work environment

I had the chance to train someone older than me that worked at bell's 2nd level support. There are quite a few facts worth remembering. She's a stoid, by the rule lady who've gotten used to ordering people and telling them what to do. I am a nice asian fresh blood out of school who knows nothing about the real world… NOT!

It started out with her trying to catch my mistakes and tell me what to do until I started explaining to her the ins and outs of why I did it in a particular fashion. Then I turned the table by having a discussion with her about the current call I was on while I was troubleshooting the client. Of course I have to show off a bit that I am doing more than she know, so I skip the explaination and just went straight to point on what I did. Then asked the question: “What do you think?” Putting her on the spot and showing I am confident enough to ask.

It worked wonderfully and immediately allowed me to gauge her technical skill. As a former bell employee, she's used to all the powerful tools that they have access to and is ignorant of the basics. She's going to be a great addition to the team, but her need to tell people what to do will be a problem.