1/29/2013–To know myself, I had to learn about others.
It’s my last week til I go home. I’m trying to think if I’d do anything different if I did this float manager thing again. Maybe I should’ve tracked the store’s SMG scores where I was so I could use them on a resume. The idea of opening a small restaurant–Sam wants to open a gyro joint–has me wondering how to transpose my experience so far into results on paper. If I need work references I’m covered. I’ve learned vital skills for building a healthy culture, analyzing the level of performance a team is at, diagnosing weak areas of a team, identifying potential development opportunities, shift execution, guest satisfaction, and listening. Not to mention what I learned about working on the road, teams who’ve just loss a boss, and the roulette of hotel irons.
I could speak for 20 minutes about these necessary skills I’ve developed which make my team–as a manager–better. But the most illumination surrounds what I learned about myself. Never tested, promoted, or transferred before, I was put into a position in which all three accurately described my experience. I learned more about my strengths. They are not what I do “well”–that’s not a strength. Strengths are what allow me to compete better. As professor Lynch put it, “Just because you have fantastic teeth doesn’t mean it’s a strength.” What strengths I have is not the point of writing this; what’s important is that some will be discovered by anyone who works with multiple teams, and discovered/developed faster than skills of those who don’t work with different teams.
The catalyst is people–they must be different, not the work, to learn your true strengths. Strengths are what can be leveraged as part of an effective team.
I also now know what elements of a job I should seek, which can be paired with my strengths. It’s so hard to believe it’s 6 months I’ve been gone. I have to recommend anyone who hasn’t traveled for work do it, with the caveat that I’m single, without any ties–other than parents/siblings–to my home. So I can’t say it would be just as beneficial had I kids or a relationship to maintain. But even then, a relationship is about helping each other grow, and that’s inevitable when one works with multiple teams of people.
QOTW: “We’re starting a petition to make you stay.” –Lynsee
?FNW: What’s the last thing I’ll learn? Employees have no control
10/25/2017 review: What an amazing experience this was! And I have no changes to make to this lesson–different coworkers illuminate your strengths much faster than different work. When offered a new project or a new team, pick the new team if your goal is to grow quickly. This flexibility will set you up for success in almost any professional environment going forward.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work in multiple stores and cities around the Midwest. I now have reasons to visit Milwaukee, Chicago, Novi, and Mishawaka whenever I drive through. Getting outside my comfort zone was as beneficial as authors and commencement speakers always said it was.