Find the right option and do not shoot at your chance

Have you ever had to swap your lunch-box for peace at primary school; then may be you should prepare yourself to make coffee and photocopies during your first days at work.

During the first day of world of work training Dr. Susan welcoming us, said that human life is characterized by major moments on which our ability to decide is tested. She named those moments ‘transitions’ and gave as examples the shift from home to primary school and that of university into the word of work. Afterward, talking from another perspective Mr. Gordon Freer shared how as an employer they prefer graduated who are flexible and passionate. But the most interesting think was two of Gordon’s three questions which were about yes or not the intern have to make coffee or should attend all meetings. The aim of his questions was to prepare us to routines and self-organization at work. Unluckily, I think that these same questions should be directed toward leadership and flexibility at work. To explain myself, I think it is a reality that there is some employees who think that interns are bottom line, cheap labor, therefore have to make coffee for them and do all their photocopies. Truly speaking, that is not fair. In fact trying to answer to these questions I was brought back to what Dr. Susan called ‘first transition’ moment when some of us went for the first time school. I wish we still remember how we had to give our lunch-box to another school mate in order to avoid seeing ourselves beaten-up. What is interesting here is to discover what we did. But also what would you do as parent when you realize that what you put in your child’s lunch-box uses to feed someone else child. I think your answer to this question reflect the way you will approach the above questions at the workplace. You will have options. The first option is to go to school and speak to your son’s teacher or the principal so that he stops this matter. But I think by doing that your son may loose his self esteem, he may become the weakens-link because his school matte will realize that he can’t defend himself. The Second option is to give to your son some of Jackie Chan's kung-fu or some wrestling techniques for his self-defense. In this case you will be telling him to be violent and there is a risk that he gets hurt. The last option may be to build his self-esteem and to boost his confidence so that he finds solutions by his own.
Unfortunately or fortunately I never get traumatized during my primary school may be because I was a strong boy…I wish. In such case, I think I will go for the third option, knowing now that it is our flexibility or adaptability which determines our success during a transition. I assume that I will make coffee and do photocopy if I should. But in the same time I will be learning on each one of my colleagues till I make friends. By doing so in a short run I will learn my tasks and gain their respect then making the mistake of complaining straight to the boss. What did you do or will you do in such a case?