“Tama” made a well-chosen career change in his mid-40’s when he opted for the retail industry. He and retail were made for each other. Not only did he generate repeat business through his good customer service, but he understood the principles of merchandising, optimising floor space, timely mark-downs and stock control. He undertook formal studies through night classes to polish his education. He brought himself to the attention of the HR Manager and asked to be considered for promotion.
The HR Manager profiled and, in the main, liked what he saw. There was just one small area of concern – an issue that hadn’t cropped up to date but that could well do so when and if Tama stepped up to a higher level of decision making. Tama had a tendency to be overly optimistic in non-routine decision making and to avoid thinking about the potential negatives in a situation. With higher levels of budgetary control and discretion over buying parts of the range, this could be a problem in future.
Tama responded with good humour to the discussion with the HR Manager; yes, he had to admit that he sometimes did have that tendency. Now that it was pointed out to him, he was willing to work on it.
The HR manager arranged for Tama to be coached by an experienced company employee whose good judgement was often sought in instances where complex decision making was required. Over time, “Coach” Nigel worked Tama through a series of scenarios that required a thorough analysis of the advantages as well as the disadvantages before reaching a conclusion. He challenged Tama’s “too-easy” approach. Tama learned to temper his decision making with just enough scepticism to avoid the potential pitfalls, but without damaging his natural optimism along the way.
Tama’s promotion brought benefits to himself and to his company. He felt that the company had valued him enough to help him be his best.