16 BOEING FRONTIERS / MAY 2013 WHY WE’RE HERE My official job title is Office Administrator. That means a lot of different things, but in essence it means making sure my manager can do his job of providing support for F-15 aircraft customers. I know he can’t focus on his job if he has to spend his time on routine administrative tasks. So I do those things—like correspondence, schedule management, meeting setup and travel arrangements—that free him to do what he does best. I’ve found that success as an office administrator depends on three things. The first is teamwork. It may seem like office administrators are solo workers, but a lot depends on communication and networking. Since no one person is an expert in everything, office administrators, or OAs, have to work together to understand and to maximize all the systems Boeing uses. For instance, I may need others’ help in procurement. Or someone may need my help in coordinating international travel. I learned a long time ago that it’s not just about supporting our immediate supervisors or teams; it’s about asking for help when I need it and helping others as they support their teams. Another quality that comes in handy for an OA is recognizing that every person and every job is important. Although my first responsibility is to my immediate manager, opportunities often come up to help other OAs help their teams, and vice versa. I can’t have the attitude “that’s your job, not mine.” We’re here to help one another succeed. It’s like the links in a bicycle chain. Every link in the chain is needed to keep the bike moving. The third thing that helps me as an OA is focus. I recently completed the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. I successfully completed a 2.4-mile (4-kilometer) swim, a 112-mile (180-kilometer) bike ride and a 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) run. To succeed, I had to learn to focus on each individual com-ponent, not everything at once. I had to first focus on qualifying. Once in the race, I couldn’t think about the bicycle while I was swimming, and I couldn’t worry about how tired I would be for the marathon before I finished that bike ride. I had to keep my focus on the immediate task at hand. One step, one stroke, one mile at a time. I use that same focus at work. That doesn’t mean I don’t have to multitask at times, but for the most part I focus on the finish line for each individual task until it’s complete. The job of an office administrator is often behind the scenes. But that doesn’t bother me. I know my job is important. OAs are like the timekeeper in a race. You don’t notice the timekeeper until the clock’s not working. Although my job is behind the scenes, I enjoy keeping that clock ticking! n kathleen.mcvey@boeing.com Going the distance For this office administrator, teamwork and focus are key By Kay McVey and photo by Peter George
Frontiers May 2013 Issue
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