The Manager

Name: Sheila Abdul
Age: 47 years young (as quoted from Miss Sheila)
Designation: Customer Visits Manager
Company: Tetra Pak Asia Pte Ltd

Miss Sheila has been working in the company for more than two decades and has worked in various departments in the past, before she was promoted to the position of Customer Visits Manager. She is a very well-spoken and committed career woman who handles her job professionally. Being married with two kids, she juggles her time between her job and her family really well and says that it “all comes down to good time management.”

Miss Sheila is always travelling around, and even across the continents, giving presentations at other Tetra Pak companies. Being with the company for so long, Miss Sheila is quite known to a lot of people. As such, she is the contact person for any meetings, conferences, seminars, training or workshops that is to be held in Singapore. She is tasked to organise meetings overseas, e.g. in Chiang Rai, Dubai and Bangkok. Miss Sheila has also been on a road show for an exhibition to Atlanta and Minneapolis in USA and Vienna in Austria.

On top of all that, Miss Sheila is constantly upgrading herself. Besides juggling between her job and family, she is also currently taking a part-time Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management at MDIS. I must say that she is a true Wonder Woman.

I had to conduct the interview through email, as Miss Sheila was in Korea to attend some meetings there and to participate in a seminar organised by the company. This is what she had to say about her position as a manager in the company:

Q: Briefly describe your job responsibilities as a manager.
A: Basically, I am in charge of the reception. I plan the programme and make arrangements for both local and overseas customers who come to visit our office for whatever purpose. I have to make sure all conference rooms on site are tidy and all equipment in the room is workable. Also, I have to maintain the Product Room, where we showcase all the products that our company packed worldwide. Organising meetings, conferences and such are also a huge part of my responsiblities.

Q: What is your management style? How do you go about managing?
A: I am always open for new ideas, improvements. I encourage open discussions and team-work among colleagues. I also believe in transparency in our work so that we can work well together.

Q: What are some of the difficulties you face as a manager?
A: Most of the time I face people problem. Motivating the employee as the nature of our work can be quite routine.

Q: How do you overcome these difficulties?
A: I am always looking out for opportunities for the team. It is also important for me to hold regular department meetings - every quarter to hear from the staff. Besides that I encourage the staff to look at their own career movements by taking courses to improve themselves, etc.

Q: In your opinion, what makes a good manager?
A: A good manager has to be open-minded, and be transparent in what you do. Be firm in the objective that you set for the department and follow-up on it.

From what Miss Sheila has said in the email interview, I can safely say that Miss Sheila approaches management more to the human relations. She stresses on the importance of good communication between her and the people she works with, in order to achieve the best results for the company. She is always looking out for opportunities for the work force’s growth. Interpersonal relations between her and colleagues are definitely important to Miss Sheila.

Miss Sheila is a not only a good manager, but she is also a successful leader. I believe she has a strong and positive influence over her workers at the office due to her strong values in life and how she manages it.

It is hard to find a successful career woman, who can prioritise her time and responsibilities like how Miss Sheila does. With all the contributions and efforts, Miss Sheila Abdul is definitely a gem to the company.