Contest: How I Handle Pressure
Greetings everyone. I'm happy to participate in this weeks @steem4nigeria accelerator contest week 72: How I Handle Pressure.
WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY PRESSURE?
Pressure refers to the tension and demands we have to deal with on a daily basis, especially from our place of work. Pressure is not only limited to our work place, so many other things can put pressure on us such as;
Having too many bills to pay
Dealing with social expectation
Dealing with health issues
Trying to maintain a balance between work and our personal life.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN UNDER PRESSURE BEFORE? If yes, how did you handle it.
Yes, I have been under pressure before. I could remember when I was working in a cinema a few years back. My duties were to sell movie tickets and usher in guests. Most times you’ll meet some guests that are so inpatient, they want to be attended quickly because their movie is already going on, they’ll start putting pressure on you to be fast about. At the end of the day when it’s time to close your stocks for that day, you’ll start having shortages in cash and in stocks because of one customer. The management doesn’t even help matters, they don’t care to understand how It happened, in their mind you stole the money therefore they will give you a query letter for having shortage. Sometimes you pay with your own money.
How do I handle such pressure to avoid shortage?
I take one order at a time
I listen attentively to the person I’m attending to.
I calculate and recalculate to get the actual amount.
If the person is paying with cash, I calm down to count the money very well before putting it inside my cash drawer.
If the customer is paying with a card, I make sure I double check the figure I input matches with the one on the system. Because at times you make mistakes 1000 for 10000 especially when you are under pressure.
HOW DO YOU VIEW PRESSURE, DO YOU SEE IT AS SOMETHING TO MAR OR MAKES YOU?
I view pressure as something that can mar you and at the same time make you. Still on my previous job experience I have watched a colleague of mine pay the sum of #15,000 for shortage and I personally have paid shortage of about #10,000. All in the name of trying to meet up, make the highest sales for the day, win an award for the best staff of the month. When we succumb to pressure we lose our joy in the job, our mental health becomes messed up.
Pressure can also make you in the sense that;
- You will learn to multitask because pressure pushes you beyond your limit.
You will learn to apply common sense and take initiative.
You will be innovative because you will want to look for a more efficient and effective way you will attend to the customers quickly without having shortages all the time.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO (i.e job applicants) WHO ARE QUICK TO STATE THAT THEY CAN WORK UNDER PRESSURE.
They need to understand what it really means to work under pressure and the forms it may come in respect to the kind of job they are applying for. Be honest and do not exaggerate.
Thank you for visiting my blog.