You have to be able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time to do this job! That is what I tell myself every day, especially when things start to get really busy.
As the Executive Assistant for the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), an AH client partner, I work very closely with the CEO and COO and support 17 Commissioners and other staff members. I have several duties, but my main focus is managing the Committees and Taskforces of CCMC.
Managing a busy schedule is something that case managers face on a daily basis. In my role as Executive Assistant, I am constantly juggling my own schedule, as well as the schedules of 50 volunteers who serve on our 17 committees and taskforces. There are several things you can do to keep yourself (and others) organized, and based on my experience, these work best.
First and foremost, you must be organized. You have to create a system that will help you remember dates, times, topics, names, projects, action items, etc.
I work with several calendars; the old fashioned handwritten calendar that sits on my desk, Google calendar with the instant pop-up reminders, BoardEffect, which is the governance portal that my Committees and Taskforces have access to, and lastly, my little Post-It notes that I put on my computer and desk to remind me of some deadlines.
Find a system that works best for you so that you are confident that details will not slip through the cracks.
Secondly, work as far in advance as you can! Some of CCMC’s meetings are scheduled a year in advance. Usually, after the Commissioners meet in June, I have a layout of how many committees and taskforces I will have and when they will meet each month throughout the year. I use that information to populate all of my calendars for months in advance.
Next, follow a weekly routine. Every Monday morning, while having a cup of coffee, I review my calendars to see what I have for the week, what meetings are happening and what preparations I have to make. I also review notes from past meetings to see if there are any action items that I should be working on or if there is anything I need to follow up on.
Calendars (and Post-It notes) are not the only things that keep me organized, I have policies and procedures that I must follow as well. For example:
- Two weeks prior to each meeting, email Committee members to RSVP for the meeting
- Review meeting minutes for any action items and motions
- Draft meeting agendas for review by CCMC Senior Staff and Committee Chairs
- Follow up with Senior staff on any exhibits to be included in meeting materials
- A week before the meeting date, post the agenda and meeting materials and notify Committee and Staff of the posting
- Two days prior to the meeting date check to see if there are any addendums that need to be added to the meeting book
- The day before the meeting, send out a meeting reminder to Staff and Committee members
Of course, with any committee meeting comes meeting minutes. Most meetings will result in action items that either staff or volunteers will manage before the next scheduled call.
These are the steps I follow after each meeting to ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities:
- Draft minutes for each meeting in an approved template
- Add an appointment to the shared Google calendar for a 30-minute debriefing with CCMC senior staff
- Review any action items or motions with CCMC senior staff
- Have CCMC senior staff review the draft minutes before posting online for the volunteers to access
- Minutes should be posted within 72 hours, following the meeting
- Send Volunteer members notification that the minutes have been posted for review. The Committee members have 10 days to submit any corrections to staff.
- If there are any corrections, those meeting minutes get added to the agenda for the next meeting.
- After the 10th day, the minutes are approved and posted
Staying organized and managing 17 Volunteer Committees and Taskforces is certainly a lot of work, but by following these steps, procedures and working far in advance, I am able to ensure that it is a positive experience for both our volunteers and staff.
How do you stay organized? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!
