Sunday, January 27, 2013

All they can do is say no

                                                             Sorry, I haven't been out to take real pictures.


     When I was a little girl, I would ask my mom if I should apply/try out for things, i.e. student council, cheerleading etc. etc. etc. My mom would reply “Just try it, all they can do is say no”.   Those were her words, what she meant was the worst that could happen was that you don’t get in.  So I did and I failed miserably a lot! Ha ha! But I made the attempt and I have no regrets and now never wonder “what if”.  I do want to add that I made it for a few things I attempted. J
     I’m in a newly created position at my job. I’m so thankful for it because it’s just what I needed.  I remember when I first started working at my company almost 5 years ago. It was tedious and difficult and I was always under pressure. I made the effort to go above and beyond and really figure things out and work more efficiently.  I invented effective shortcuts that got the job done in a quicker amount of time. Once I mastered that, I started to get bored.  I get bored easily and that is one of my downfalls.  But what is one to do when they love their company (very supportive, great benefits, flexible) yet she is suffering from indifference of the actual tasks?  Well the person in question would apply for a lateral transfer.  I simply went to a routine meeting and got the announcement that one of my coworkers, in another sub-department was moving out of state and that we would be throwing her a party.  Sad for my coworker, yet excited about an opening, I approached the woman over that area and proposed my idea to her.  She mulled it over for a day and then I got the news that I would be moving there.          *Marcy had two weeks left so I was trained by her which was great. Also she was on a different system so it added more software to my resume.  I was up for the challenge and enjoyed every bit of it. Seasons came and went and there was a department shuffle. My sub-department was going to be moved to another area and we were going to be under new (to us) management. My current supervisor and manager stayed behind.  I was not looking forward to this but had time to mentally prepare. And I always tell my children that there are going to be changes in life that we did not ask for but we have to roll with it.  So here was my chance to practice what I preached.  My last department had been with me through a lot: the death of my dad, sickness, hospitalizations. These new people didn't know anything about me so I was wary. It took me about a year before I let my guard down and got to know people.  Slowly but surely, I would start asking about their families and how they were doing. Before I knew it, we were joking and laughing and getting work done like nobody’s business. 
     Management started noticing that my sub-department was being bombarded and there was a certain area of work that was becoming overloaded.  It was a burden for two reasons. First, yes, there were a lot of accounts, but secondly everyone but me hated working in that area of the system. To this day, I still can’t figure out why I love it and they hate it but it worked out perfectly.  Management pitched to upper management about creating a new position and fast forward to months later and I was congratulated for a 107% decrease in that zone. 
     This wouldn't have happened if years ago I never put in for a transfer.  It’s funny how it all worked out.  And I know that there was a certain risk involved in all of this.  But if it got to be too overwhelming, I would have walked into my manager’s office with my tail between my legs admitting defeat.  Fortunately, I didn't have to and all is well. I just want to leave anyone reading this with one phrase “Try for it, all they can do is say no”.



*Names have been changed 

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