Carnival
in the Workplace
Jacqueline’s Recipe for Success
On an evening back in June, the air tense with anticipation, the mood heavy with the weight of academic importance, a moving illumination steps onto the stage of the Yara Auditorium of the Lok Jack GSB.
She launches into an explanation of her research and its practical applications and with each word spoken the glow strenghtens.
An electric current, invisible, yet palpable, passes from presenter to audience and back to the live wire, and she is buoyed by their collective energy – gaining confidence, tongue moving like quick silver, flashing an exuberance that must be inimitable. Jacqueline Cheesman radiates… and reels them in, effortlessly. At the end of the evening she emerges victorious – the popular overall winner of the first ever Lok Jack GSB Research Awards /Evening Business Conference and winner in two of the sub-categories. The EMBA Cohort 14 graduate sat down with us for an interview….
GSB: What are your thoughts on winning the 1st ever Lok Jack GSB Research Awards 2007?
JC: I came here hoping to capture one award, which was ‘Best Oral Presentation’. I was really blown over when I left with three awards. It really was not what I was expecting. At one point in time, I was a bit nervous because my presentation was somewhat a little different to the others. In terms of the crowd, the audience seemed to have really enjoyed what I delivered and that to me was good enough, with or without awards. I would have been happy knowing I entertained the audience.
GSB: What motivated you to take part in the Competition?
JC: I always feel to give back to whatever institution or work or whatever you would have been a part of. I was here as an EMBA student and when the invitation came forward, I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t want to be a part of the GSB. Its not over when you collect the certificate on graduation night and any opportunity I get to be a part of GSB, I would welcome that.
GSB: What impact, if any, has this win had on your life?
JC: For one, it helped me grow in self-confidence. As I said, I didn’t come here expecting to win anything except for Best Oral Presentation. I personally wanted that. It of course wasn’t a guarantee that that would have been mine. The fact that I was able to walk away with three awards made me more self confident. That’s exactly it. At the start of everything, you always have a sense of nervousness and I remember even in my Communications programme which we would have done in the EMBA, my question to the lecturer, Dr. Sooknanan, was ‘how do you get rid of those butterflies that are always there?’ His response was that you hardly ever get rid of them but you learn to manage them and they then get less and less. Even in the workplace, things that I would have to take part in, that nervousness, I wouldn’t say that it has gone altogether but it has certainly been reduced. All of that is part of the development in my self-confidence.
GSB: How important is self-confidence in the job you do?
JC: Very important, as I deal with customers on a daily basis. I am the Senior Manager of Customer Loyalty at RBTT bank and if it’s one thing you need to be able to demonstrate when you’re dealing with clients its self-confidence because a large part of my job is dealing with dissatisfied clients and I would have to recover this client and make things better and ensure that these mistakes aren’t repeated. If you’re not confident how can others have confidence in you? So, based on my job and even with my staff… I supervise a somewhat large unit and as a leader you must always exude self-confidence because people will respect you and they would want to follow you or walk alongside you.
GSB: How long have you been in that position?
JC: It’s been a position I’ve been handling in the past year now. Prior to that I was the Manager of Customer Loyalty which I handled for about one year as well and then a year after, thanks to the EMBA, I was promoted to the Senior Manager position.
GSB: What are the business challenges that you sought to address in your research?
JC: This is an organization where customer complaints were escalating so we needed to arrest that situation to get the complaints down and of course you’re going to do a project where you want to enrich the customer’s experience… what was partly revealed in doing the research is that staff to an extent were demotivated and if you are a demotivated staff member you would not deliver that level of service we were talking about, so you can understand why complaints were escalating…it was necessary now to work with staff in order to indirectly impact on the service.
GSB: Your recommendations were implemented in the organization; can you explain what those recommendations were?
JC: The key thing about this practicum was a training
programme that was designed and delivered and it was delivered
in terms of the whole “joy at work” concept which
was a critical module in the training programme. It was the last
module that was able to continue in the organization and for
people to try and have that passion for what they were doing
on the job; that passion for service. I’m not saying that
there was a 100% turnaround but in terms of the complaints reducing
that clearly was one of the outcomes based on the recommendation
on creating an environment where people feel happy, where people
choose to give their best at their job.
The presentation I would have done at the GSB for the business evening was
condensed but if you look at the practicum itself there were a lot of other
recommendations within it that time did not permit me to discuss… some
of it was looking at positions within the organization and trying to see those
that needed to buckle up, clarity of roles was important as well. …There
were other things that would have impacted on the service but I can’t
claim it as mine because it would have been things that the organization was
looking at all along although I would have mentioned it there because clearly
it was needed… things like technology to enhance the service, etc.
GSB: What’s the source of your boundless
enthusiasm and how do you sustain it?
JC: From my early years growing up I’ve always liked the stage. I was
always involved in choir, choral speaking. When I moved on from school and
A levels I started getting involved in drama. I was part of a drama group of
which Ralph Maraj was the director. So, the stage was not anything new to me.
..Even at the time I started the EMBA I was a consultancy trainer with Roytec.
In a classroom lecturing, you have to have a certain level of enthusiasm because
remember it’s an audience; they are your customers so you have to make
whatever it is you’re delivering as interesting and enjoyable as possible
otherwise you’ll lose your audience. However, I will admit that the EMBA
helped polish my skills…We all had some challenges as it would have been
brand new to some people, not so new to others…. Reflecting on that first
time when we would have had that 5 minute presentation which was a big thing
for all of us and to see how people grew after that 1 year, including myself,
if I had any doubts that the EMBA would have done something for us, it was
all laid to rest there because we really improved on our presentation skills,
the majority of us. We had a presentation with every course, like with Mr.
Macdonald, we had all these strategic cases to analyze and present, probably
about four of them throughout the course. So, who wouldn’t have developed
from something like that?
GSB: Is it just a stage presence or do you take this energy to the workplace?
JC: When I did that module on Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management with Dr. Quame Charles, he was the one who introduced us with the concept ‘festival in the workplace’ which I did mention and what also started my practicum. He spoke about passion and creativity and whatever you’re doing you have to have to be able to have a passion for it and I think that really struck me. While I must say that I’m very enthused with what I do and that’s one of my philosophies in life; you must enjoy what you do but I think it hit home even more because sometimes even with me, this whole concept we talked about Carnival and all this passion while playing mass and in the workplace, why can’t we transfer that passion and energy there. I will admit sometimes I would grouch about things pertaining to work especially since I have to drive from south all the way to work with all this traffic and to wait four hours to cross the savannah playing mass, that’s nothing because you’re enjoying yourself. It’s really about passion; passion for what you do. It’s something that I would have known about before and something that would have struck me even more when I had done that particular part in that contemporary HR course on culture in the workplace.
GSB: Tell me a little bit about yourself - Who is Jacqueline
Cheesman?
JC: Well, I’m married and I have two children,
Alleyna and Allysa and they both attend St Joseph’s Convent
in San Fernando my alma mater.
I like to lime; I believe in a balanced life. Even throughout the EMBA, I would
study, yes, I would do all my courses but when coming to the lime that was
also part of it. That was a key part of the EMBA as well, you have to enjoy
yourself because life is to enjoy. II love to work out; I do a lot of aerobics.
I walk the Lady Chancellor sometimes, I love to cook, I love to read; just
last night I read ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Burn. Everyone was talking
about this book, so I had to go get it. Actually, I got it with my R.I.K voucher
that I got from the Research awards. Very interesting book so reading is a
part if it as well.
I recently have been appointed to the Police Service Commission which was an
appointment that took effect from the 1st July so I’m pretty new on the
Commission but you know it’s something that I see is going to take time
and effort but its great to be of national service to Trinidad and Tobago.
So, I view it as that and I’m going to enjoy this commission assignment
and I’ll make sure that I do enjoy it because everything we do we have
to enjoy.
GSB: How long is that appointment and how does one become appointed?
JC: It’s a 3 year appointment. Both the Leader of the Opposition and
the Prime Minister would nominate whom they feel would be suitable for handling
that particular role and of course its an independent body without political
interference. The President would then go through the names and go through
intensive background checks on you and then the Commission which comprises
of 5 persons is chosen.
GSB: What is the role of the Police Services Commission?
JC: To describe it in very few words: watchdog
for the police service. I am
looking forward to it… You see you must always have something stimulating
to do… I would have gone and done a law degree had it not been for this
coming up. You know, you can’t focus on too many things at one time because
if I was doing my law degree while on the Commission and have a hectic job
at the bank and want to lime and have a balanced life would be difficult. So,
I put off my law degree for now and once there’s life, you can put off
to do those things at a later date.
GSB: How do you achieve that balance?
JC: I believe in positive thinking and the power
of thought and that is what all
these books as ‘As A Man Thinketh’ by James Allen - a book which
I’ve read not too long ago, and even ‘The Secret’ they tell
you about positive thinking. Once you start to think to think well how am I
going to finish this when I have so many things to do….Instead of spending
so much time worrying about that, spend time doing some of the things. I am
not afraid of challenges and all that has to be done… you just do it.
You know you have to prioritize and prioritizing is a difficult thing because
sometimes you have so many things that is a priority. I believe that you have
to think positively and from the time negativity steps in, you’re in
trouble. That’s the way I approach any assignment.
GSB: Describe a typical work day…
JC: I leave home by 5:30 because I want to be in
the office by 7. I go to work. I am always prepared from the
day before. Even before I leave work I would organize my desk
in terms of what I have for the next day, who I would delegate
what to, so I plan a day ahead. Of course you can plan, plan
and plan but things just suddenly appear on your plate that you
wouldn’t cater for so you have to be prepared for that
as well. I start work right away with work that has been planned
and those that are unplanned. It’s always a hectic day,
my day finishes very quickly and depending on what comes on my
plate will determine how my evening will be. I am a person that
believes that you cut off at a certain point; I will work later
if the job really demands it. I believe that people should be
able to get their job done within 8 hours. If you want a balanced
life, you can’t spend all your life working. So, after
4 o’clock I head into the gym, go home in the evening and
I have to spend time with the children and of course hear what
their day was like. With all the things happening with youths
today, that lack of communication I cant say that I have hours
upon hours to spend with the children during the week but I do
make sure I sit with each of them and find out what the day was
like –
I don’t cook everyday, some evenings; you asked me ‘typical work
day’ and I reached home already. I find I hardly said much about work.
They say woman have been emancipated but its really two jobs that we’ve
gotten now. I don’t cook everyday but I cook every weekend. 1 of two
days during the week because you know you don’t want to spend too much
time in the kitchen. That’s basically a typical day, I go to bed around
10, I do some reading prior to bed time; read a book, the newspaper if I would
not have been able to read that for the day.
On a weekend though, I must play scrabble; I have a passion for scrabble, I
love scrabble. So, when you talk about this festival in the workplace concept,
I mean not everybody plays carnival but the concept does not only apply to
that. You must have a passion for some other thing in life. I do take part
in Carnival but scrabble is also my passion and I hate it when I lose.
GSB: To what do you attribute your success?
JC: Hard work, sacrifices and support systems, I would say as well. If I could tell you something about my EMBA experience, we had a team that stuck together right through the programme and we worked really well as a team and I think we supported each other which is why we were all very successful. I have to pay tribute to my team because you hardly ever achieve these things as an individual. You achieve it with support from other persons. Even in the office, its not like I’m the best leader in the world, you have people who you can identify as your supporters and you together with them, you work through people so you know you hardly ever accomplish things alone. When you attribute your success it’s never because I did this, I did that but we did and that’s basically what the EMBA was like, that is what family life is like, what work is like.
GSB: What was the most profound learning that you took away from the EMBA experience?
JC: The most profound learning experience… that’s
a hard one, how did this get so hard. The power of teamwork.
I know you tend to think that teamwork is only about something
dealing with the organization but there’s teamwork in everything
you do; even in having fun sometimes
you go out with your friends and you’re divided into groups and something
or the other is something that requires team work. Even within your household
you have to work with your children, you get them one
Saturday to help you clean the house; all of that is team, it’s the power
of team and people working together.
GSB: What makes a team so special?
JC: I hate loneliness; I love to know that you
have people around you and people who will support you. We all
have different strengths and when you are able to combine those
strengths, this is where the power comes out because my strength
may not be your strength and I believe people soar with their
strengths; you manage around your weaknesses. So, when
you have strength from everybody that is what creates the power and the energy.
Another thing about teams as well you have different personalities and you
learn to work with different personalities.. that prepares you not just for
what assignment you have there but for the workplace as well because throughout
life you meet people with different personalities it doesn’t mean that
because I might be a ENTJ and you may be a INT whatever that I am better than
you or you’re better than me. It means that we have different personalities
and let’s just see how we can manage them and see how we can make it
work for whatever the task is.
GSB: Are you still in contact with your team members?
JC: But of course. ..One of the key things about the EMBA is really the friendships that you develop and the networking. I feel very happy when people call me and they’re like ‘Jackie, I need help with x,y,z’ something banking related and I’m able to support them and in the same way I could refer my friends to some of my other classmates. The caliber of people who do the EMBA are the people you would want to network with and it’s really great that we can still keep in contact and still assist each other even after all of that. My group was JRAS, oh yes we still lime, we did so about Fridays ago we had dinner together. So, yes we do keep in contact. I can’t say for the other teams and I guess they as well but the group I was a part of we still communicate very often. It doesn’t end here and that is the beauty of things, I mean you can’t put a full stop there, you can’t put an end to friendships like that and the networking, these are the keys things of the EMBA. I would have met bankers, people from other banks; from all walks of life and it’s always good when we can call upon each other for whatever it is. Even though I have my group, it doesn’t mean that I have not been in contact with people outside of my group as well, don’t feel it was JRAS closed out to everybody else. The entire class mingled well, I’m happy when you bounce up somebody somewhere or somebody calls you can you give me a little help with this or you know its really good, this is just one of the benefits of a programme like this.
GSB: Does having an EMBA really matter in the corporate world?
JC: I would say yes, because people respect you.
On my desk I have my
graduation pictures, both from my EMBA and BBA and customers
coming in would remark about it, ‘oh I see that you’re a bright
girl’, stuff like that. Somehow you gain respect from people when you
have an EMBA but it really means that you’ve undergone learning, and
its not really the paper but what you have learnt over the two years that you
could now go and use to the benefit of your organization, family, friends;
whoever it is. One of the things I always did, while I was doing the EMBA and
a trainer at Roytec, I would make sure that something I would have learnt from
the EMBA would have been part of the programme that I was
delivering. I mean, I would have been something on supervision and I would
bring in something from strategic planning but in some way you’re creeping
something because you don’t keep the knowledge for yourself …it’s
useless if you don’t share it with others.
GSB: Has being female worked to your advantage or disadvantage in the workplace?
JC: Talking about the workplace in general, when
you look at the people who are the heads you see mainly men in
the C.E.O. position and then in middle management you tend to
see all the women there and you hear people saying that the girls
beat the boys in the S.E.A. exams; you hear people talking about
women; women; women yet when you look at the really top positions,
you only see the men sitting there. Personally, I am now climbing
the corporate ladder so I wouldn’t let that affect me,
I
believe I would do the best I can and if society fully accepts women as
being people who can be in the top leadership positions then so will it be
and if they don’t I would still continue to be the best that I can be.
So, in terms of it affecting me, I wouldn’t allow it.
GSB: What’s in store for you 10 years down the road?
JC: I want to do my law degree and I want to open
my own business some point in time; consultancy services. I just
want to continue growing and
developing, being a good mother, seeing my children grow and develop as well;
I think I would have given them a good foundation one of the things that I
noticed when I was doing both my degrees somehow that impacts on your children.
They see you studying, they see a certain discipline in you and they tend to
want to replicate that so there is a plus in things like that. You know some
people might say ‘she only want to study study and she has her children’ but
the children seeing you doing that, its good for them they tend to be focused
and disciplined and want to be successful as well.
Ten years down the road I hope to be managing my own business providing an
array of services; probably legal services, training services,
consultancy services and ten years sounding kind of far so you can reduce that
down to five. Five to Six, because I have to serve my term and then
go to do the law.
GSB: Do you mind being asked your age?
JC: No, I’m 44 years old. At the end of the
day you cannot be embarrassed about things like that. I mean
I lime with people of all different age groups; I lime with the
young people, I lime with the middle-aged people, I lime with
older people its really the way you think, age is just a figure;
it’s just a number. Its how you feel, I try to keep my
body healthy I do my workouts, I try to eat properly; and you
know it’s how you think, all of that is really what makes
you feel young. It’s not really the number, I have
no problem revealing my age. People normally when they hear my age,
they are like ‘you’re 44!’ they usually are surprised but
I have no problem
disclosing my age because I am proud of being me and its just a number,
every year you add 1, that doesn’t change who you are.
GSB: Do you have any parting messages for our fellow GSB alumni?
JC: Work hard, make the sacrifices, but enjoy what you do. Very simple.
