Welcome to AK Lean Virtual Assistance!

Hello, and nice to meet you!

I’m Megan, the owner of AK Lean Virtual Assistance. I am excited that you’re here and look forward to opening my ‘office door’ to you for a fun and amusing adventure involving administrative discussions, a dash of Lean Six Sigma pondering, a pinch of my crazy-work-home-life-balance, and a whole lot of humor!

One of the things I’ve learned over the course of my career is that you begin every meeting, or interaction, with two things: an ice breaker and introductions. So, let’s jump in with both feet and get going!

Ice Breakers

My favorite type of ice breaker questions are ones that get people out of their comfort zones, but also provide a small window into who they are as a person. I’ve got two go-to ice breaker questions I use when facilitating groups that always bring interesting discussions.

If you could have any super power what would you choose and why?

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The first one is easy for me - I’ve always wanted to have the ability to absorb other people’s abilities, just like Rogue from the X-Men. This power would allow me to take all the super hero abilities for a spin!

The second ice breaker is harder for me to answer. If I were to be honest with you, what I wanted to grow up to be when I was a kid was everything. I wanted to be an author, an artist, a football player, a journalist, a forensic scientist, and so much more. You name it and I probably wanted to be it at some point. I’m the type of person who is fascinated by the world and wants to try everything.

What did you want to be? (Let’s keep the flow going and comment below!)

Who Am I?

Let’s start by a visual. This is me!

Now that we’ve broken past the awkward first beginnings, let me tell you a little about myself.

I’m an “implanted” Alaskan, my father was in the United States Air Force. Alaska became my home in high school, and my heart goes out specifically to local Alaskan small businesses.

I’ve worked in the administrative field, primarily the state and federal government sectors, for most of my career. This provided me with a solid base of administrative processes, customer service, and the ability to prioritize quickly and work efficiently.

I was introduced to Lean Six Sigma while working on the core project team for a major initiative spurred by a decline in the fiscal security of the Alaskan economy and a need to provide facilities services to government agencies in a more efficient and effective manner. My project team members and I became certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belts through the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC).

Lean Six Sigma immediately called to me - there was finally a professional path to fulfill my desire to constantly question how and why things are done. (Yes, I was the “why kid” growing up!) This drive for more knowledge around Lean Six Sigma led me to become a certified Master Black Belt through Aveta Business Institute and a Certified Kaizen Facilitator through the Management and Strategy Institute.

Part of my work with Lean Six Sigma in the government sector included collaboratively creating the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt training. The second part of my work in DOT&PF was to lead Kaizen events to look at a variety of processes for ways to make them more efficient and effective, through time saved or financial cost savings opportunities.

Education wise, I have two degrees in business administration, with the focus o my bachelor’s degree in small business management and entrepreneurship. While working through my degree programs I was introduced to the concept of a virtual administrative assistant. This intrigued me so much that I based my capstone project, creating a working business plan, on a virtual assistance business.

My professional goals are to study for, and soon test for, my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. I believe you should never stop learning and growing - so bring on professional development!

So that’s your professional life, what about your personal life?

Like I mentioned above, I’m an “implanted” Alaskan. We landed in Anchorage, Alaska during my freshman year of high school and I’ve considered it home ever since.

Jumping to the present - I’m married to a wonderful and SUPER supportive husband that constantly allows me to come running to him with random questions and explosive ideas that usually start with “what do you think about this?!”

I’m the mother of two VERY energetic children, a 10-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. They are my laughter and joy, and the reason I’m constantly tired at the end of the day. (If someone ever figured out how to siphon energy from children and redirect it into mothers, please let me know your secret - I’ll pay!)

I also have two pets, Lycos and Koopa. Lycos is a 5-year-old rescued black lab that is glued to my legs most of the time. He’s my shadow and goes where i go. He’s been a part of our family for just over two years, but it feels like he’s always been here. Koopa is our Russian tortoise. He pretty much eats, sleeps, and digs all day. Oh, and he loves watching the Jurrasic Park movies.

So what’s with this blog?

This blog will become the landing point for many topic. You can expect tips for administrative professionals and virtual assistants, as well as explanations and insight into Lean Six Sigma tools and methodologies, and how to apply them in a business setting. To lighten the blog, there will also be occasional work-life balance posts showcasing how to work from home successfully - and the sometimes humorous fails that happen when you work from home with children.

Awesome, I’m on board! What’s next?

I’m so excited for you to be here, and I cannot wait to start building a relationship with you. For easy access to the blog, make sure to subscribe. AK Lean Virtual Assistance is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to pop over there and like/follow us for a more fun interaction!