Knowing isn't the same as doing...

That was one of the many nuggets that I took away from debating the #888Formula with Abigail Barnes and a room full of inspiring #EAs and #PAs on Tuesday.

I had seen Abigail present at Nicky Christmas/Practically Perfect PA's two-day Future Assistant Conference in February and I was in awe of this amazing lady. I listened as she explained the journey that had led her to create the #888Formula. I left the conference not thinking that our paths would cross again. Until....

One month ago. I read a LinkedIn post by Abigail and I thought "I wonder if Abigail would come to Liverpool and share her story and formula with our incredible community of #EAs and #PAs?". I added a comment to her post "Fancy a trip to Liverpool Abigail?"

The reply "I've never been to Liverpool before Paula and it looks like such an awesome city! Let's book in a call next week and make a plan!". Now that is doing.

On Tuesday we held the event up the Tower at Radio City 96.7 along with Amy Shillcock and her amazing team from Hays Recruitment who sponsored the event.

In one month we went from a seed of an idea to a night of learning from Abigail, making new connections, catching up with special friends, eating amazing food from Castle St Townhouse and raising ￡272 for a very special charity, Cash for Kids

#EAs and #PAs are at the heart of organisations, we work in partnership with the key people who run our cities. By investing in this fantastic resource, executives and their organisations will be even more successful. I always say that an appreciated, motivated and inspired assistant is a powerful asset in business.

Unfortunately, the unique role is often unappreciated, underrated and misunderstood. Organisations are missing a huge trick here. Support the people who support the leaders of your business and watch a change take place.

As the role is misunderstood, there are many #EAs and #PAs who have asked for training and personal development and have been refused. Yes, some organisations do have tight budgets, however, there are many other avenues that could be considered:-

* Time-off for training and networking.

* Mentorship and coaching.

* Subscriptions and memberships to professional bodies, both of which are relatively inexpensive compared with training courses.

* In-house training.

* eLearning packages and subscriptions.

To provide support for #EAs and #PAs Lucy Brazier one of the world's leading authorities on the administrative profession, along with her incredible team at Executive Secretary, will be launching the #AskForTraining initiative next week. Type in #AskForTraining in your search bar on LinkedIn and follow. Follow too on Twitter.

To find out more about Abigail, visit Success by Design

A very important thank you to all the special people who contributed such amazing prizes which enabled us to raise ￡272 for Cash for Kids. Bretta Adlen Fundraising Executive and her team were delighted. Thank you for hosting us at the Tower Bretta.

Finally, thank you to all the amazing people who attended the event. An event is only a success if people make the effort and invest their time and money. We asked you to bring a toy towards the Christmas appeal for Cash for Kids and you didn't disappoint. Thank you x

#LiverpoolAndProud #AssistantsInBusiness #AddingValue #WeLeadUp #WeAreInThisTogether #ResourcesForAssistants