19/6/2017 4 Comments The Musings of a merchandising sales girl... t-shirts, programmes, you know the kinda thingLast week I spent two days at concerts. At one of those, I was a last minute guest, having scored a spare ticket from a friend. The other one, I worked at the event in a role that I had not done in about fifteen years. In the wake of the recent terror attacks, there was, for some, a sense of fear and concerns about safety. For me, I'd not felt safer with full credit going to venue security at both stadiums and the atmosphere immense showing the spirit of people carrying on.
The motivation for writing this is more a reflection on the gig that I worked at. I've always maintained that no matter what direction Portfolio People takes, I shall always maintain my own personal work portfolio. Let's be candid here, my main motivation for working this particular day was cash flow. But what did I learn:
Perhaps the most important takeaway - and constant for me, is the 'raw' customer facing aspect. In fifteen years, some things have changed....like how we take payments. But the things that matter haven't; banter with customers (which we now excel at!), the odd complainer, or chancer and the importance of manners. In a world where customer experience is a buzz word, maybe it's time for all those involved to get back to basics.
4 Comments
Anna
30/6/2017 05:29:47 pm
Rupa, lovely written blog and so easy to read :)
Reply
Rupa
2/7/2017 10:54:19 am
Thank you Anna! I had a decent proof-reader too!
Reply
Mike Green
1/7/2017 08:18:14 am
I work in the Facilities Management industry, in which (in the bigger companies) succession planning is essential. This means it is quite possible to move up the ladder relatively quickly from hands on to some form of management. I have seen some individuals very quickly lose sight of how the "job" actually transpires in front of the operatives thy used to be. Pressure from above to hit targets etc and ambition to move up even further often contribute to this gradual blindness.
Reply
Rupa
3/7/2017 08:14:13 am
Thanks for commenting Mike - agree what you mean about some people progressing too quickly in some industries. We can't generalise though - both of us know someone that has been 'off the tools' for 5 years but I believe that they are on track to be a great leader! Management is the middle of the sandwich - leadership and being 'on the floor' are both people facing roles and have surprisingly similar skills that are required.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
|