Difficult Professional Situations
Admission Essay
Education is not the level of commitment to memory, or even how much one tends to know. It is having the ability to separate what one knows and what he/she doesn’t. As narrated by Bel Kaufman, education is no product: job, diploma, mark, money, etc. but rather a process that never seizes (Bynner, 1998). With this in mind, I had the spirit to advance in my education to where I am now. The working environment is no different. It has required my mind and spirit of motivation to excel.
However, Life is filled with personal and professional accolades and failures. It should be obvious that people learn from their experiences. Also, it is until one is confronted by problems or difficult situations that he/she discovers the strengths within. Lessons learned from failures have been derived from numerous life experiences. Among the challenges faced and confronted are difficult business situations and dilemmas in the workplace. This has been encountered by professionals and require to surmount. However, not all difficult professional situations turn out to be favorable; yet, valuable and meaningful lessons can be learned stemming from negative professional situations. This was the case for me when I was employed in United Parcel Service (UPS) some years ago. This time I was living in the suburbs of Seattle Washington.
UPS is a viably strong, reputable and globally situated company that prides itself on customer service. It also offers a portfolio of top rated shipping and transportations services as well as solutions. The company is aggressive in its operations and addressing the demands of its employees. However, its management personnel are driven by numbers, which dictate company-wide bonuses. Hourly union employees are motivated by wages, benefits, and a sense of relief that they manage to earn a good living. UPS as a whole is driven by production; it is the engine that drives the company. The greater the amount of package parcels and stops delivered per hour by an average driver, the higher yielding the profits. Defined broadly, this is minus operating expenses. To measure its success, UPS uses a time and motion, trend analysis model to better understand its costs associated with its expenses broken down per hour. According to these models, over the course of my career, I was one of the most productive and the fastest employee (Lam, 2012). However, this proved to be my demise.
It is a well-known fact that UPS relies heavily on production output. As a result, some delivery drivers are faster and more efficient than others. However, there lies an underlying problem. I had the ability to finish my daily tasks faster and more efficiently than my coworkers. This became evident as I managed to produce faster over the years’ repeatedly. I also managed to earn more paid bonus hours on a daily basis than any other driver, while at the same time, finishing my route and workdays earlier than others. Consequently, the management ensured that I worked for not less than eight hours and not more than ten hours. After working for thirteen years with the company, I perceived change in the corporate structure. I also noticed that instead of being offered the choice of taking extra overtime, I was required to help other drivers more frequently.
In the months of November and December, to deliver small parcels required drivers to work overtime. This is because the sheer amount of package volume streaming through the system. For instance, on one Christmas eve I had finished delivering my job. I informed the management team who issued a work order that I should go and assist another team member in an area I was unfamiliar with using an oversized commercial vehicle. The fact that there were other workers who had completed their work made me wonder. I later realized that they weren’t called because of their slow working pace. I engaged the management by asking questions. Unfortunately, this portrayed that the management couldn’t treat me in an appreciation manner.
The use of strengths
During that time, I had assumed the egregious work order as not only a professional threat, but also a compromise of my own sense of company dedication, loyalty, and enthusiasm. It brought into play a sudden negative sagacity that I was working for the wrong company. That notwithstanding, I used my strength of hard work to partake the duties assigned to avoid problems with the management. The following year, I made the decision to bring God closer to my life, and subsequently, I decided to leave UPS, semi-retiring after 17 years of working with them. The inner strength to overcome had manifested itself over the previous two years. The realization that I needed to follow my heart and dreams came to fruition. “The same way a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”( Proverbs 23:7).
Lessons
I foremost learned that I was working for the wrong firm. I needed to be employed by a major Fortune 500 company that appreciated true talent and dedication. Secondly, I learned that I needed to rediscover myself and ask for God’s guidance when changing my career. I also learned that for me to lead, supervise or manage, my style would not be the same like the ones I had experienced. I realized that to lead effectively, there is need to incorporate a sense of professional respect, common sense, proper procedures for all and acquire an advanced education. “A wise man portrays great power, and a man of knowledge tends to increase strength” (Proverbs 24:5).
Changes
The lessons I successfully learned enabled me to treat people equally when it comes to operational procedures. As author Weberg (2010) reinforces, coherent guidelines among all employees of an organization are paramount in maintaining unity and cohesiveness. Today, I am able to value peoples efforts regardless of how I feel about them. I have the knowledge that to achieve success, increase productivity and reduce staff turnover, there is a need to respect and appreciate the efforts of people. As a result of that night, I got the courage to change my life and become closer to God. I would also want to go back to school and acquire an advanced degree in leadership. Once I acquire a leadership degree, I will secure a job in a management position. This will allow me to exercise my knowledge and experience in the service of people. Since I have hard work as one of my strengths, I will bring effectiveness in terms of productivity and efficiency wherever I will be working.
References
Bynner, J. (1998). Education for what? Education + Training, 40, 4 – 5.
Lam, C. (2012). Enhancing employee outcomes: The interrelated influences of managers’ emotional intelligence and leadership style. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33, 149 – 174.
“Proverbs.” Life application study Bible: New International Version. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House; 1997. 1114-1117. Print.
Weberg, B. (2010). On Behalf of Staff. State Legislatures, 36(9), 32-35.
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