It was my first question, privately reaching out to current trainees before my assessment centre – what are you expected to do during a secondment? I didn’t mean turn up to work on time or understand excel. My thoughts were – well 6 months isn’t enough time to achieve anything. Think about it. A wee timid trainee going into a new company that you know nothing about, having no direct experience nor confidence, faced with the task of making your mark in the company and industry. Sounds a pretty daunting doesn’t it. Well, I can tell you after listening to the MDS awards ceremony it turns out that trainees can achieve things that blow expectations out of the water, and boy was it inspiring to hear the achievements of others. In both secondments, I have noticed that there are a few trending stages, I’d love to know if you have found the same.
Shock of Capture – Sure it’s a military term, but I can’t say I haven’t felt something similar. So clearly do I remember the day standing on the production floor of Ops1 in complete shock and awe. The size, the noise, the people. Talk about a sensory overload. There was an audit on that day. I was told to observe and call out anything I didn’t think looked right. Well, that was a pointless exercise, cause the fact was I couldn’t ‘SEE’ anything. I was completely hopeless, and I hated it. There was a buzz of worry and stress across the factory, and I really struggled with the fact that I couldn’t help. That was the one of the worst days of my secondment, just behind the day where I was tasked with putting up a 12ft vinyl poster, but that’s an embarring story for another day.
Relationship Building – Far from the romantic interpretation, the fact is that I spent more time with my coworkers than I did anyone else this year and it’s so important to get it right. In both my secondments I have put building relationships very high in my priorities. This was for a few reasons.
1. Experts – As mentioned previously, every secondment you go into, you don’t know the company, or the process, or the people. But you know who does? Your colleagues. Every company is littered with pockets of incredible experience and knowledge. So, find them, learn from them.
2. Team spirit – a little bit camaraderie, I think, can take you a long way. Looking back at my first PDP I wrote, included in my 3 objectives was to become an incorporated member of the team. I’ve always been drawn to pursue a team dynamic, maybe it’s just, flashbacks to standing in the football picking line… I can assure you that I was never first.
3. Drivers – you know who there are. I’m talking about the individuals who are the driving force of the team, the department, the company. The’ll come in all shapes, all sizes and all levels of that hierarchical structures. Its hard to pin down what it is, but there is something about these special individuals. And for me, there are the people I want to send time around. I want to see the way they see and think the way they think. So, find them, learn from them.
Now this is all great but gawd it’s exhausting. Its’s no one’s comfort zone, it’s no one’s happy place. And especially at the start of the secondment, you are going to find yourself in a world of challenging situations. And there are traps that you need to look out for.
1. Self expectations – yes, you have a job, a contract, a manager. Feels really like a full time job doesn’t it. There for, it feels like you should know how to do that job. Immediately, without mistakes, delivering to the highest possible standard. I feel so stupid typing this, but this is exactly the mind set I fell into, not once, but twice. Yup, you’d think I’d learn from the first time but here we stand. This might not apply to everyone; I understand I do set my personal standards higher than I need to. But even to a lesser degree, it’s so important to be understanding of your trainee position. We are allow to make mistakes, we are encouraged to ask questions, and we are on a huge journey of development.
2. Ticking Time Bomb – perhaps the most difficult thing about secondment, from your first day that 6 month/12 month clock starts ticking. And it can really affect you in different ways. You might start off with a plan for your secondment, a carefully constructed template for projects. However, as we all know, plans fail and projects over run. But the end of secondment isn’t a deadline that you can rearrange. You need to prepare and be ok with leaving a project in the capable hands of either your team or a new trainee. There’s also the complication of team dynamics. Seeming more prevalent towards the later stages of a secondment, I can help but have felt a change in team dynamics, communication may start to thin whist both you and your secondment company get ready for your departure. This can be really unsettling after spending a lot of time and effort bonding with those who you stand side by side.
3. False Settle – I’m not sure if you have experienced this, but, after the early stages of your secondment, when you have learnt about the company, you understand the job and you are starting to perform, I find myself drifting into a sense of settlement. Almost forgetting that I’m a trainee, almost forgetting I’m employed by MDS. Seems weird to say when reflecting so much on your development. But I think its easy to get caught up in company member politics, detached from development and experience a loss sight of the reason you are there.
What I have learnt from all this is that; it doesn’t matter where you are, what role you are in, what background you have, what skills you think you might not have. The true beauty of a secondment is that you will learn, develop and become a stronger professional, a stronger manager, a stronger leader.
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