Take A Chance on Me

When I made the decision to start my own business, 5 years' or so, ago, in recruiting, coaching, and consulting, I spent a considerable amount of time investigating my own motive for the cause.

I had realised over the years of people management and teaching the ropes of a new role, that I was always more drawn to the individual, than the skill, that the individual brought to the table.

I knew I could:

• Teach the systems
  
  
• The etiquette of customer service, and
  
  
• The day to day running of the business.
  
  

I knew as a senior manager, that it was my responsibility to encourage a healthy workplace. To support and motivate my team, so that they could and would support and motivate each other.

The candidate, on the other hand:

• The values that they lived by
  
  
• The work ethic that moved them
  
  
• The unique being that had been formed through life's trials and tribulations, and
  
  
• Who determined their own set of morals.
  
  

That’s the stuff that we can’t teach. Their internal make-up. Masters of their own destiny or slaves to their own self-limiting belief?

We can coach, we can encourage, but ultimately the individual has to come to the realisation, that their future is in their own hands. If someone is eagerly knocking on hope's door, be the ONE to answer it.

This is where the magic lies, and it can often be so very overlooked.

I always want to know what the candidate feels passionately drawn to.

What excites them?

What drives them?

What does their dream career look like?

What are their vision and future goals?

What does the future 'YOU' want to achieve?

The reality is, we have all started somewhere. Once upon a time, someone out there gave us a chance.

I remember my very first interview in medical practice

I was a young, naïve and quiet, (quiet - hard to believe right?) 21-year-old Mum. I wanted more, but society had a way of telling young Mums that amounting to anything was so far out of reach and that you were 'lucky' to have a job at all.

"Take what you get"

"You have bills to pay, so any job will do"

"Should’ve thought about that before you had children"

The list of scarcity mindset one-liners was endless and enough to push anyone into the ‘they made their bed, so they should lie in it’ corner.  Well, I wasn’t having any of it! I wanted more. Someone out there just had to give me a chance.

I got a call back from the manager whose name was Peter, who very diplomatically mentioned that he had noticed I had absolutely no experience what-so-ever in health administration. He was keen to meet me because I had written a paragraph on why it would be a huge mistake for him to deny my meeting. What had I got to lose by being so forward?

I asked Peter to be the first person to Take a Chance on Me.

Peter asked me in my interview, “Gill, what does the future YOU want from a career”? I loved this question. I got lost in my answer as I focused on the mature me achieving goals and chipping away at success. I concluded my answer with “and as I move through my achievements, I see me in a seat just like you are now, taking a chance on someone, just like you took a chance on me”.

Peter offered me the job, right there on the spot.

Here was my chance to prove to him that his decision to hire me, was not a mistake. I was grateful for the opportunity. There was nothing I would’ve done to let him down. I was fiercely loyal and felt like I owed it to Peter to be successful. Within no time at all, I was in control of key tasks and I walked through those doors with a grin from ear to ear every day. I was not taking this opportunity for granted. It was the best and most rewarding $14.00 an hour I ever made. This was $10.00 less an hour than my previous role but I knew that in order for me to move forward, it required a sideways step, to prove myself. Peter took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity to pave the way to my own success. Suffice to say, he didn't regret hiring me that day, and to this day for me, I remain grateful for the chance he gave me.

As a coach working with the individual transitioning from industry to industry and a recruiter who understands the intricate team needs and requirements of my clients, it is not always that we can take a chance, particularly in more specific and senior positions, however, if you ever get the opportunity to take a chance on a candidate, who oozes a desire to grow, learn and flourish - I encourage you to take it.

Why would you take a chance?

Because, somewhere along your path, at some point, someone took a chance on you.

If you are a client and interested to know more about how Clover Lane Consulting can prepare you to 'Take a Chance' and for all your practice coaching, recruitment and consulting requirements, you can email me directly at gill@cloverlaneconsulting.com

If you are a candidate who has a deep desire to transition from one role to the next, who feels trapped or lost within your current career, who would like to be included in all of my future “Take a Chance on Me” project initiatives, feel free to get in touch.

"Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, most underrated agent of human change" - Bob Kerry