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Leadership Skills Competency Number 1
Situation I worked as a beverage cart attendant at a golf club wheremembers were allowed to order sandwiches from me to be made from the kitchen and then brought out to them on the golf course. There was no uniform way of radioing in orders and then communicating the orders to the kitchen. It was a mess. Tuna sandwiches would come out as turkey and half of the sandwiches would be forgotten. The other girl working cart at the same time would take sandwiches that weren't meant for her, and the kitchen staff always ended up in yelling matches. From members’ perspective it reflectedbadly upon us as cart staff because we were the ones taking the orders. Everyone knew about the problem but nothing was being done to fix it.
Action I showcased my strong leadership skills by taking it upon myself to create a new, streamlined system for ordering sandwiches over the radio to ensure they were communicated correctly. I developed the idea from start to finish with no room for error. I pitched the idea to my boss and she loved it. It was a simple fix but no one was stepping up to do anything. I wrote up the new rules in the staff communication book and presented it at our next staff meeting. I ensured all staff members knew about the new system and were comfortable with using it.
Result After getting over the initial bumps, the new system worked perfectly. Communication between cart staff and servers was streamlined and the kitchen never forgot orders. All sandwiches were properly labeled and no staff were taking the wrong ones. The system worked so well that members noticed a difference, sandwiches were coming out faster, and we even starting receiving more orders. Tensions were eased between cart staff, servers and kitchen staff, which helped with daily operations. Members knew they would get reliable service instead of the possibility of being delivered the wrong sandwich as before.
Teamwork Competency number 3
Situation In university I bartended at a pub and nightclub that were entirely student run and had a staff of over 100 students. It was a great experience working as part of such a unique and large team. Working as a bartender required working closely with all other positions and working as part of such a large staff both required strong teamwork skills. One time when working at the nightclub I completely ran out of change in my till, yet my bar was packed and my managers were nowhere in sight.
Action I was quickly able to flag down another staff member who then ran to relay the message that I needed change onto our manager.
Result I used my teamwork skills to fix the situation quickly and without guests having to wait very long. I knew I could rely on fellow staff members as a support system to remedy the problem because we always worked as a team.
Flexibility and Adaptability Competency number 2
Situation Last year while backpacking Asia I practiced a lot of flexibility. Things rarely went as planned, and I had to do a lot of adapting my plans while on the move. Specifically, I was flying from Hong Kong to Kathmandu via Kuala Lumpur when my connecting flight out of KL was delayed by 8 hours. My hostel in Kathmandu was set to pick me up, however, since the flight changed I knew they would no longer be waiting when I arrived. I was unable to get on the internet and did not have a cell phone or computer. I had no Nepalese Rupees, and very little cash at all. I had planned to take the hostel shuttle to my hostel then ask at reception where to find an ATM in order to get rupees.
Action I knew the airport was far from the hostel so I knew I would need to take a car or bus there. I had no way of searching anything online to try to find an alternate route, but I knew I would immediately need Nepalese rupees on arrival. I found an ATM in the Kuala Lumpur airport, took out Ringgit then located a currency exchange and luckily was able to change ringgit to rupees. After (finally) arriving in Kathmandu I negotiated a taxi and crossed my fingers that he understood.
Result Even though I had planned ahead, everything did not work out smoothly. I had to adapt my plans in this situation, as in many others, and most often with little warning. Luckily everything worked out okay and he drove me right to my hostel.
