‘Be A Leader, Not A Manager’: Notts Employee Shares Her Experience Of Learning To Lead

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 12 January 2017

The success of any business depends heavily on the effectiveness of its management team. Good managers must have a range of qualities, including good communication skills, interpersonal relations and decision-making ability. But, more importantly, good managers must be even better leaders. Sheena Sharpe, a Learning to Lead graduate at Domestic & General, shares her experience of stepping up to the Team Leader role.

Sheena Sharpe

The 26-year-old mum of two started working at Domestic & General’s Nottingham Contact Centre in 2010 as she found the flexibility of the role fit her needs whilst raising a young family.

Sheena, from Sherwood, said: “Before I joined Domestic & General I was working in hospitality, and with a young child, the late nights and lack of flexible working hours simply didn’t connect with my commitments outside of work. I went along to a job’s fair, looking for a new and exciting challenge. I applied to Domestic & General and joined the company shortly afterwards.

“I began working in the Contact Centre for one of the call taking departments and I strived to put my full attention and effort into the role. Then in 2015, I began supporting the department whilst building my confidence and skillset in leadership.

“It was an area that I was really interested in and I was looking for ways to grow in my role and gain additional qualifications. I approached my team leader about this and she put me forward for the Learning to Lead programme at Domestic & General.”

The five-week programme offers candidates the opportunity to develop their personal and professional skillsets in order to transition smoothly into more senior roles within the business. Candidates cover a variety of subjects throughout the programme, including effective communication with others, time management and coaching styles for individual employees.

Speaking of the programme, Sheena added: “The programme really allows you to see the business from a different perspective and have a glimpse into the role of the team leaders and senior employees. It was a useful and informative programme and covered all of the key areas I knew I would need to progress within the business.

“I’m now working with the Contact Centre test team as a test analyst and I’m really enjoying the work that I do in the role. In the long-term, I may look towards becoming a trainer myself so I can pass along everything I have learnt and the experience I have gained on to our next future leaders.

“The greatest lesson I learnt from it is how to be a leader, not a manager: leaders do things, managers delegate for other people to do things. It’s something that is often overlooked but it is so important to remember in order to get the best from your team.”

Head of Contact Centre HR, Brona Ratcliffe, said: “Programmes such as Learning to Lead are a great way for people to gain valuable experience working alongside experts on real projects, while learning on the job and developing their own business acumen.

“Sheena has shown real commitment and dedication to progression within her role, and we are very pleased to have her as part of our team. By nurturing internal talent, we are able to continue offering outstanding care and service to our customers whilst attracting and retaining the very best employees to our business.”

For updates on job vacancies follow @DandGjobs on Twitter and Facebook.

< Back