Saturday, January 1, 2011

Interview with Barista Extraordinaire, Chanel Harden

Chanel

I wanted to do an interview with my co-worker, Chanel. I have always admired and envied her calm, cool, and collectedness. She always has her wits about her. Let me tell you, Chanel is the person you want to work with if you don’t want to worry about things getting done. She not only rolls with the punches, she thrives in such situations.

I asked her if she had any secrets. To which she said, “As long as I’m doing my job correctly, I don’t worry.”

That is precisely the key, KNOWING what to do, and more importantly, following through. Too often I allow the work atmosphere to dictate my job. [I was just too busy to restock those milks for the next person.]  She realizes that the work environment doesn’t change her responsibilities. A busy store doesn’t negate the need for restocking or tidying. She remains consistent through the ups and downs of a shift. 

One needs no more proof that this secret works, than to watch Chanel in action. She maintains cool control throughout the craziest of shifts, as well as customers. She deals well with fellow employees as well. Working is second nature to Chanel, and as is often the case, she works with employees who often have to be prodded to do their jobs. [I am as guilty of this as anyone else]. She deals with us gracefully.

When I asked her how she does this so well. She says, “You can’t give up on someone. You guide them as much as you can, but that’s all you can do.”

One key to her performance is she makes a priority to be informed, of company happenings.  I’ve seen her go the extra mile to read up on new store policies and products, so she’s always in the know. Chanel has a good understanding of her capabilities, as well as her job.

One of her Chanel-isms is to say, “Take a deep breath, think it through, and go to your happy place.”

You know, I gave her advice half a chance today, and it worked!!

c. 2011

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