I remember watching Peter Pan as a kid and thought it would be so cool to be Peter and have his ability to fly. He was so care free; I was like man, I would love to be a part of the lost boys and roll with the crew! There were a lot of layers to Peter Pan especially when the late great Robin Williams portrayed the character in the movie Hook (1991). However, there’s one character that we sometimes overlook when it comes to their value in the story and impact on all the other characters in the movie. His name, is Mr. Smee.
Mr. Smee was Captain Hook’s (the main villain’s) first mate and loyal right-hand man amongst the pirates. His depiction in the play and Disney animated film was that of a clumsy pushover who seemed to have a positive “glass half full” approach to life. He was annoying to his shipmates and annoying to Captain Hook, however, when things went wrong and the Captain needed assistance, Mr. Smee was the first one he would call on deck.
When Tic Tock the crocodile came around, the first thing Captain Hook would say was “Save Me Smee,” even though he wasn’t the strongest or toughest one out of the crew (Disney Wiki) Mr. Smee was very reliable and seemed to have all the answers that Hook looked for in a time of need.
As an associate, my current Manager advised me to strive to be the “Smee” in my department in her coaching sessions. At that time I didn’t fully understand what she meant by this, but once I understood the concept, I found it profound and encouraging. Be the “Go To” or “The Subject Matter Expert” in your department is what she was telling me and developing me to become.
As someone who’s borderline ADD and who can over think EVERYTHING at times, being an expert at anything seemed to be very far from reach. I just knew I wanted to succeed and be the best I could be in any position or career God allowed me to pursue. With a lot of obstacles and challenges along the way, I was fortunate to have the drive, motivation, and wherewithal to become successful and the go to or Smee in my department.
Starting a new position/program with only 2 associates and 1 manager was a daunting task to say the least. However, with close to 100 associates at 2 different sites currently, our project has grown leaps and bounds. The mindset of being the Smee was an important lesson I’ve learned throughout my career in as and associate and in management.
A mindset that I helped one of my employees cultivate before they picked up the mantle as a Smee in our department. They had a tough go at the position initially, but once they become more confident, they began to flourish!
When they came to me for guidance and confirmation on answers they should provide to the customer, I asked them what their answer was first, and went from there. I provided my answer and told them that’s exactly what I would advise. Some instances I provided the answer first and walked them through how I got there. But I told them “YOU GOT THIS,” and to do their best to pick an answer and stick with it as they have all of the resources and knowledge to be successful.
As one who believes in the power of words and self-fulling prophecy, my desire and mantra of being one of the Smee’s was YOU GOT THIS! Even when it didn’t feel like it or I didn’t believe it at the time, my drive and passion for the job and department didn’t let me quit. It came full circle when my associate became the GO TO or Smee in our department! We later hired another associate at our second site that also earned the title of Subject Matter Expert (The Smee).
Here are some practical steps I’ve used and shared with my associates who wanted to be in leadership that helped us become successful and in position to be a subject matter expert:
1. Study Like You’re a Student Always Learning: As a college student, I would always do additional research so I could stay ahead of the game when it came time for lectures, discussions, and tests. In customer service or consumer affairs, there are always changes that we need to implement quickly to make sure we’re providing our customers and associates with tools and resources to be successful.
We also wanted to make sure they were satisfied and confident to the best of our ability. I studied the source material and processes like I’m still a student/associate so I can make sure I support them effectively when they have questions or need my assistance.
2. Document the Answers You Provide for Future Reference: My manager suggested that we use OneNote which is a Microsoft program that allows you to create notebooks or folders to document important notes and\or discussions. It’s a great tool! I have a “Different Call Types” or “Different Notes of the Day” folder in which I document all the questions I had to look up or research the answers for. The questions that threw me for a loop or had me second guessing myself, are the questions and answers I keep there as well. Which brings me to my next point…
3. Don’t Just Give an Answer for the Sake of Giving Answers. It’s ok not to have the answers all the time, cause even experts still have questions. Though I beat myself up when I give the wrong answer or the answer I thought was right but was really wrong, due to not fully researching the question. I know we won’t always get it right so we have to learn and overcome. We just have to be right most of the time according to the law of Smee!
This should encourage us to push ourselves to stay on top of our game to make sure we’re consistently providing the best answers or solutions to our employees. And when we’re wrong, we own up to it and make sure we advise accordingly. This will help us build more rapport with our associates and department as a whole.
The Burden of The Smee is heavy and we have to pace ourselves, but remember, even in the face of adversity (I.E. Tic Tock situations) if we continue to position and develop ourselves, we’ll always be an invaluable piece of the puzzle called success within our program, department, and organization as a whole. Keep Learning, Keep Growing, Stay The Course, and Keep Rowing!
Not Your Average Boss 