How I Experienced Growth in Chillibreeze – Dolcey Sawian

In 2017, I was looking for a job in Shillong, and it led me to apply to Chillibreeze as I had a bit of knowledge in PowerPoint. At least that was what I thought before I joined, but the reality is "I Knew Zero" 😀

In four months, I designed slides and served our customers alongside my skilled and capable team members.

But sadly, my journey was about to be cut short. 😞

The next three months were intense for me; I had a hard time meeting the standards and expectations needed for a PowerPoint Designer. I began to realize this type of work did not fit me. I was a slow learner, but I was not ready to give up.

I wanted to continue to work in Chillibreeze. In just six months, I could feel how I thought and how my perspective towards work changed. The Value of Work became real to me.

I gave my all; I put in more effort and built up my confidence.

You see, I had low confidence; I was not outspoken, which hampered the way I worked. So, to cover up this weakness, I tried expressing more through written communication.

Finding My Fit

My mentor Synshar saw that I had potential in writing. He reached out to the head of the Production team, James Syngai, to see if any different roles were available to add value to the company.

After the heads discussed my situation, they came up with a content writer's role as that was a need.

I had to undergo a trial period for 1 month for this role. After the 1month trial, I had to undergo 3 months of probationary training, and in April of 2018, I got appointed again, but this time as Content Writer.

I started writing blogs and posting content on different Social Media platforms; I loved it!!!

To communicate the brand and purpose of Chillibreeze, I needed to understand the company's purpose and vision entirely, and by doing so, I was able to align my goal with that of Chillibreeze.

I started to see the bigger picture; I understood what I needed to do and where I could add the most value. I began to communicate the brand of Chillibreeze.

Chillibreeze allowed me to learn, and I grabbed every opportunity. Slowly, from a Content Writer, I started working on websites., I learned photography, a little videography, design, and marketing.

Never in a million years have I ever thought I would be doing the things I am doing today. Sometimes I feel like I am dreaming. 😃 I remember I was asked before, “Where do you see yourself in 5 Years?” My answer was always vague; I did not know.

And it is far from what I am doing right now.

I always had this notion that career growth was moving up the ladder, holding a high position, and so on.

But being in Chillibreeze, I realized that was not the case.

Building My Confidence

During my third year, the team assigned me more responsibilities that were different from the everyday tasks I did. Nafissa and Nazarine challenged me to come out of my comfort zone, asking me to speak in public, pushing me to connect more with other team members and to share more in open discussions and learnings.

In doing so, my confidence level started rising, and by communicating in open discussion, I acquired even more knowledge.

When you learn alone, you know only one way. But when you learn from one another, no little insight is meaningless. It's a prospect to understand the world from different lenses.

I then coached and guided candidates in a one-month course we had developed as part of the hiring process.

I began to mentor Hazel and William, new hires, and in doing so, I learned a lot from both of them.

Today we are working hand in hand with one another, sharing ideas and doing what we love each day. Today I don’t wait to be asked to step out of my comfort zone. Instead, I seek out new challenges and continuously gain knowledge.

Reflecting on the 4 years that I have been in Chillibreeze, I understand now that growth is continuous development in skills, maturity, responsibility, and wisdom.

I may still be an Associate, but I am not the same person I was in 2017: a timid, shy, and inexperienced person.

I am putting my story in writing because I have found a way to use my unique capabilities to create value for others; that designation doesn’t matter.  I want you to remember not to chase career growth through designation but instead aim to grow in wisdom and maturity so that you can add value to others.