“Oh, what I am going to do?” Sherri asked out loud.
She paced her office; nerves attacked her each time she took a step. She was about to lose her mind, and soon, it might be her job. Sherri’s boss, Mrs Adams, travelled to London for a business conference but the airline delayed her flight. The problem was that Sherri forgot to rebook the Airport Car Pickup Service. So, the car arrived at the scheduled time and left without her boss. She called the company to rebook another vehicle, but she was informed that no car was available.
She hadn’t just lost money; she could delay her boss at the airport. Sherri took a deep breath and forced herself to stand still for a second. She needed to think fast. What would her mentor do in this situation? Her mentor was a friend she met in an online forum for assistants. Although Sherri had never met her new friend, she could always rely on her to guide her. Sherri’s mentor, Lydia, was an executive assistant to a high profile personality in Nigeria.
She picked up her phone and sent a text to her, Hi Lydia, I’m freaking out! I made a mistake, and I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid I will lose my job, or my boss will never trust me with anything important again.
Her phone screen lights up immediately with a new text message from her mentor. What’s the problem? I might be able to help.
Sherri’s fingers trembled as she typed; My boss’s flight was delayed, and I forgot to rebook her airport pickup. The car rental company has taken their money, but unfortunately, there’s no car available to pick her up. My boss has deplaned, but fortunately, she hasn’t made it through security yet.
Her mentor’s call came in immediately.
“Hello, Sherri, don’t beat yourself up over this. It can happen to anybody, even veteran assistants like me.” She chuckled.
“Thanks. What can I do?”
“You have to tell your boss the truth.” Lydia said, “Call her and tell her you forgot to book another car pickup for her. Your boss might be upset, but she should know what’s going on.”
“Thank you.” Sherri said and ended the call.
Sherri settled at her desk and used Google to search for the available luxury airport car services in Heathrow. She found a luxurious but expensive airport pickup service. Then she called her boss.
“Hello Sherri,” Mrs Adams said.
“Hello, ma,” Sherri took a deep breath before she narrated her ordeal. “I’ve been able to get another airport pickup, but it’s a luxurious cab, so it costs more.”
“You’ll have to pay for this one since the company paid for the one I missed.” Her boss informed her.
“I’m really sorry ma, yes, I’ll pay for the cab,” Sherri replied.
The call disconnected.
She went to the accounting department and informed the head of accountants that she’d like the money to be deducted from her salary in instalments.
Thirty minutes later, she got an email from the car pickup company that her boss had been picked up at the airport. Sherri was grateful for her mentor’s help and her quick thinking.
Later that day, she received a call from her boss commending her on her quick thinking thereby not keeping her stranded at Heathrow. Sherri was grateful for her mentor, without Lydia, everything would have probably fallen apart and perhaps, she would have been out of a job. Every assistant needs a mentor and a tribe to rely on in challenging times, even a Super Assistant.
