A story is always best told by someone who experienced it firsthand. Second-hand stories simply do not have the same credibility.
The same is true of management: it is far easier to follow instructions and take guidance from a person who once did what you are now doing than it is from someone who has no practical knowledge of what you do.
Despite the fact that both managers may be qualified to perform in their positions of leadership, the person who personally understands your job on all levels; the challenges, the required effort, the hard and soft skills and the unwritten, unspoken realities, has an undeniable advantage in winning the respect, support and loyalty of their staff. There is no substitute for experience.
If you dream of one day being that manager, that executive, the person in charge, earning the big money, making the decisions, then apply the same thinking and realise that you will have to work for that respect and success, sometimes starting at the bottom.
Founder of Dell, Michael Dell started working as a dish washer in a Chinese restaurant, Sam Walton, founder of Walmart milked the family cows, bottled the milk and delivered it to customers and later sold magazine subscriptions before making it big. Oprah Winfrey’s first job was as a grocery store clerk and George Lucas was a teaching assistant.
The examples are plentiful and although each of these people’s paths is different, they were all prepared to do whatever they had to do to get started on their journey to success.
“There is a growing sense of entitlement amongst the young men and women who register with us,” says Kay Vittee, CEO of Quest Staffing Solutions, Africa’s leading staffing solutions company within the white-collar recruitment industry. “Their expectations of positions and remuneration are often unrealistic and not aligned to what they are qualified and experienced to do and to earn.”
In contrast to these individuals those who are eager to get their foot in the door, prepared to start at the bottom, keen to demonstrate their determination and commitment and to work hard always giving of their best, are quickly noticed and promoted.
“In the current unemployment situation, we have hundreds, sometimes thousands of candidates applying for positions. Once the screening process has been completed and we have our short list of eligible candidates, attitude is everything,” says Kay Vittee.
Perhaps it is the modern pop culture punctuated by famous-for-being-famous reality shows and multimillion dollar talent shows such as Idols and X Factor that create the expectation of fast tracking to the top. However there is no equivalent quick-route-to-success in the working world, it takes good old-fashioned hard work and time.
“The best managers and executives are those who have worked their way to the top, developing an understanding and passion for what they do,” says Kay Vittee. “Driven by the love for what they do rather than purely motivated by status and money.”
Bill Gates started out as a computer programmer and Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, got a summer job at Hewlett-Packard while still in high school. Both started at the bottom and went on to become icons in their industry, perhaps better known for their passion than for their wealth.
“We have many success stories within Quest. Candidates who started out as bank tellers, call centre agents, data capturers, admin assistants etc. who are today our clients – team leaders, supervisors, managers and executives,” concludes Kay Vittee. “Clients who have been there and done that.”
