and Apply the Active Listening Skills That Will Allow You to Anticipate Your Boss’ Needs By Completing a Communication Assessment and Enacting a Listening Skills Experiment
  • Create a List of Best Practices for Active Listening, Feedback, and Questioning Skills
  • Begin Gathering Information to Help You Start Anticipating Your Boss’ Needs More Accurately

Becoming an Effective Gatekeeper By Managing Information Flow

  • “Manage Up” By Being Conscious of Information Flow
  • Clarify What Gatekeeping Means in Terms of Controlling and Supporting Information Flow
  • Negotiate to Use Your Skills as a Gatekeeper More Effectively By Getting Either More Information to Manage or More Authority to Handle the Information You Are Already Working With
  • Solve Information Flow Problems at Work

Decision Making with and for the Boss

  • List the Barriers to Decision Making
  • Use Four New Decision-Making Tools
  • Establish Decision-Making Ground Rules to Apply When Either You or Your Boss Is the “Partner-in-Absentia”
  • Organize Your Office and Communicate with Your Boss So S/He Can Find What S/He Needs When You Are Out of the Office

A Trusted Partner: Establishing Your Ethical Boundaries

  • Recognize and Respond to Unethical Behavior
  • Define and Prioritize Your Ethical Obligations
  • Establish Your Own Ethical Boundaries
  • Use Questions to Help Resolve Ethical Dilemmas
  • Access Written Documents Outlining Legal and Ethical Behaviors and Use That Information to Determine Your Course of Action When Responding to Unethical Behavior in Others

Aligning and Expanding Your Partnering Relationship

  • Synergize and Practice New Feedback-Seeking and Informative Speaking Skills By Planning a Work Review or Project Update Presentation
  • Apply Influencing and Persuasive Communication Skills in Planning and Delivering a Business Case Presentation

Download Extended Seminar Outline PDF

View a Sample of Our Reviews

5

209 reviews

 
The information /materials are relevant and current. This led to some awesome group discussions. Plus the instructor was extremely knowledgeable and engaging with the participants.
5
Andrea J.
 
Executive Assistant
 
Industry: Government
The course is extremely informative and helpful. It gave me directives to make my already good working relationships even better! Lot of tools to help me organized and get more done in a day.
5
Christina C.
 
Executive Assistant
 
Industry: Insurance
I really enjoyed this class. There were only 5 participants, plus the instructor, so the class felt more intimate. We were all able to share our experiences, give advice, support and have meaningful conversations. Sometimes, when the group is larger, it feels informal and people aren't as willing to share. Our instructor was great. I would love to take another course taught by her.
5
Jessica D.
 
Senior Specialist Field Management
 
Industry: Organizations
I found this to be a very well structured, informative, inter-active and engaging class that helped me to better understand the primary and secondary work personalities of both my Directory and myself and some essential skills that will help us in developing a successful partnership moving forward.
5
Susan N.
 
Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Support Speciali
 
Industry: Organizations
The course was excellent and met my needs as a new Administrative Specialist. The course size was small and allowed for sharing ideas and participation in practice exercises manageable.
5
Wanda J.
 
Program Analyst
 
Industry: Government

 

American Management Association is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is accredited to issue the IACET CEU.

In-Person Schedule

2 Sessions Available

Live Online Schedule

3 Sessions Available

  • $2,095.00 Non Members
  • $1,895.00 AMA Members
  • $1,858.00 GSA
Date Duration State City Zip
  2026-06-08 2026-06-09 Jun 8, 2026 - Jun 9, 2026 2 Days DC Arlington/Washington 22202-4807 Arlington/Washington Register Now

  2026-10-15 2026-10-16 Oct 15, 2026 - Oct 16, 2026 2 Days NY New York 10019 New York Register Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should attend this course on partnering with your boss?

This program is designed for administrative professionals, including executive assistants, administrative assistants and executive secretaries who want to strengthen their ability to work more strategically with senior leaders. It is especially valuable for professionals who support executives and want to become a more effective business partner.

What skills will I learn in this administrative professional training?

Participants learn how to strengthen communication with executives, anticipate leadership needs and contribute more strategically to organizational goals. The program focuses on the skills administrative professionals need to build stronger partnerships with their managers and support executive decision making.

How is this course different from other administrative professional training?

Unlike many administrative skills programs that focus primarily on task management, this course emphasizes the strategic relationship between administrative professionals and their leaders. Participants learn how to position themselves as trusted partners who contribute to executive effectiveness.

I support a senior executive and want to be more proactive. Will this course help?

Yes. Many administrative professionals want to move beyond reactive support and become more proactive partners to their leaders. This program provides practical strategies for anticipating executive needs, improving communication and strengthening the partnership between assistants and executives.

Why is partnering effectively with your boss important for administrative professionals?

Strong partnerships between administrative professionals and executives improve communication, decisionmaking and overall productivity. When administrative professionals develop the skills to collaborate effectively with their leaders, they can contribute more meaningfully to team and organizational success.

How can administrative professionals build stronger working relationships with executives?

Strong partnerships between administrative professionals and executives are built through proactive communication, understanding leadership priorities and anticipating needs. When assistants develop these habits, they can support executives more effectively and contribute to smoother decision making and workflow.
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