If Someone Suddenly Isn’t There: An Admin’s Preparedness Checklist

by Rhonda Scharf | Mar 9, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

This is not something we like to think about, but every workplace eventually faces it. One day, a team member is there; the next day, they aren’t. At all. It’s unexpected and incredibly hard to deal with. It could be an illness, a family emergency, a sudden...

Managing Fear Before It Manages You

by Rhonda Scharf | Mar 2, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

My 4-year-old granddaughter gets night terrors. She wakes up inconsolable, virtually hysterical, and not at all awake. It takes a while to calm her down; she isn’t speaking, hearing, or even knowing that I (or her parents) am with her while it is happening. It...

Are You Playing It Too Safe?

by Rhonda Scharf | Feb 20, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

When was the last time you did something at work that made you slightly uncomfortable? Not reckless. Not irresponsible. Just uncomfortable. If you’ve attended one of my From Admin to Strategic Partner workshops, you know that we talk about pushing boundaries. Why?...

Productivity Anxiety – and What to do About it

by Rhonda Scharf | Feb 12, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

It’s Monday morning, and your alarm rings. You open your eyes, take two seconds to think about your day, and as you do, the dread sets in, your heart rate picks up, the anxiety steps in, and you realize you have a stressful day ahead. Again. You’re not alone....

Networking Without the Ick

by Rhonda Scharf | Feb 9, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

Let’s be honest: networking makes a lot of people uncomfortable. And if you’ve ever walked into a conference with thousands of attendees, felt like everyone else already knows each other, and wondered if you should just grab a coffee and hide, you are absolutely not...

Control the Controllables

by Rhonda Scharf | Jan 30, 2026 | Ask Rhonda, Communication, Efficiency, Goal Setting, Help Me Rhonda, Management, Tips

Lately, I have noticed a common theme in my conversations. People are overwhelmed. Not the “I need a nap” kind of overwhelmed. The deep, bone-tired, mentally overloaded, where-even-do-I-start kind. And honestly? I feel the same. Some days it feels like the weather...