Isaac Brown

A few years ago I had some debt to pay that I was having trouble resolving. Most of the representatives attempting to collect on my account played "bad cop," but on one occasion I got an older gentlemen on the phone whose opening line was "I'm not here to disrespect you, but simply to help you find a resolution together."

This empathetic statement that came from a genuine but firm voice caused me to be all ears.

Contrary to what some have made of it, collections for me has been a fulfilling experience that has helped me to help those unable to do so themselves, often too afraid to even call in and ask for assistance, and lead them on a journey both to better credit and more responsible payment habits.

In a matter of months I quickly moved up through the four buckets of delinquency here at Sallie Mae, spending only a month in each before progressing to the next, where I have currently resided in the 120 day bucket for about a year now. My experience in 120 day has included being a top performer on the ICP on occasion, and consistently remaining in Tier 1 among other feats during my time here.

"People don't buy from sales reps, they buy from other people." This statement was at the heart of the instruction I gave to new sales agents while working at Telvista, including a referral I helped to become a top performer.

"When speaking to an older man or woman, your speaking to an uncle or aunt, a younger one, your brother or sister."

Many associates of varying job roles get lost in the trap of speaking to people as "yet another annoying customer." The change in perspective that we are speaking with fellow members of the human race facing a big decision in their life will cause us both to change our approach while engaging in conversation with them as well as how we take what they often unload on us, lightening the "blow" of an otherwise frustrating experience.

At Telvista I quickly moved up to become a top sales agent within a matter of months, and began training to be a manager when the contract they had with Verizon ended, causing the company to lay-off all of its agents and leadership.

"Have you ever thought about a leadership position?" a new manager had asked me while working at Amazon. At the time, I was a top performer who often had fellow associates come to me for help. Afraid of the idea at first, as it was my first time ever being asked to be in charge of other people, I eventually accepted what would become a life-changing experience.

As an Ambassador at Amazon it was my job to train new employees on how perform required tasks, demonstrate the use of various equipment and PPE, tour the building, and ultimately monitor their progression on the floor which included giving both constructive feedback and tips on their execution of learned task.

This was a very rewarding experience for me as it was not only satisfying to see people who had previously thought they would never be able to do a thing become highly successful at it, but a very rewarding personal journey as it helped me to break through my own fears and insecurities as an individual, gaining confidence in my own ability to both lead and manage.

This experience taught me that a big part of any job that one takes is the attitude that they bring to the role.