rules behind supervising

so, i am now officially promoted (instead of being whispered behind the curtains) because Don QUIT. yes, he finally quit, after bragging about how he’s got offered a job here, a possibility there, he’s made it. now, there use to be some good to him. but in the months since he got the role of “store manager”, about all he manages is the air and the porn magazines in the back office.

this week will mark the last week of his existence here, and he’s gone.

so what did boss do? he came to me and complained about how no one wants to step up. by now, if no one notices, my boss doesn’t have the balls to go, “here, do this for me if not i will throw shit at you”. he complains and hints real subtly, and i usually go around pretending i am very dense.

i am not stupid, neither am i inconsiderate either. the role of being a supervisor is best for someone who can be a full timer, who is a matured and who has experience before. i am, at best, a part timer and have barely any maturity because i choose not to.

however, i am sick of him hiring crazies in desperation, and so i said i won’t mind being a part-time supervisor till he can get something tight going - with a reliable person.

so what makes a leader, a supervisor?

first up in his books - don’t talk about the 2 bitches, ever. so what did i do? but continued to work on what i read months ago in a management book - get along with all types.

i will have to say, my efforts are paying off slightly. i have discovered both girls are… really just girls who didn’t and wasn’t given the chance to grow up. as such, their world’s still pretty sheltered. every thing’s about them. in my constant, “let’s try and talk to them once a day about something not work related”, i think i broke the ice between us. for the first time since they started working here, they waved bye at me when they left for the night.

hell, i even found a common talking point - ANIME!! albeit, i need to re-learn all my animes in their chinese titles.

secondly, i guess my past experiences in retail comes in real handy. With Don gone, a whole heap of accounts, rostering and stock takes falls back on Boss’s shoulders. after a few show-and-tell, he realizes i actually know what he’s talking about, and as such, there was no need for me to learn much more beyond passwords and the Australian procedures of banking in money (throw money into the hole rather than having 3 bodyguards protect you all the way to the bank vault).

the essential skills behind supervising though, isn’t knowing how things are to be done, but being able to pull everything off subtly and deftly. i have to learn to work with all these different personalities, and also make them work together when we need them to. i have to understand that i sometimes have to be an ass for things to mesh out.

i am scared to screw up, but then again, if someone else does screw up, it is also my fault now.

the buck stops at me.

somehow, that feels strangely awesome lol!!

exams next wednesday, and i am all work. can’t wait.