Growing pains

Hello High Heelers

Right – so I had my photos done and they look AMAZING (if I do say so myself !) Check out my FaceBook page to see them. I also wore red lipstick for the shoot and am now, indeed, a new convert. Wow. I thought I’d look like the 5 year old who got stuck in her mom’s make-up case, but I actually look cool. Good even. Actually, screw it, I look GREAT! (and I am increasing in vanity as I type).

All High Heelers should have their photos taken professionally at some point, with red lipstick. It is such an empowering experience to turn your best look to the camera and to reveal your soul. If I was younger and thinner and was less obsessed with chocolate, I would become a model tomorrow. Bring on the lights, bring on the cameras and glam it up!

That’s the good stuff. But, I thought it only fair to shake it up a little today. A lot of people lost jobs during the recession and are now getting back into the job market. Many of the gorgeous ladies I know are complaining about their ‘tough’ positions and their difficult colleagues. Yet here I am blogging about how awesome my new job is. And yes, I love my job, but to be honest, month one was hideous! Month two was horrible. Month three was vaguely tolerable and I’m loving month four. It has been a journey of growth and adaptation and I know that there will be many bumps along the road still but it’s how I overcome them that counts more than the fact that they’re there.

Us ambitious ‘can do anything’ women expect to just fit in to any environment. I saw myself as adaptive and very chameleon-like (with a shorter, sharper tongue – of course!). I thought I could handle myself well. But nothing prepared me for beginning a new work adventure under a strong woman. NOTHING! I met Natalie at my interview, I knew she was tough – she was wearing a skin-tight mandarin collared black dress, crimson lipstick and a high bun, and she spoke with authority. She was highly intimidating. Yet somehow I was still surprised when she nailed me on day eight for not delivering on her expectations. I’m one of those people who thought that no one else could have greater expectations on my delivery than I do. So be called out like that, was simply shocking.

My initial reaction was a mixture of horror and ‘don’t you know who I am?’ attitude. I came from a great job in a company where I was well respected and was climbing the ladder at a steady and comfortable pace. After our uncomfortable confrontation I spoke to my ex-manager, old colleagues and all my friends just to check that they thought I was brilliant still – and they did. So what was wrong with this Natalie woman?

Well. The thing is. Natalie is my new manager. She is different from everyone I’ve worked with before. And I think I’m unlike anyone she’s worked with before. We have had to get to know and understand one another. Natalie has huge expectations for herself and she works incredibly hard, and she expects nothing but the same from her employees. You either climb up the ladder with her, at her pace, or you fall down. There’s no compromise. As difficult as this has been for me, I have found myself achieving all the goals I set for myself. I have felt my brain stretch beyond the confines of my own skull. And I have watched the wonderful women around her – Amanda, Carmen and El-Karien (to name a few) – keep up and turn out excellent work. They have all been my mentors and they have all kept me going.

Working with a perfectionist boss like Natalie isn’t easy. But it is incredibly rewarding. And if I had given in on day eight (like I almost did), I would never have experienced the self-realisation I have reached now. I want to encourage all of you who work under tough women to keep up, count yourself lucky, increase your pace and choose to be more. If your boss expects little from you, then expect a lot more from yourself – be your own leader. It is only through being stretched that we grow. Deliver every job like your career depends on it – it does.

Keep climbing my High Heelers and have a great week of exceptional delivery and achieved expectations.