Apparently, when you have a boss, you’re allowed to ask them for help.
I KNOW.
Revolutionary stuff.
🤣
For years, I ran businesses.
And when you run a business, there’s a fairly fundamental rule.
If there’s a problem, it’s your problem.
Sure, you can ask for advice, bring in experts or collaborate.
But ultimately, someone’s got to figure out what to do.
And that someone is usually you.
There’s no magical button labelled:
ESCALATE TO MANAGEMENT.
Because congratulations.
You ARE management.
😂
Then I became an employee.
New organisation.
New responsibilities.
New management structure.
Same operating system.
Something goes wrong?
Right. Let’s fix it.
Something complicated?
Excellent. Let’s investigate.
Something above my pay grade?
Apparently, my brain hadn’t installed that update yet.
And so I carried on.
For almost two years.
Until my first performance review.
My manager’s main feedback?
I didn’t ask for help enough.
…
Oh.
That’s an option?
🤣
Now, I’d been a manager. I understood management structures.
But apparently, knowing how a feature works and realising you’re allowed to use it are two entirely different things.
So I decided to give this revolutionary concept a go.
At first, I started small.
Something complicated came up?
I’d ask for a second opinion.
And you know what?
It was helpful!
WHO KNEW?!
😂
Then something came along that was genuinely above my pay grade.
It wasn’t just that I needed advice.
The situation called for communication at a management level. From the client’s perspective, it would carry more weight coming from my manager.
So, instead of trying to handle everything myself, I escalated it.
My manager stepped in.
And it worked.
IT ACTUALLY WORKED.
🤣
But here’s the part I hadn’t considered.
When internal management started asking questions, my manager was already across the issue.
She knew what was happening, what had been done, and why.
Apparently, escalating something doesn’t just help me.
It helps my manager manage.
Imagine that.
😂
And that’s when I realised I’d spent almost two years using my employment arrangement with half the features switched off.
I was still operating like the business owner.
Except now there was someone whose job included providing direction, stepping in when needed, and helping me do mine.
FEATURE UNLOCKED. 🔓
These days, when something lands on my desk that’s outside my authority, I have another option.
I can ask my manager.
Honestly, after years of running businesses, it’s quite a novelty.
Apparently, having a boss comes with features.
I really should have read the user manual.
🤣