This week's prompt happens almost all the time, especially in an official setting. Although it hasn't happened to me before, I knew someone whose credit was taken unjustly by a colleague at work due to a lack of confidence. This is why I do say that to make headway in anything we do in life, we need not only discipline or focus; our confidence too should be built very strong to face whatever it is that might come one's way. More reason I like being independent, as in self-employed, not being an employee under any firm or company.
A friend of mine lost an opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom because she lacks confidence in herself. Kate (real name withheld) works with one of the biggest beverage manufacturing companies in Nigeria. She got the job opportunity immediately after she left the higher institution as a marketer. In her first year in the company, she was placed on training, learning more about how to be a great marketer, the skills she must possess, and how to handle customers's services in the right manner. Due to the company's relationship with some international companies, a branch was setup in the United Kingdom even before her arrival to the company, and after two years of being employed in Nigeria's company, an opportunity to travel to work at the United Kingdom's branch showed forth, but together with a task.
The company believed they had been well trained and possibly could handle whatever came their way. To this, they were asked to prepare a well-detailed write-up on how to improve the company's customer base and how to relate with foreign customers, knowing fully it is another country and continent as a whole, which means a different approach should be adopted due to the white people's way of life, and they were given two months to do this. Kate put a call through to me and some of our other friends; despite not being marketing students, we all rallied around her, giving her different suggestions on how she could go about the writeup. At that time, Kate needed all the help she could lay her hands upon, and I'm glad I was able to help her. When she called, she sounded like her life depends on it, although they weren't told that they would be traveling.
"Bdellium," as she fondly calls me. "You have to help me on this. I want my bosses to be impressed and see that I am intelligent; maybe they can increase my salary," she said after narrating to me where she would be needing my help.
"Wait, madam, are we spending your salary together? Why must I be the one stressing my brain to help you with your assignment?" I asked jokingly.
"You know you will enjoy it if things fall into place; you better do the work now so that you can enjoy the profits later," Kate said.
"Instead of you to plead, you are still mandating it; I can decide not to do it, my choice anyways," I replied as I laughed out loud.
"Okay, I'm humbled now, please. I'm actually serious right now. I have just two months to complete and present," Kate said soberly.
"I've heard you. I will try my best and let you know anything I can get my hands upon that will help you," I replied, and we ended the call.
I did some research, asked questions from people just as she was doing with our other friends, and we were able to come up with a good write-up. In the process of this, one of her colleagues asked her about how she would go about it, as she was unable to understand what to do. Due to Kate's heart of kindness, she gave her a few points, but you know how manipulating some people can be. She requested more help, and Kate gave her some drafts of her work. This her colleague in question somehow down talked Kate's report to the extent that Kate felt she hadn't done the right thing, and during this process she wasn't telling me or others what was going on.
Kate tried to look for other means to come up with another write-up, which she did at a late hour. Eventually they presented, and she gave the presentation on the other one she did while her colleague presented the initial report we wrote together with Kate winning the best marketer in their company and was flown to the United Kingdom to help in their branch there. It was after the presentation that she called me to tell me what had happened. She couldn't tell her bosses that was her report that was being presented by her colleague. She kept it to herself but was in deep pain, as she would have been in that position if she hadn't given in to manipulation. I was so pained and annoyed, but there was nothing I could do about it. She lost a golden opportunity because of a lack of confidence in what she had written earlier, and that cost her a relocation to the United Kingdom.
Thanks for your time, and your comments will be appreciated.