In a frank blog entry Kelly explains what she likes and what she doesn’t like about the world of work and how she intends to ‘grow’.

For many people who work in an office sitting at a computer and working on spreadsheets and word documents each day is some what of a chore.

However for me its what i’m good at.

I’m definitely one of those people that that just likes to sit there at my desk and get on with things.

I’ve even got a reputation of being “The Queen of spreadsheets”. Everyone knows that if they give me a spreadsheet I’m pretty good at organising the information and cleaning data.

I like working with computers. Sending emails, organising diaries, doing research, spreadsheets, word documents, you name it, I can do it, or learn how to…

Although that’s all good and handy, there are some things I’m not so good at…

I’m not comfortable with making calls. I’m scared of what might happen if I sound stupid or I say something wrong or someone asks me a question that I don’t know the answer to… That’s what really puts me off.

I’m also quite frightened of networking. The thought of being in a room full of strangers and having to go up to them and engage in a conversation. It’s really tough. There’s people I’ve known since school that I can’t even have a proper conversation with let alone a complete stranger.

The thoughts that go through my mind is that I’m still a teenager.

I’m always the youngest person in the room

and

There’s all theses men and women in suits, who have been working most of their life.

It is pretty intimidating let me tell you.

Then there’s me, little old Kelly, who’s best know for being ‘the quiet one’ and has only been working for 5 months. I always think that no one is going to be interested in what I have to say. I stand there and someone will ask me what I do and my answer usually goes a little like this:

‘Oh… Hi… My names Kelly…… I’m Chris’s apprentice…’

and that will be the end of the conversation.

I was at a breakfast meeting the other morning and someone approached me and we had a nice conversation he told me how when he had first started work he use to hate talking on the phone and he never would’ve dreamed of going networking, he told me that I will get use to it, it just takes some time to gain the confidence, and pretty soon I won’t even have to think about it.

However if I’m going to grow I need to keep doing the things I dislike, because no matter how much you don’t want to do it, it is the only ways that I’m going to be able to improve.

There’s no point in trying to improve on the things you’re already best at because then you’re not really working to the best of your ability are you?

So as much as I dislike it when the office phone rings, I know I’m going to have to answer it, or when people come up to talk to me I can’t just ignore them.

For me, Its all about getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. After all, what harm can it do?