Have you ever been forced to do a job in which you weren't proficient? How did you cope?

When I started out in sales, I wasn’t very proficient at all. But I learned quickly and am now very good at sales, and often give advice to others.

What I did was asked tips from people lateral to me and up from me…meaning, I wouldn’t ask any colleagues for advice if I was supervising them. For example, when I was promoted to a senior sales rep, I asked either Senior Sales Reps, or Management above me for advice on how to better my self in the position I had.

If you asked your subordinates for advice on how to do your job, I think you’d look a bit silly, and would deteriorate any credibility you had in doing your job. They’d want to ask themselves something like “Why am I not doing this person’s job, when I know it more than him/her?”

I’m not sure exactly what line of work you’re in, but I’m sure you have someone in a similar position or title that you could go to for help, or perhaps the person that gave you this position.

When I was younger I was forced into being a lifeguard. Bear in mind I had no idea how to swim. The first time I had to jump into the pool I drowned.

it was a lovely service. baby’s got back played softly in the background…

Isn’t there anyone you can go to with this? If not, find the subodinate who kisses the most ass and use the heck out of him.

Good Luck.

I read up as much as possible on the actual procedures, enrolled in a couple of classes at the junior college to hone skills I needed, and asked advice from colleagues I trusted who were tasked with the same job in other facilities. I also stayed late at first to be certain I had done things correctly.

You can also delegate parts of the task you are less comfortable with to those you supervise as long as you are able to properly assess the results.

Sometimes it isn’t really how well you can do the actual job, but how well you can inspire others to do it.

I’ve never been forced – I’ve volunteered for these situations repeatedly. Or I should say, lied through my teeth.

airbrush artist
event designer
model builder
picture framer
promotions manager

I took each of those jobs, claimed to have had some vague experience in it, said I couldn’t start for a week, and crammed like hell.

A professor I had in art college said, “Never say no to a job. Say, ‘I can do that’, negotiate some time and figure it out.”

I’ve followed that advice for 20 years.

All I can think to add to what has already been suggested is to learn the strengths of the team you’re supervising. Utilize them as best you can and also learn everything you can from them. Really, that’s valuable any time you’re leading a team, even if you are proficient yourself.

I was once hired to manage a mainframe computer implementation but the ignorant people that hired me SHOULD have hired a programmer for what they wanted done but didn’t know it. It was HELL.

Thanks for the answers all.. sound advice. looks at the pile of reading material yet to be covered .. augh.. here we go

I had a job that I had to learn on my own, as I was doing it. I asked lots and lots and lots of questions. I treated the people under me with courtesy and respect for the work that they did, and recognized them for it on a regular basis. A good manager offers good direction, and gives feedback.

I studied Communication Theory (as in reading lots of books about how people talk to each other) and when I was drafted they assumed I was some sort of Telecommunications specialist. They sent me to a special camp which was more like a military university, with all the top brains (we actually had a guy in our squad who helped build a spaceship). I felt like stupid, can’t even draw a simple circuit. I told my commander and he understood, but they couldn’t transfer me for a bit, so he asked what it was I did before I joined. I told him I’d been a singer, so he gave me a room all to myself and gave me all the soldiers and equipment I needed with the task to prepare a series of concerts both for the soldiers and some civilians (like a local orphanage and so on). It went great. Unfortunately when I did get transferred, the assumption that I could easily disassemble radars travelled with me. I eventually persuaded my new commander to let me help in the infirmary. Not my specialty, but I cleaned up the place, did the paperwork and could even sleep there, where the beds were better and it was not so hot. I eventually got transferred to the military band and everybody was happy :)

When I worked in an adult education programme in former East Germany, I once had to teach Chemistry to a bunch of professional chemists. I wasn’t even good at chemistry at school. It was only one lesson though, so I read a couple of things the day before and we had an interesting discussion in class about how to make polyurethane (don’t ask me now, been years since).