Hollie’s development journey

With so much change happening across the business it’s important we still make time for our own development. That’s why we want to bring you another example of how one of our colleagues has been focusing on theirs. Here’s Hollie’s story…

Hollie Sexton – Consultant, Learning

I joined Carnival UK in 2019 as a Personal Cruise Advisor within the Contact Centre, just after I’d left University. I really enjoyed getting to know our guests and hearing about their great experiences onboard, as well as bringing the cruising experience to life for new guests who hadn’t sailed with us before. It was great to feel as though I had a positive influence on someone’s dream holiday!

I tried to get involved with different projects that were happening around the Contact Centre from supporting with wellbeing programmes (where we received an award nomination!) to helping to develop new sales training. This was a great way of networking with new people and building my skills.

New Opportunities

As a result of the CCO recruiting high volumes in early 2021, I was given the opportunity to step up and become a Training Specialist for our new starters. I was able to share my own knowledge and experience of speaking with our guests and added value to the training delivered. This role gave me a real interest in the development of our colleagues, and it was really rewarding to watch new starters grow into confident PCA’s. I was getting more involved with the creation and delivery of new training which I really enjoyed and gained a passion for. This led me to apply for a secondment within the Learning team. I was so excited that I was successful in the role and although it was quite an adjustment from my previous role, I felt ready to take on a new challenge and progress in my career.

Becoming part of the Learning team has helped me to think in a more creative and innovative way and support my own development whilst learning on the job. I try and practice what the Learning team preach by taking some time out for my development. The role has meant I’ve been lucky enough to attend all of our Power Hour session so far – although I’ve been supporting the set-up of these sessions, they’ve been a great tool for me to meet others from around the business and learn new skills.

Try It

I’m a big believer in giving new things a try and I’ve had to take my own advice while finding my feet in this role. I’ve been involved with projects where I’ve been very much out of my comfort zone but I’ve given those tasks my best effort. There were some occasions where I even surprised myself with how well things had turned out!

Not everything will be perfect the first time you try it, but what really counts is how you handle the situation. Use these learnings to help you try again – sometimes trial and error is the best way to learn. 

That’s not to say that trying new things isn’t scary – it can be, but by putting yourself out there, you’ll get some great exposure and it’s a chance to show others what you’re capable of and even prove it to yourself.  

Learning from Others

I’m very lucky to be working alongside some very knowledgeable and experienced people and I’ve found it so beneficial to understand their development journey’s and how they got to a certain point in their career. Having the support of those who started their career in the same place as myself has helped me set my sights on what I want to achieve in the future.

If I’m taking on a new task, I like to ask the advice of my team to see how they would approach it. Collaborative learning is a great tool as it helps you to challenge your own ways of thinking and generate new ideas.

My tops tips to drive your development are:

• Actively push yourself out of your comfort zone – chances are you can achieve more than you think you can!
• Keep the conversation going with your manager. Let them know what your goals and ambitions are so they can best support you in achieving them.
• Set aside time in your diary to support your development – it’s easier to commit to if you have it scheduled in.
• Take on projects that help you to be known to other areas of the business – then if new opportunities come up, your name will be on their radar.