Bye Procurement Department, Ministry of Education; Hello Public Service Department

Today, on 9 March 2020 I went to my new office to officially report my duty there: Public Service Department. I was very nervous because this is the first step of my journey out from the education world. I have always worked in the area of education until now. Even when I was dealing with procurement, it felt safe and secure because was still related to schools, students and teachers. 

Now, that I have been transferred to the Public Service Department, I will be able to explore new territory. Something new and fresh to start a new journey of learning about being a leader. I cannot wait to start and explore. Just hoping that I will stay positive and energetic no matter how hard it will be!

To reflect on my learning and experience for about two years in the Procurement Department, in the Ministry of Education; I would like to start with the word BUSY! And elaborate on the word as follows:

B - Better be prepared before it's too late! When you plan to do a tender, you need to plan as early as you can. It involved time management and if you are not prepared, the time will pass and you will be left behind with projects that are not complete.

U - Use your experience wisely! The first time you do something, you might not do it as well as you can because you do not have the experience yet. However, once you have done it, you should use all the experience that you have  gained and improve the next time! Especially when the process of procurement is repetitive; you should learn, apply and adopt!

S - Sometimes it's not just about the work, it's about how you treat people! I think it's very important to remember this. No matter how difficult or complicated your job is, always remember to treat people well. Whether it's your clients, your staff, your boss or your colleagues. Be nice and things will turn out nice. So be nice to people.

Y - Yes, you can do it even though you think you cannot the first time! When you are overwhelmed with so much work to finish, with so much stress and with so little time you have, just inhale and exhale and keep doing it! Just focus, get it done and yes, you can do it! Do not give up!

PS: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence