Bitter Sweet First

Well I experienced a new first today.

My manager just had a conference call with our team and announced that he is no longer going to be our manager because he got a (well deserved) promotion. While I am excited and happy for him because our company can recognize how much he does and how great he is at what he does, I am not happy to lose him as my manager.

I tried for over a year to get into pharmaceutical sales. I went on a few interviews and would get to the last one and would be passed over because I didn't have previous experience in the industry. However, when I interviewed with Ben he was different. He saw potential in me and gave me my chance. I will ever be grateful for that chance.

Over the past 10 months of working under Ben, I have learned so much.

-I learned that ALL managers aren't bad and out to get you.
-I learned that having your manager ride with you all day long can be fun and at the end you can go home with a smile on your face.
-I learned that my manager can be my friend too.
-I learned that being honest about things with your manager doesn't mean that he will take that info and use it against you later.
-I have learned that I will ALWAYS learn something new when Ben rides with me.
-I have learned that "unless my name holds the title of manager, I don't get to be the judge of how I do in the field". I hear that alot when Ben is with me and we get back into the car and I tell him how HORRIBLE the call went and then he tells me that he thought it went good.
-I have learned that a manager can really care about what you want for your future career and not because if you are successful then he is successful, but because if you are happy, he is happy.
-I have learned that the thought I once had that 'I would NEVER find a manager that I liked and I thought that was normal' was completely wrong.
-I have learned that if you are passionate about what you do, you should always be successful.
-I have learned that keeping things simple and focussed on the patient will always get/keep the doctor's attention. This works in life too.
-I have learned that knowing WHAT motivates me will help me be better at what I do.
-I KNOW that tearing up when your manager announces that he is only going to be your manager for a few more weeks is not normal.

There is so much more I have learned, but I must get out the door, so that is it for now.

I know that my manager doesn't read my blogpage, I have never told him about it. However, I still want to say Thank You to Ben for giving me a chance and teaching me SO MUCH over the past 10 months. He will be so GREAT in his new role with the company, but I know the team and I will miss him very much as our manager!