Choose To Be A Leader!

“The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says ‘I’; the leader says ‘we.’ The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says ‘go’; the leader says ‘let’s go!'”

–H. Gordon Selfridge,
American-British retail magnate

Isn’t that the truth?

Better Late Than Never

I know it seems like forever since my last posting, so it’s always better to follow me on Twitter because I don’t always have the time to update my blog, and it’s not going to get any easier for me to post anytime soon.   Since my last post, Christmas, my 27th birthday, and, now, Easter has come and gone.   Also, I got TWO jobs since Christmas, and am almost done with training in my most recent job, which I’m oh so excited about!

The first job was working for a kitchenware company that tries to get people to attend, or host in their home, an event where they can sell their cookware and stuff.  My job was calling (a lot of times cold calling) people and “pitching” the event to them.  The problem was the pitch seemed all too good to be true.  And this is how they and all their competitors did things too (which I never would’ve thought there’d be that many companies doing the same type of thing).  And, of course, we are giving them a 3 day/2 night all inclusive accommodation package, of which we tell them there are no strings really, but, if I were called, I’d hang up on me too!  Nothing is for free anymore, and, really, we wanted you to spend the big bucks on their UBER expensive stuff.  For instance, I happened to see a 2007 price chart, and a cookie sheet was $85!!!!!  Who knows what it is now, but that better be gold-plated…and self-cleaning!  The hardest part of the job, for me, was trying to pitch to people, and getting shot down constantly.  I’ve never been much of a sales person, so I’m not good and overcoming objections.  I needed to make the appointments, AND for the people to show up to receive a bonus (which wasn’t all that much to begin with, on top of my minimum wage base pay), so I was quite often discouraged, which I’m sure didn’t help the situation.  I had to drive 30 miles each way to Smyrna, so the drive was just another reason I hated the job.  I originally took the job because I was told most agents make 4 appointments an hour, and about half of them show up, so it could be quite profitable.  I was also told the people we’d be calling had already shown interest in the company, but I quickly learned that’s not the case, either!  A lot of people we called just attended a bridal show, and had signed up for something at the door, and we bought the list.  I made some appointments this way, but I wonder, on average, how many of the people off the lists we buy actually show up to the events…not many, I’m guessing.  I met some cool girls that I worked with, but other than that, it just wasn’t the job for me.

Then, I went and interviewed for a company as a Reservationist, and I was offered the job on the spot!  I was ecstatic!  The only cons of the job are that it’s all the way in Hendersonville, and it’s not the pay range I’d like, but they do offer overtime quite a bit, so I definitely plan on taking advantage of it when I can.  This job is definitely more up my alley, I love hotels and resorts, and people, so I’m excited for training to finish up and hit the floor taking calls.  this company appears to have low turnover, which is a great sign of a good company culture.  The break room is really nice as well, and it’s the nicest call center I’ve been in.  They give incentives for punctuality, which means I’ll be on time EVERY day!

My birthday was a lot of fun, we went to a Thai restaurant, the food was WONDERFUL!  Love me some Thai food!  Some of my bunco babes came, as well as some chicas from small group, and another friend.  Everyone, I think, had a great time.  We were going to go see “Dear John”, but we would’ve been too rushed.  Instead, we just went and hung out at Starbucks for a little while, and had great conversation.  It was a great birthday, but man, 27 sure seems a whole heck of a lot closer to 30 than 26!

In other great news, my dad has moved back to this side of the Atlantic, which means I will hopefully get to see him more often.  He’s living in Canada, not far from Niagara, and I’m happy he’s closer to home.

My mind has gone blank being so late at night, but I’ll try to write again soon!