By Karen Porter

Many employees — administrative professionals included — get upset or frustrated when they believe they’re relaying important information or a good idea to their bosses or others and yet their ideas aren’t implemented. Often when speaking up with such an idea, you may believe you’re being ignored too. Perhaps you blame this on your position. For instance, you think, “If I were a department manager and not a department administrative assistant, then she’d listen and give me more respect.” But is that the case always? Is that what’s going on in every such situation?

For instance, you have a great idea for saving money on the company phone bill. You’re eager to tell your executive. So the next time he stops by your desk, you quickly spout off about your idea while you have his attention. You finish explaining your idea and anxiously await his response. Much to your disappointment, he simply nods and says: “I appreciate the thought you put into this. Send that idea to me in an e-mail later when you get the chance. Also, please make me ten copies of this report front and back and put each copy into a binder. And create a draft for the title page for the binder front and spine and show it to me. I want to try to get these ready to ship out by the end of the day.”

You think: What went wrong? Did your executive just pooh, pooh your idea? Was he even listening? Because if he was listening, why would he want me to send it to him in an e-mail later? It wasn’t that hard to comprehend or remember! Instead he just ordered me back to the copy machine like that’s all I’m capable of doing. Ugh!

That’s your perception in the heat of the moment. However, several things just happened here to work against you and your idea.

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