Some People

So work begins to quicken to a heavy pace and I find a collective of my colleagues neatly lined up on my MSN list. Strange. What will be stranger, when I am having conversations with employees based at the other side, rather than those sitting across from my desk.

Moving into a new industry brings with it many pitfalls. An unknown territory always feels insecure. Regardless of the context, we always feel uneasy when driving on a new stretch of road, or walking through a new shopping centre. Particularly when everyone else seems so well at home. Comfortable is the world I would use but when you realise that the office itself has just been converted from a barn and technology thrown in with the people fending for themselves. They refer to the real world as a being a "jungle" out there.

Along with coming to the terms with the striking way the business operates who also have to understand the various aspects of the business. By 'business' I am referring to clients, the very people I will be supporting over the coming few months. Over the past week I have only started to realise the grave importance of my role. By taking the calls, I would be the bridge between the business and the client. Unlike before, when all my customers (such an inappropriate description) were internally based, now I would rarely make face to face contact. Although I will miss this aspect of my previous position, I know that I have to make the most of the opportunity before me here. I see a long hard road ahead and there is only one person able to meet the challenge with not just ambitious dedication but to surpass all expectation. Above all, one crucial element is key to aid me achieve my goals. Positive Mental Attitude. No matter how bad and inreversable a situation becomes, I will have to tell myself. Look where I've been and just look where I'm heading. For once, the future is bright, if not orange, then of course, maruno blue. Always hold dear to your heart the thought that, "Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it".

I began answering the telephones today. Starting anything is always a daunting prospect, particularly when you are still trying to find your feet with the product. Users asking me questions about the product? How do I cope, when I know so little about the product. Then my manager departed the office at 4.30pm and I was left very much to my own devices. For a while, all was quiet and I hoped that the phone wouldn't ring, anxiously watching the clock to tick over to 6pm. Then, it rang. Within a split second my mind switched into over drive. Hot out sheer nerves but seeing an window to prove myself rather than continue to doubt my own ability. This was an opportunity for me to prove myself. The more I spoke to clients on the phone, the more my confidence would grow, as would my speed and exposure to dealing with various support calls. Not sure why I was so apprenhensive about this to begin with. Yet I notice the same reaction surface once again, as it did some six months earlier (to the day!). There is something about being new that puts you in an extremely difficult situation. You want to develop your skills and product knowledge knowing your barrier is only time. You are also cautious to the fact that you want to do things by the book and more importantly correctly.

Just as I am finding my feet and learning many things, not specific to the job but more general to the life in a new position. I stumble upon some very useful advice. Plenty more were that came from, even if hunting down the home grown material is a little more tiresome. Just my luck that such priceless reading is never close to hand the day I need it most. I don't know, some people, just don't have the luck.