When I ran a football team and felt “Oh I can do this by myself” I soon realised that I needed a bit of help. It doesn’t have to be One Man Band and asked a parent to help. I was hesitant in asking and running a football team, there was a lot to do. It was up to me to choose the training I wanted my players to do, pick the team for matches and collecting subs.

I think I was a bit naive too. I had this picture of it but the reality hits and realised it is totally different to what I imagines and underestimated it too.

If I was to run a team again I’d make sure I had someone helping me and have an assistant.

“It is okay to ask for help”.

If someone offers to help then say yes or have a chat and decide what their role will be and that they have the same mindset as you. When I working at Butlins I struggled with working Front of house and so asked if I could go back of house and felt good that I had the guts to talk to the manager of the restaurant. One of my friends said to try back of house and we were put together and we had a brilliant relationship. She got me and I got her and so glad I asked instead for help and I still did a bit of front of house work but not all the time and I felt pleased that I took the initiative to share how I felt and thankful to the Manager for listening to me and I felt better.

If you are stuck

I worked for a company that sold tickets for some attractions in the UK and I was finding one attraction booking difficult. I asked if I could have a bit more training. You should be supported by your manager or Team Leader because it shows them that you want to do well and it is the employer duty to help you if you are finding some things tricky.

Write things down. I am now working on Radio for a local hospital and if there is an issue I will flag it up and it helps me and my colleagues to inform one another and I make sure if there is something I am not sure about, I ask. I write in my journal of how I felt about my show and if they have told me how to do something, I go through each step in my mind and journaling is a great tool and do it everyday and write down what you are not sure of and who is the best person to ask. Or ask someone if they know of anyone that can help and worked in an area.

It is better to ask then not.

If you make a mistake

We all make mistakes. It is part of our learning as human beings. It is also shows you what you want to do and talking to others, that if they have made the same mistake and what they did to fix it. Don’t hide behind a mistake, but apologies, move on and learn so you know for next time.

I have made mistakes and it would cause me stress but then it can be down to the fact that they hadn’t communicated properly. I found in some companies, especially when I did temporary work that they assumed that you should already know. I worked for a holiday company, processing data but struggled to understand what I had to enter and the manager spoke to me as if I was dumb said “Oh it is easy” and telling a friend she said “Yes because he had probably done it for 20 years and so of course it is obvious to him” and so if they assume you know, say “I need to be shown again so I don’t make the same mistake”. Ask if there is someone you can sit with to go over it and them give you written instructions too.

Do they want to do a good job or a bad one

It is all about what works best for you, but never be afraid to ask someone to help you and feel you have to go it alone.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X