Monday, January 12, 2015

What Am I Getting Myself Into?

I know I’m not the only one who has ended up with all the responsibility at work and not had the pay to match. Circumstances like this is part of what fuels my concentration in business management. I have been reading several blogs with the intentions of familiarizing myself with the ideological business atmosphere. Furthermore, to gain insight of what I am getting myself into.

I read How to Get Management Experience When You Aren't a Manager, by Brian Brookshire. Brian speaks about one having management experience even though one may never have had the official title of manager. I truly enjoyed this article, mostly because I could relate to it. In every job I have had or have (and I emphasize every) I have trained new staff, ran shifts in my boss’ absence, and carried out end of shift procedures that normally a “manager” would do. Aside from actual duties one might have, I have also redesigned typical procedures or layouts of companies I have worked for to be more efficient. When reading Brian’s article I confirmed that I do have manager experience, I just never had the title or pay. I feel this is important to identify because I know I am not the only one who may have second guessed myself. I have heard several times that you actually learn a job on the job not beforehand. In other words schooling isn't everything, yes it helps, but you still get a handle of your job once you start because not everyplace or position is the same. My best advice is do not limit yourself to what you are familiar or secure with, broaden your horizon and just go for it.

                Another article I read was, 2 Pivotal Steps Women Must Take to Get Ahead in the Business World by Anett Grant. I found this interesting for the simple reason of avoiding “paying dues” at a new company. If I can get on the fast track of where I want to go because I earned it, why not? Although the advice given was not the first time I had heard it, I can definitely appreciate it. The blog post talks about building professional relationships with key members of the company. Some of this I think is common sense and have used these tactics in previous positions as a bartender myself (very cut throat industry), but not everyone has common sense and or the experiences I have had. On the other hand there are also points that I had not thought of, like needing more than one person to contribute to a nomination for a promotion. Another point this article discusses is recognizing your accomplishments properly. With companies being so large and having tons of employees these tactics can definitely divide you from the herd.

                The last blog I want to discuss is Natalie Macneil’s, Set Yourself Apart: Creating a Personal Brand When You’re Running a Business. “One of the main things I appreciated about this article is her promotion to be unique. Natalie states “I believe business owners should inject their own personalities and personal brand attributes into their businesses. Your personality and your story can really set you apart – after all, you’re the only YOU on this planet.” With so many businesses out there, how do you set yourself apart from others? I love her statement, you’re the only you on this planet. With technology and everything advancing so quickly, I feel uniqueness and individuality are being diminished. People are losing their sense of creativity and individualism. Individualism is what makes us special and draws people to us in the first place, why not incorporate that into your business as well? When I bartended I incorporated my true self into my work, which gave my patrons a sense of connection to me. Ultimately this created a unique and loyal familiarity time after time again. I created a steady customer base off of this concept.


No comments:

Post a Comment