Goodbye Specialsgurl you will be missed

I try not to write about work here but today is different. My lead technician, whom I have been graced with for many years has finally gotten a greatly deserved promotion. She arrived at my store, as several have over the years, coming from a difficult situation in the store they had been hired at. She was labeled as a troublesome employee that they had neither the hours nor the desire to train. Funny how I end up with these girls and the only thing I see is an intelligent young woman that is trying to do the best that they can in my store. In all cases where this has happened I have had no problem training these girls. In fact most have far exceeded any expectations myself or the company could ever had. The only thing I can figure is that with these girls you have to explain why certain things have to be done in a certain way. In other words, they don't just do what they are told because a higher up says it needs to be done. Once they learn the why's about a task, they are more than willing and able to get the job done the correct way.

When Specialsgurl came to me she was still very much a diamond in the rough. I could tell she was very strong willed, but she was very intelligent as well and I can work with that. She was still in her teens (around 18 years old) when I transferred her to my store and still had a bit of growing up to do, but who doesn't at that age. She was "just a technician" when she arrived, which was the top rank among non-pharmacist staff at the time. Shortly thereafter the role of "lead technician" started to be thrown around at our company. A new National certification exam had become available to technicians that gave them letters after their name and something to put on a resume. Our company had been trying to promote all technicians taking the exam so they came up with this new lead technician position. My partner and I finally got Specialsgurl into the exam and she passed it without a hitch, as we knew she would. That is really where she began to shine. She started to blossom into the person she is today. Giving her that little bit of responsibility made all the difference in the world. It didn't stop there. Many of the ideas she and other member of the staff had were tried out in our store and if they panned out she submitted the ideas to the tech trainers and district managers depending on what the idea was. Anytime we had an issue that arrose that needed fixing even if I had my own ideas I sought out hers or would tell her mine and we would brainstorm on will this work, how will it work, and can we make it better. She also worked as my bridge between my partners. She was there monday
through friday. Pharmacists rarely work on the same day in a two man store so they never see each other. Specialsgurl passed messages between myself and my partners making our store run smoother. She also kept a tight reign on the other technicians so I didn't have to worry about it. This last part was very handy during the times I had less than stable partners (and I've had a few of those).

So, we come to today. A new tech training program is being launched within the company. They have basically dissolved the current tech trainer (our area has 3 I believe or I should say had) positions and replaced it with one tech trainer. The few current trainer that applied from our region and the other nearby regions have been rejected. The District Managers were sent out to their stores to recruit likely candidates to apply for the job. Guess where they came looking. It's my own fault they came to our store. I had made sure that Specialsgurl got all the credit for her hard work and ideas over the years so that she was a known name at the regional office. Not sure I knew at the time that this would happen, but I knew my tech could make a career out of the company and wanted her options to be open. Well, they are wide open now. She went to the interview and got the job. Truthfully, if they hadn't given it to her I would have questioned their sanity on the issue. Her words to me when she told me were that I had never doubted that she would get the job, eventhough she had many doubts herself. I have worked in many of the surrounding stores of my area (a day here and there) there are only a handful that would have what it takes for this new position. Of those people I couldn't think of more than one or two that might actually go to the open interviews (and they didn't have me going over check lists of things to bring, what to wear, and what questions to expect).

I will really miss Specialsgurl. I will miss the morning "meetings" when I've been off the last few days to catch up on what's been going on in the store (and more to the point, life in general). I will miss the laughter, the banter back and forth, the powwows on how to get our store number back up when the fall, the including of the customers in our conversations, and of course the coffee (she brings me coffee every morning...probably to keep my mood up). In fact she asked me (and sounded rather disturbed about this) who was going to bring me coffee when she's gone. I assured her that after they get a load of me in the morning without coffee for a few weeks, someone will figure it out. Besides, the one who brings the coffee usually gets their lunch paid for by me. In case you are wondering why I don't get my own coffee in the morning. I work a 14 hour day most days. D&D is either a left turn in a really bad intersection or I have to go out of my way to get there. Add to that that half of those days are back to back 14 hour days, it's just not an option to start my day earlier just so the techs may live.

So, I am very pleased and happy that Specialsgurl has sprouted wings and left the nest (and a bit proud to boot). I'd like to think that I had something to do with it, although this girl would have gone far in almost any environment. I keep telling myself that this is really not goodbye, that we will still be in the loop with each other. Over the years she has transformed from the diamond in the rough into a sparkling gem. Part of me feels the joy of a mother. Part of me feels the pride as her supervisor. Most of me is beaming at how far she has come and where she is going and the fact that I can call her my friend. Goodbye for now Specialsgurl...your daily presence will be missed.