I had spent less than a year at my place of work but I understood the job more than people who have been there for a decade and this made me famous among the staff. Every morning, field agents would reach out to me when they had issues and I was always happy to help them because it gave me more understanding and confidence about the job.
A lot of people didn't believe me when they discovered that I was part of the sales team because you will find me helping with marketing, clearing of stock in the warehouse, HMO team and even among the company tech guys. I was gathering knowledge for my next promotion even though I didn't know when it would come.
The first one came just three weeks after I started the job and it boosted my hope of achieving great things with the company.
"If just beating sales record in three weeks can earn me a supervisor spot, I can do more," I always reminded myself even on days I find it difficult to push on because the job was stressful.
I arrived at work one faithful morning when I got a notice that the Company's Regional manager would join us for the end of the month briefing the next day which was about evaluating the previous month's sales and setting a new target for the month. I haven't met the man since I joined the company and it was an opportunity for me to get his attention and if possible a promotion as well.
I woke up the next day and prayed to God to guide me through the day. I prepared for work and it was one of the days I wore my favourite sneakers and pants. I made sure my appearance was catchy and there shouldn't be any room for mistake. I wore a new company's branded shirt and upon my arrival to work, everyone knew there was more to that day for me.
I did my morning routine and at exactly 9 pm, the whole sales team gathered in the hall for the meeting. The company had over three hundred field agents and the hall was full to the brim. Due to my height, I didn't get a spot in front row because I hate to inconvenience others.
The meeting started as usual and instead of the Area sales manager to anchor things, the Regional manager took charge and just like people have said about it, he was a strict man. I paid attention to everything he said and was waiting for an opportunity to introduce myself to him.
"Is there anyone who can explain the figures on the sales spreadsheet that was generated throughout the month," Mr Raul asked as he paced around the podium in front of the big screen displaying complex figures.
The murmuring in the hall stopped and everywhere was quiet. I was just an area supervisor and I had lots of superiors that I expected would step out but none of them did.
"Nobody?" Mr Raul asked as he stared at the Area manager.
"You mean among all of you, no one can interpret this spreadsheet," Mr James asked and there was so much disappointment written on his face.
"This is why sales is stagnant, how do you expect their sales to grow when they can't even explain this?" Mr Raul replied as he pointed to the big screen again.
""This could be my time," I said to myself and just stood among the crowd.
"You want to try?" Mr Raul asked.
"Yes, sir. I will do it," I replied and he made a hand gesture for me to come forward.
"You mustn't mess up, George. This is an opportunity for you," I told myself as I approached the podium.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"George," I replied.
"You should be playing basketball ball instead," He teased me and everyone laughed which reduced the tension in the hall.
"I have never met him before, is he new?" Mr Raul asked the Area manager.
"No," He replied sharply.
Mr Raul stepped down from the podium and I was left to explain the spreadsheet which I did perfectly. Immediately I finished, Mr Raul started clapping and everyone in the hall joined.
I only smiled as they clapped but the smile wasn't enough to express the joy in my heart.
"Sit there," Mr Raul told me to sit among my superiors and I could tell that I had won his heart.
I watched him create a target for every area after and he made a mistake somewhere during his calculation.
"Excuse me, sir. That's not correct," I said to Mr Raul while he was on the podium. He stared at me for a few seconds and told me to come up.
"I don't make mistakes," He said firmly and I pointed out the errors in his workings. It was clear that he got angry and he didn't joke or smile for the remaining time he did the presentation.
"You shouldn't have done that," My Area sales manager said to me immediately after the meeting.
"Why sir?" I asked because I didn't see anything wrong in correcting him.
"He doesn't like it. Mr Raul doesn't admit that he makes mistakes and people who call him out like that never get to see the good side of him," He replied.
My heart was troubled and I was thrown into a state of confusion immediately. Every effort to meet with Mr Raul before he left for the headquarters failed and it was clear that I blew my chances.
"If you still have your job at the end of the week, you should be happy because Mr Raul has the power to fire anyone at any time," One of the old staff said to me that day and I felt all my efforts at the job was a complete waste.
All through that day, I could not work properly and it felt like I was stuck in turbulence. I couldn't think straight and was sad things turned out like that.
"You ruined your chances," A voice kept playing in my head as I embarked on the two-hour journey from work to my home.
The thought of losing the job moved me to tears while on the bus and I had to wait until I got home to let it pour. It was supposed to be my best day at work but it turned the other way around.
From that day, I went to work everyday with the fear of being told to stop working at any time but that didn't stop me from working diligently. I was taken away from my brand to a struggling brand but it didn't break me as I still got my former team working secretly for me.
Weeks passed and even a year went by, I still had my job but I never got to meet Mr Raul to explain myself.
I never meant to ridicule him and if I hadn't corrected him that day, the crazy figures on the screen will only drive the sales team crazy throughout the month.
