I came, I saw, I graduated!!!

As mentioned in the last blog about work, after our week together in Plano, The Queen requested that I join her again as we headed out on the road so that she could sign off on me. Let me remind you that Queen Zirkle (to be referred to as QZ for the remaining of this blog) has been on our team for nine year, opened 150+ hotels, usually works alone and was clear with me that she has a hard time letting control go. I came home after Plano and got a couple of days at home, spent some time with friends and reviewed/organized all the notes I took while with QZ. I was actually on the schedule to head out another project with another trainer and then my boss called to tell me what QZ had requested I go with her and she would let me drive the training and sign off on my certification, I was super excited! We headed to Hattiesburg!
QZ was actually getting to Hattiesburg later in the evening because she was going to be at another location doing a one day visit, I would be on my own to do the Leadership meeting the afternoon that I arrived. After a phone call "pep talk" (so I didn't forget to ask any questions!) from QZ I was ready to go, I couldn't wait to meet the team and get started! I called the GM to introduce myself, she was super nice on the phone and excited for us to arrive onsite and get the training started and get the hotel open.
On Tuesday I arrived at the hotel, met with the leadership team and we made a plan for the week. QZ showed up around dinner time and we went out to grab a bite to eat...it was so good to see her again and she of course had me cracking up from the beginning! We discussed the plan for the week and she said she was taking a back seat (as much as she could) and was going to let me drive the show, but not drive to dinner (that's a whole other blog about QZ)! The next day brought the Kickoff Celebration where we talk about Marriott and give them an overview of what to expect all week and get them excited about what we are here to do...get the hotel OPEN! I could tell from the start that this was a great team, their hotel was actually to open in October, then December and now we were in February...they have had a lot of time together to bond and get to know each other and you could tell they have had some fun together and really are like one big family. After the kick off we spent some time with housekeeping, breakfast and got ready for front desk training to start the next day.
Front desk training brought a lot of nerves for me, I know the system I worked in it everyday, would teach it to new associates, but kow you are in training land dealing with fake scenarios and QZ the legend is staring at you with her judgment face (its just her normal face!!!) as you stand in front of 7 strangers who have no clue about the system.....NO pressure! Day one was a bit of a train wreck...I got ahead of myself...QZ spoke up a few times....I needed to find my voice and confidence. At dinner that night QZ talked of how it was hard for her to sit there and only speak up once in awhile, that it was hard for her to not be driving. I think I responded with something like "are you kidding me, hard for you!"...try standing up in front of you and knowing that I'm not saying it just like you would, that it might take me explaining it twice for them to get it knowing they would get it from you on the first try, standing in front of the legend, standing there wanting to make you so proud but knowing maybe I'm not, wanting you to be proud you trained me when I finally get out on my own...but yes I could see how this could be hard for you! She laughed and said I was doing fine and that it was hard for her....you have to love the QZ....she promised that day two she would move her chair in the room so that she wasn't giving me judgment face all day, she would only interject if I was leading them down the wrong path AND she stuck to all those promises! Even on day 3 when there was some confusion about how the hotel was going to do their cash handling policy, she gave the team a 10 min break, said all the right things to calm me down and was supportive....all I wanted to do was cry!
The Hattiesburg team was awesome, they had meals together said prayers and blessed the food before eating, supported each other, laughed with each other during my games each morning and danced with each other when I blasted music in the lobby. Our time was quick, we celebrated their opening on Super Bowl Sunday the day before their actual opening, pizza, prizes and a video I put together of their/our time together...it was fun to watch them enjoy seeing all the pictures of their time together and the clips of them dancing! Super Bowl night QZ cooked, Brad joined us and we watched the game...it was a great time! Opening day was easy, they were prepared and we flipped the switch for them to go live around 2pm and they were super excited!
The night of opening we go down around 10pm and work the first audit with the auditors in order to train them and also to make sure that all the computer systems are working and that nothing goes crazy! As I reviewed my notes and got ready to head downstairs I realized that this might be the last time QZ and I might work together, we went to dinner earlier in the night and she let me know that I had "Graduated the Zirkle Experience" and my boss had also called to tell me that she was going to give me the last passcode I needed to be on my own. It was bitter sweet, I am ready to head out on my own but I'd miss the time I got with QZ and she isn't a woman of emotional sentiment so how could I tell her that I was so thankful and grateful to her for teaching me, investing in me and pushing me to do better and know better over our time together...well you take to Facebook of course! I wrote a nice note and thanked her for a ride a soon wouldn't forget and for getting that southern draw of hers stuck in my head! It was a fantastic 17 days of training, I feel so lucky and blessed to be been trained by the best and pray as I head out on my own that I continue to make her proud so that she can say "I trained that" and not "oh lord...I trained that!"