This is the rest of the story. Really, though, if you didn’t read Part 1, go back and do that now so you can get the full value of this personal story.
… Sensing my trepidation, Phil said, “Okay, listen. This is how it’s going to happen…I’m going to give you my personal home number. You’re the only person who has that number and you can call it at any time, day or night. I will answer. If I’m not home I will get back to you as soon as I can.” Ok, that helped my nerves a little.
He continued, “I told the front office you know what you’re doing, you’ve been here long enough, and have been shadowing operations for a while. I have all the confidence in the world in you, and they should, too. IF you have any problems you will go over to the front office as soon as they open at eight and let them know the situation. BUT, they shouldn’t expect to see you, because you know what you’re doing. Sarah, you won’t ever have to go to the office. If something comes up you’re going to call me first. I will walk you through anything you need help with, and then you’ll just carry on.” He had a plan. I was his “go-to”, up to the challenge, and all would be fine. And that was that. He had done the work of figuring out a system in advance, and that system included backups for me and affirmations to his managers. What his system did not allow for, was me saying “I can’t do it.”
I agreed to take on the challenge. Two days later, Phil started vacation and I became the temporary supervisor on the night shift. Oh, how I’d like to tell you it all went smoothly, but I’m sure you can imagine that it didn’t. I did manage to make it through his vacation and I’m happy to report that operations continued and deliveries went out as scheduled throughout the end of my last shift as temporary manager.
I learned a tremendous amount during that short time, proving I could handle the trial by fire. I learned things like who I could count on contrasted with who saw an opportunity to take advantage of the “new kid”. It was clear who wanted me to succeed and who wanted to see me struggle, but I also met allies and friends I didn’t know I had.
Shortly after Phil returned, I also learned he had reached out to the other warehouses to let them know I might ask for help, and if I did to please give it. Phil created more than one safety net for me, but he never let on that he had done so. He never indicated any doubt in my abilities, neither to his bosses or me.
It just so happened, I never needed to call Phil, handling the minor glitches on my own. He did call once or twice to check in, say hi and see if the building was still standing. By the time he returned, I knew I was capable of doing something I had never done before, and Phil did too.
What do you think would have happened if Phil asked me to be the temporary manager, but then went around advising anyone and everyone to help me out, coddle me, make sure I was OK? What if he had spoken with the front office and told them that it was likely I couldn’t handle the supervisor position and would be asking for their help? My self-confidence definitely would have been challenged and I may not have found the drive or motivation to troubleshoot issues and keep things running smoothly in his absence. In fact, I may have outright refused the opportunity to even try. I still think of all the experiences and growth that I might have missed out on, had I said “no thanks”.
In the end, I succeeded. It wasn’t because I was THAT good. Nope. It was because Phil believed in me, recognized my ability, and refused to label me as the “young, new kid”. He went to great lengths to set up a support system so that I felt at ease. In return, I didn’t let the limits of my age, experience or gender affect my perception of what I was capable of. If you refuse to let the labels dictate your life, then there is no limit to what you can achieve.
As actor W.C. Fields wittily said, “It ain’t what they call you — it’s what you answer to.” The moral of that story is, don’t answer to something that isn’t you, be true to yourself, not the labels in life.
When limits (real or fabricated) are imposed on us, many routinely believe them to be true. It’s natural that we don’t even second guess the assumption and from that point on, our thoughts and actions begin to reflect those limits and we embrace them as being our new reality. When, in fact, those limits may not portray actual reality, but instead hold us back from using the gifts we have. We are capable of anything we aspire to, no matter which labels are imposed upon us. Shrug them off and keep moving forward!
Your Turn…
Have you ever been told that you can’t do something because you weren’t “enough”? How often did that hold you back or discourage you from trying at all? What did you do to combat those labels and limits? Let us know in the comments, so we can support each other in this excellent journey of life.
