Jayesh’s development journey

As we all turn our attention to our own development for the year to come, we’re bringing you another example of how one of your colleagues has been focusing on theirs. Here’s Jayesh’s story…

Jayesh Ganatra – Team Leader, Contact Centre Operations (CCO)

“I started at Carnival UK in 2015 as a Personal Cruise Advisor (PCA) in the Customer Contact Centre. I was so nervous on my first day as I’d never worked in a role like it before but I was met by some very friendly faces and immediately felt at ease – the rest is history!

I really enjoyed my time as a PCA, speaking to guests with a range of different queries from support calls to complaints, but sales calls were my favourite. I really enjoyed connecting with our guests and creating their dream holiday. This gave me a great insight into what makes our guests tick and what is great about our brands.

Towards the end of my time as a PCA I had the opportunity to support the launch of the MyCruise platform, representing and helping to navigate CCO through this exciting time. This was a great experience for me as I got to work with stakeholders from many areas of our business, understanding what they did and how we could collaborate with them better. The skills I developed during this time were invaluable to the next step in my career,  becoming a P&O Cruises Team Leader.

My role now

I have been a Team Leader for over two years and in this role I’m responsible for the performance, development and support of a team of 12 Personal Cruise Advisors. I love that my role helps to shape other people’s career development in a way that others had done for me previously (special shout out to Gareth, Becca and Adriana!). I’ve learnt and developed so many vital skills as a Team Leader, from performance management, coaching, managing project teams and collaborating with various areas, both in and outside of the CCO, to ensure our teams are delivering the best experience to our guests.

In my current role I’ve also had the opportunity to provide cover for our Operations Manager, which has  helped me on my own development journey. 

My best piece of advice

My biggest piece of advice is to set clear goals and ensure you discuss these with your line manager – their support will be crucial in order to help you successfully achieve these.

Also look for opportunities to meet and network with other colleagues from all levels and all areas of the business, you never know who you may end up crossing paths with! Don’t let opportunities pass you by, take a chance and seize them.”

As Jayesh mentions, setting goals is a crucial step in getting started on your development journey. If you’re yet to set your goals for 2022 make sure you get some time in the diary with your line Manager in the coming weeks – find out more about goal setting here. 

Not sure where to start? Find an overview of all development opportunities available to you, including development drop in clinics, until February 2022 here.