I've spoken in my previous post about how I got a job last year, initially when I started, I felt it wasn't so tasking, maybe it was because I was still understudying my superiors and trying to get the hang of the whole activity. Even when I heard some of my senior colleagues complain about how tasking the job is, how it could even eat into your personal time if not properly planned, I felt like they were exaggerating. You know how you can criticize a situation from afar, but if given the chance to wear the shoe, you get to know actually how uncomfortable the situation could. Well, this right here was my situation.
Well, I did a few months of understudy, then boom there was a massive transfer of staff from my department to some other states where we had branches and new staff were also assigned to us, this happens from time to time to help some other locations where competency is lacking.
There have been times that we have been prompted to step up and assume responsibility. It may be in our personal or professional lives. Tell us about a time you were required to step into a phase of leadership - no matter how brief the moment. Was it difficult? Did you adapt?
Imagine being a student for some time, and you hadn't graduated, and a teaching position was offered to you, this was my situation. I wouldn't say I had finished learning, because I'm still learning to date, but I felt like I hadn't gotten to that position where I could begin to show the ropes to someone else, but my director kept encouraging me, and some other not so new staff to take up the responsibility, and also ask questions where we were confused, they also tried to organize some onboarding and induction classes for all of us as well.
At this point, I felt like I couldn't do it, but my friend kept telling me that I was capable of more than I even gave myself credit for, so I held on to those words and began wearing the hat courageously hehe
We were paired, a new staff and an old one, the new staff to understand the old one and learn the ropes of the job, at first I thought what would I teach this person, what did I even know, I had to alleviate the fear and take it one step at a time, I first told the new staff that I was equally new, that we would be learning together, he laughed at first, but he understood, and then our journey began.
I began showing him what I knew, and what I didn't know, we asked the much older staff, that way we were both learning on the job.
During this period, I got to appreciate myself and gave myself credit because I gave my all and it paid off. I was happy I stepped up and took on the responsibility, it made me a better person career-wise and also in other parts of my life.
Presently, I am building the confidence and courage required to step up to challenges and opportunities as they come.
So here is my response to the prompt from @Hivenaija about ever stepping up to responsibilities.
Thank you for stopping by