Abbi’s development journey

As we continue to focus on our development throughout the year, we’re bringing you another example of how one of our colleagues focuses on theirs. Here’s Abbi’s story…

Abbi Argles – Pre-Cruise Commercial Consultant

“I started at Carnival UK in 2019 as a Destination Innovation Executive in the Shore Experiences team.

My favourite thing about cruising is the ability to explore so many places and in this role I loved finding innovative ways for our Guests to experience the destinations we visit. Bringing our destinations to life and surprising our Guests is something I’m really passionate about.

Making the most of opportunities

As a result of the pandemic I was given opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. Drawing on the experience I gained from previous roles, I was able to add value to all sorts of projects. This enabled me to take my career to the next level and I recently took a secondment as a Pre-Cruise Commercial Consultant.

My new role is helping me to develop a more commercial view of Shore Experiences and I’ve been using my previous experience to develop a more joined up Guest journey. I really enjoy digging into insights and using them to make decisions about where we should concentrate our marketing efforts.

What got me here?

Lateral thinking is a skill I picked up while I was learning languages at uni. If you forget the word for ‘sun’ there are many ways to describe it so that another person would understand. This is ‘thinking laterally’ and it means you develop the ability to look for solutions that reach the same output but aren’t always the most obvious.

We need to keep evolving

Development is a never ending cycle because the world is always evolving and you need to keep learning in every area. I try to regularly and accurately map my skills gaps so I know where I should focus next.

• I ask a lot of questions (a LOT) and you’ll often find me asking colleagues for their time to explain how something works to make sure I’m having the right conversations.
• I also try to spend time each week catching up on the industry, looking for trends, reading reports etc. which is important when we don’t know what the ‘new normal’ will look like!
• I definitely learn by doing. I’ve spent a large chunk of my career on Excel and I just Google anything I’m trying to do – everything has been done before and they’ve usually written on a forum about it!

I turn to books a lot

I make time for reading on my commute (when there’s not a global pandemic) or before bed and I really enjoy self-development books. Dan Pink is a fantastic writer and I highly recommend his book ‘To Sell is Human’ as well as ‘Legacy’ by James Kerr.

It’s important to own up to your mistakes

I’ve definitely made mistakes along the way. In the moment they felt huge, but thinking back, I can’t really remember them. I’m someone who is honest about things and when I make mistakes I step up, say what happened and ask for help to fix it if I need it. Mistakes just mean you’re doing something new and you’ve found a way not to do it!

My best piece of advice is…

Be curious, ask questions and try to gain a broad range of skills and experience.

By being open to working in new areas and learning new skills I’ve planned national TV campaigns, worked on labelling/packaging and I’ve presented to major UK and international retailers. It’s been great fun.

I want to continue learning about more areas in the business so I’m going to continue enjoying collaborating with both brands on how to bring Shore Experiences to life for our Guests. I love working here and I thank all my colleagues on shore and on board for being so welcoming and helpful.”

Thanks Abbi!

As Abbi mentions, being open to getting involved, learning different skills and drawing on your experience to add value is a great way to develop yourself. Want to do the same thing?

• Learn about the power of developing a growth mindset and how it can accelerate your skills here
• Add value and play to your strengths by completing a personal SWOT analysis here.

Don’t forget to add it all to your development plan. Download the latest from My Best Me: Colleague on The Cove here.