I Dread Work... I Miss my Former Life

Thank you. You're right. Right now I am so doubtful given how each day has gone already for me. It's been SO hard for me to deal with all of it at once.

I personally am certain that you are absolutely capable of performing this job well...

Believe In Yourself

We All Do

And fuzzy bears are Excellent Judges of Character and Ability

Awwwww, thank you SO much, Fuzzy.

You and so many others here are helping me to see that I need to believe in myself so much more. This company does, after all... but I don't, lol.

It's worth remembering that programs , such as PowerPoint , Excel etc are just that . They are tools that many people can learn to use . It's true that some people will take longer than others to learn them . It's also true that some people will become more proficient than others . But they are still programs which can be taught .
What can't be taught is the essence that a person brings to the table , their way of thinking , their way of approaching situations . Their vitality and effervescence . Their ideas .
Perhaps these employers can see that and are excited about the individual , unique qualities you bring ...and are not focusing on wheather or not your the best operator of programs in the room .
You can and will learn the programs . It's a process and you will grasp it if you stay calm and work through it .What can't be taught is what they obviously can see and like .
Plenty of hard work ahead yes , but give it those 90 days and you'll have it licked .

Thank you for this reminder. Much appreciated!

It’s hard for me in the work place...it takes so long to shave off my fur...

That was cute. Thanks for the little chuckle.

So, the latest and greatest. I sat in on a client meeting with another colleague in my dept who led the client meeting. He talked for a full hour, more like at the client, as opposed to with the client. There was no conversation, no collaboration really. Plus, what he discussed was over my head, and I kept wondering, what does this have to do with what we are supposed to be doing for the website? It seemed more like website development stuff..... rather than marketing and gaining sales and rankings. I was lost.

I have a 1:1 meeting with my boss tomorrow morning. I don't know what feedback to give him about this client meeting, since he wants my feedback. I cannot tell my boss that I was completely lost and couldn't follow my colleague. But I could say perhaps that it wasn't what I expected.

Everyone here and IRL tells me to have more confidence and to believe in myself, but when I hear my colleague speaking a language beyond me to his client, well, it's hard to believe in myself. UGH.

I think your point about the conversation style at the client meeting being too one-sided would be totally valid.

I think you could say almost exactly what you said, except the part about it being over your head. Something like "I'm concerned that when we meet with clients we don't involve them in the conversation, and we dominate the conversation versus actually making it a point of hearing their needs and goals, and getting them to fully buy into what we would like to do. I also think that we may be getting too technical in the details. The client needs to understand what our proposed work is going to do for them in the end, not all the details to get them there."

Maybe that's why you're there. To relate to the client and help them build better relationships. Maybe focus in on that as what you can bring to the team, along with all your other skills.

Seesaw

Thank you!

May I quote you? LOL. You said that so perfectly and eloquently... it's right on target. That's great feedback I could provide..... Yes, I did tell them when interviewed that client relationship building is my forte. That is a strength I bring..... Hmmm.... I had forgotten that. Something important to remember going forward!

Quote away!

i agree, that could be why they hired you. The client doesnt want to listen to yakking, they want to see a demo (even just on paper) that works and shows an understanding of their needs. IMO.

Thank you. Yes, it could very well be why they hired me.

I agree with you --- and why would someone lead a meeting that way too? It was a little odd.

If someone talked AT me for an hour, unless it was my boss,that wouldn't go over well.

Yeah me neither. I didn’t feel comfortable with that.

I would just zone out. And I probably wouldn't come back.

You know "A Chorus Line", the part where the brother takes his sister to dance class, then he realizes, "I can do that!"

You dont want to harshly step on the colleague's toes of course (one time a boss told me that i "hurt a coworkers manhood" by completing a project in a few days that he hadnt been able to complete in 3 months), but once you KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW, then hey go ahead and do what you do! The tech stuff, anybody can do, including you. The people stuff, the real analytical stuff - combining right AND left brain? - i think it helps if youre on PC, seriously! Thats who are drawn here.

Yeah, just to piggy back...my biggest client wants me above other people because I have these leadership skills and specific personality traits that help her. She could get anyone with good grammar skills to do copyediting and put together her drafts, etc. She needed someone who could see her vision and implement it, and who could manage all the partners to get it done.

Hard skills aren't everything.

Seesaw

You're both right. And HR told me that she thought I would be able to talk easily enough with the clients.

TGIF. This day couldn't come fast enough.

So, I have soft skills to offer over hard skills. I have a LOT to learn. I know I am going to be working long hours once I get my clients just so that I can put together a Powerpoint presentation or statistical graphs for them.

And the Director above me said that my strategies were "pretty good". I need to ask him where it needs improvement today. I wonder if he said it is only pretty good because it is his client, and I am making recommendations he would not have made, OR he feels I am stepping on his toes? I did this while he was out on vacation.

My boss, our boss, told me that the strategies had become stagnant, so they wanted fresh eyes on it. They're the ones who asked me to do this. My boss is the one who thought my strategies were great. But he is not exactly an expert in my field, the Director is.

I still feel queasiness. I suppose this will last a while until after I get my own clients and start the real work. Then I will know if I am in over my head. HR reassured me yesterday that I would be fine. I still don't think so.

Thanks for keeping us posted. This is a fun thread. There are some important issues here like work stress and interpreting communication.

All good news. Keep plotting along and you’ll be fine. And today is Friday!!!

Thank you, Seneca and Divine!

Good news! I met with my boss today who said I am doing great! He said I am exactly where he expected me to be and that he is presenting my strategies to their client on Monday! So, he, unlike our Director above me, liked my strategies as did the others on the account.

I also mentioned a couple differences between how I approach things and how the Director above me approaches things, and my boss said I have some very good points about why I approach things the way I do. So that was good to hear today as well.

So...... today was positive and I feel some confidence in myself for the first time in this role. YAY!

You have to start believing you will have more good days than bad. Here's hoping next week is positive!

This is great news. Big hugs, Eve.