Last week I decided to take a day off work. It was scheduled, it was pre-planned. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. I planned to take the day, get some packing done, relax a little bit, and just take some time away from the day-to-day routine. Well, that didn’t quite work out as intended. I ended up having a bad day, and decided to go to work for the last few hours. And what a surprise I had waiting for me. As I parked my truck in the parking lot, waaaaay out in the parking lot, and began my trek toward the building, I took a deep breath. I didn’t really want to be at work, but I needed a distraction. I swipe my badge, the door beeps and unlocks, and I grudgingly pull it open. A quick wave at security saw me through the lobby, and another swipe badge got me into the hallway. As I punched the security code into the door on the supervisor breakroom, I tried to mentally prepare myself for what lay ahead. I wasn’t sure what lay ahead, of course, but at my job, there’s always something. I push open the door, prepare to lock and store my phone, and another supervisor, who happened to be sitting in there, spoke:
Other Sup: “Congratulations.”
Me: “What?”
Other Sup: “You haven’t heard?”
Me: *What did I just walk into? Congratulations? For coming to work? “Umm, I just walked in.”
Other Sup: “Oh. Well, you got Supervisor of the Month.”
Whaaaaat? I haven’t even been a supervisor for a full three months yet. In fact, I’m still in my onboarding/training phase. How does that even happen? Surely it’s a joke. Ha ha. Jokes on me. Fine, whatever.
I drop my phone in a cabinet and begin the trek toward the back of the building to greet my team and maybe get a little bit of work done. All along the way I keep hearing the same thing. Congratulations. Congrats. Hey, what’s up Mr. Sup of the Month?
Okay, this is getting a little bit weird. I stop by my boss’s office to let her know I was here. After her initial shock, rolled eyes and question about why I was there when I was supposed to be off, she handed me a certificate and a parking permit. My own parking spot..near the front. Wooooot! So, yeah, it was for real. I have no clue how it happened. I haven’t been a supervisor long. But, I guess I’m doing something right.
Sure, the recognition is good. But you know what’s even better than being recognized? The internal feeling… the knowledge that, even though I’ve made a few mistakes along the way, even though I get stressed and sometimes have to question my sanity and wonder if I really can do the job, I know I can do it. How do I know? Because my peers, my boss, and my team have faith in me. And if they think I can do it, then it doesn’t matter what I think, does it? I tend to get blinded by my own fears, my own insecurities. Sometimes I just need a little nudge like this to let me know that I’m on the right track.
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