Skipping a few parts of the story, I ended up quitting my job at the bar to work in retail... pregnant... and was then made redundant (after working there for 8 months)- just 6 days before Christmas with a new born baby at this point. I needed another job! So I applied at Butlins as a cleaner for 20 hours a week. I needed to bring in some money, plus I couldn't bring myself to not work at all, even with a young baby. 

I ended up having a bad car accident and was hit in the side of my car which wrote the car off and I sustained some serious injuries. Thankfully I had just dropped my daughter off at her nans, and was on my way to work at 8am in the morning so she wasn't in the car. 

 

Well this changed everything! 

 

I had to leave my job at Butlins as I couldn't do all the heavy lifting and changing the bed sheets- certainly not at the speed in which they expected of me. So there I was.. unemployed again. 

 

This time, I applied for everything I could... and ended up going for a test, interview and getting the job  where I am now. I found myself working in the corporate industry at just 22 years old. Surrounding me were mainly women of a certain age, with grandchildren and had been working there for 20+ years already before I started! Office working was completely new to me, and it seemed very regimented, but surprising myself, I enjoyed it! 

 

I started at the bottom as an Administrative Assistant and worked in this role for 6 years. I gave myself tasks to do at the next grade above, for my own challenge, not for pay or recognition, I just like to keep occupied all the time. 

No one had been promoted in this office for 6+ years as no one ever moved on, so the opportunities to grow and progress were non-existent. 

 

In my personal life, my children were getting older, and after suffering a miscarriage before my second daughter, my outlook on life just changed. I need more opportunities for my girls when they go to school, and the town I was living in just didn't fulfil what I wanted for them growing up. So I made the decision to move the family 40 miles away to a city where more opportunities were around. This was the best decision for us as a family at the time and we all loved how much there was to do there! 

 

The type of organisation I work for, has offices up and down the UK, so I could transfer my job- how lucky was I! So before I left, I applied for an opportunity on temporary promotion for 6 months, but it was 2 grades above my current role.... I thought 'no chance! ' but the worst they can say is 'sorry your application has been unsuccessful, here is some feedback'. That's what I wanted, so that I can see how far I have to go to progress... 

 

But guess what?

I got offered the job!!! I could not believe it! TWO grades higher than my current role, at just 28 years old, I was a manager of an office, in an area I did not know, 12 miles from my new home!! 

This is where I came across some really challenging times, and building my resilience was going to make me, or break me. I had to dig deep and remember who I was and what I am deserving of. I worked hard to be here and I was promoted fair and square, so giving up was never an option.  

 

What I ended up achieving in this role exceeding expectations of my 'haters', those who expected me to fail, those who were waiting for me to mess up.. but I actually achieved more in a short space of time than other had managed to do in years! I made it 'viral' through my organisation and was labelled a 'double jumper' who now, people were watching to see what else I could do. Some people became fearful of me (that I would end up their boss one day and they have been trying to get promotion for decades and not achieved it) and some people became my biggest supporters, and what I had managed to achieve, gave others the hope, determination and confidence to take that leap of faith and push forward in their career.

 

Do you know how I did it?... I led teams from the heart and I was just being me. I was not this 'robot' who never listened to people. I was this new, fresh take on leadership and not 'old school management', which meant my teams worked hard for me. Sickness absence dropped, performance soared and morale was at it's peak! People actually wanted to come to work. 

Now people were listening to me... I was happy to coach them and share my story and how I managed to achieve it. I thrive on other people's successes, I don't like to see people fail. 

 

Then my daughter had to go in for her second hip operation, she was now 8 years old. I had a 3 year old, and I had just moved the family 40 miles away to a city in which we were familiar with for shopping, but that's all! Now I am a manager in an office even further away, at just 28 years old. 

But I was up for the challenge. My husband (at the time) stayed at home to look after the children after my daughters operation, took them to appointments, school, nursery and cleaned the house. I went to work full time, leading a team of people who had children older than me! That was an interesting time I can tell you! 

 

Again, skipping some of the details, I was approached by my district manager and asked if I would lead teams across four offices in my district as he wanted to see just what I was capable of... so me being me, I accepted!

I had only been in my new role for six months, applied for permanent promotion and was successful! Just 12 months in to my new leadership role, I was off again running four offices this time, leading 10 managers and over 200 staff, not to mention the 22,000 customers they were working with! I was just 29 years old...! 

 

I appreciate this was a lot of information, but there is a reason I told you all of that. Hard work, determination, self belief, resilience and dedication to self development will pay dividends! Leading teams is one of the most stressful things you can do, but can also be the most rewarding too. And as long as you have the right attitude, allow people to grow and be creative, you can drive some real successful outcomes and performance. 

 

In my blogs, I talk more about the challenges I faced, how I overcome them and some tips, advice and supportive products to help you to succeed too. 

 

Us women are incredibly strong and naturally resilient. We always lead but we don't recognise it in work. We are mums, we run families, we do school runs, have to have good time keeping skills, and we teach our children every single day.

Women make the greatest leaders, but we can also be sensitive too (thanks to mother nature!), but when you learn how to channel those emotions, you will become the greatest leader and the most inspiring woman to your colleagues, friends and most of all, your family. 

 

Much Love 🩷

Lisa