Finding The Hidden Gems

*** New trainer, Jack, decided to write a blog about joining the team at IComm.  We hope you'll see a lot more from Jack on our blog!

Kinda random?

“Jack what made you want to make the move to be a trainer?... It seems kinda random.”

This is the line of questioning that I often receive when I am describing my move from full-time manager at a sports bar with a degree in Film, to a Junior Trainer in Unified Communications here at IComm.  This is a move that I made just a few months ago... and I raised more than a few eyebrows along the way.

Perspective

My response? “It depends on how you look at it.”

I have always been a friendly guy, at least I think I am. So it just seems natural for me to be working with people. I took to the hospitality industry like a duck to water, meeting new people every day and doing my best to help out, even those times that people make it extremely difficult. But working with people is a passion of mine.

Take that passion for helping people and place it in the job description for training and change management… And it fits!

Applying Past Learnings

There are many things from my past that I can extract and apply to what I do now.

Throughout my degree in Film and Television, we, as students, were exposed to an industry that is constantly on the move. There is always a new angle, new video editing software, or that wicked new camera that your University has first access to. You become accustomed to change.

Unified Communications is much the same.  Even in the short time I’ve been here at IComm, I have seen almost half of the company completely change communication systems and workflow. And that constant change excites me!

Everyone is learning something new every day, which means I am not alone in the learning process. As well as that, it means that everybody has something to bring to the table... yes, even the new guy!

I didn’t know how much I would enjoy this job until I was in it.

New Ways of Doing Things

Much like diving in to an industry that is completely foreign to you, adopting a new way of doing things in the workplace may seem daunting and unnecessary. But it’s a very similar conversation.

When I am telling people about what we do at IComm, they say “Why move away from my desk phone? It's fine. It works.”

Back to... Perspective

My response? “It depends on how you look at it.”

Take your old work habits and place them in to a world where you have an abundance of technology at your fingertips. No more emails, no more paper, no more pens, no more phones, no more dial pads. It’s all taken care of for you.  If all of a sudden, everything changed, and you hadn't changed with it - how would you cope?

If you are not open to new things, you’re never going to go anywhere, whether it be in life, or communications - the same principles apply.  It's all about perspective, applying past learnings, and...

Looking for the hidden gems.

They’re not always where you think they’ll be.