David - Marketing and Communication Officer at Katlo Development Centre

I have, over the years, learned to appreciate the fact that executive members, or rather executive colleagues, require consistency in terms of communication. They prefer regular updates in as far as the strategies that contribute positively to the outcome in the company, the positive outcomes in the company are concerned. The executives need to be updated on a regular and continuous basis, and this, as a result, help them to strategize around matters that concern the positive outcome of the overall business. Whereas whenever I communicate with team members, I communicate with them in a way that shares more information, sheds more light in a way that gives guidance, guidance which will in turn assist them to perform and do their expected duties in a manner that will then contribute to the overall picture of the organization, as well as the goals and objectives of the organization. Whereas when we look at it from the perspective of the executive members, they need communication that is guided by strategies and updates that assist in making sure that the company stays afloat, the company stays committed to the

Working in a fast-paced environment requires for one to stay on top of their game. And as a result, you find yourself inundated with tasks that requires for you to execute them in a short space of time. So, to manage multiple priorities, there's a method that I use whenever I find myself faced with multiple priorities that requires attention. And that method is called the SMART method. This method talks to doing a specific task that is measurable, that is achievable, a task that is realistic, and one that is guided by timelines or timeframes. So this method will assist me in most cases to deal with one priority at a time, more especially if I find myself in a situation where I have to deal with multiple priorities. And this will at the end push me to prioritize and reprioritize as and when I proceed with these tasks. So it guides me, the SMART method guides me to deal with the specific tasks that are measurable, achievable within a specific timeframe, tasks that are realistic, tasks that bears results, tasks that are tangible, tasks that can be delivered within a specified timeframe. So this method works for me whenever I find myself having to deal with multiple tasks at a time. So the SMART method in collaboration with me prioritizing and reprioritizing accordingly.

Today, my name is David, and I would like to respond to the question about a time where I improved office operations. In 2019, I was hired as an Office Manager at a newly established company. And at the time, they did not have a filing system that was convenient for the operation of the company. So as a newly employed Office Manager slash PA, I had to come up with a filing system that was going to be used by the company. So as to ensure efficiency and the smooth and proper running of the office on a daily basis. So I had to come up with a filing system that was convenient and the user-friendly, a filing system that was easy to navigate. So as a result, I had to request for petty cash so that they could buy a cabinet for our files, files which I had to create and label accordingly as per the projects and as per the activities that were relevant to the specific files. So as backup, I also had to scan the files and documents. I had to scan the documents that needed to go into those files so that I could have soft copies as backup of those specific and particular files. So that filing system worked for us and as a result, I was awarded a recognition as a result of my efforts, which at the end of the day brought a new way of doing things within the office because we had files lying around. So as a newly established, newly employed Office Manager, I had to come up with a filing system which anyone was able to enter out of the office.