New Beginnings – Liam
Whenever you start anything new there is always a little bit of anxiety that comes with it. For me, my new beginning was joining the JBS team in early July. I’ve been in this industry for over 12 years. I know how to do my job, what could I possibly be worried about?
I was fortunate enough to be able to choose when I left my previous position before coming to JBS which meant that I had 4 ½ weeks for some doubts to build in my mind. Had I done the right thing? Would I be able to handle the work? Would I fit in with the team? How are their processes different to my own? As a father of 2 and a wife on maternity leave, it was imperative that I had made the right decision not just for myself but also for them as they were and will continue to rely on me.
A few days before I was due to commence work at JBS, we celebrated my daughter’s 3rd birthday. A big Frozen fan, after her Frozen themed party on the Saturday, we took her to Disney on Ice on the Tuesday. It was her first time and to see the joy on her face as she watched her favourite life-sized Disney Princesses and other characters skate around in front of her put things in perspective. The skaters were professionals, like myself they had been doing the same thing for years honing their skills. Their ‘work’ became 2nd nature, they could do the routine with their eyes shut. What was I even worried about?
The first thing that happens when you join a new company is they introduce you to everybody else in the firm. So I’m greeted by a bunch of smiling faces who all tell me their name and within 30 seconds I’ve forgotten most of them. That’s alright, I’ve done this before, I’ll simply draw up a seating map of the office and whenever I hear anyone’s name I’ll simply write their name on the map at the place they sit. Problem solved.
The next thing that happens is they teach you the software. I’d used plenty of financial planning software programs before (including the JBS one years ago) so everything made sense and was easy to follow. Coincidently, after 2 days it just so happened to be our end of financial year drinks. So my first week in the job consisted of meeting new people, running through the software and eating a parma and chips while drinking beer and chatting about everything and anything. I was lucky in that this social environment allowed me to talk to everyone at the firm and get to know all about them, learn what their interests were, understand how they think, and after a few drinks find out what they really think of JBS. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that the staff have all been here for a long time. The firm had a low turnover of staff, a great thing to hear. The staff are all happy and it’s a great place to work.
Week 2 and the real work began. Working with the other guys in my team, Glenn & Andy, has been great. Glenn has the skill of being able to trust those around him. If he asks you to do something, he trusts you’ll be able to do it and do it well. This gives you a sense of worth, makes you feel valued and gives you a sense of responsibility. I am being trusted to complete this task. Not everyone is like this. There is nothing worse than being asked a question, providing an answer, and then the person ignores your answer and asks someone else. If you weren’t going to listen to me, why did you bother asking me in the first place?
Andy is great in that he is always ready to drop what he is doing and help you out. If I’m struggling with some abnormality in the software, or I need some client data that I can’t find, he’s always happy to help, smiling the whole time. He’s also the first to throw you under the bus if the Friday lunch order isn’t correct even though he didn’t order anything himself.
It’s now been two months, and I’ve been able to settle in nicely with the team at JBS. They are a great bunch of people always willing to help with anything. I have even been able to pick up some good Pokémon Go tips that I can use with my daughter, and with plenty of banter flying round the office, I feel very comfortable as part of the JBS team. New beginnings can be daunting, it’s the fear of the unknown that worries us all. However worry about what you can control, prepare yourself as best you can, and with the right attitude there is no need to be afraid of the dark.
