Don't Resign Yourself- Redesign Yourself Cont'd

Probably the first step, should she want to stay on the job, is obvious-learn Hausa to communicate better not only with the potential but current customers. She also needed to recognize that this wasn't a job she could easily redesign, say by dividing up her tasks with others, since she had to work directly with the Hausa-speaking customers.

She couldn't effectively communicate with them if she used a translator, because this would undercut the rapport she needed to communicate with, as well as requiring the additional expense of a translator on a bank that already had a limited budget.

Thus, she needed to repackage, re-create, re-mobilize, and re-motivate herself to do the job effectively. (Yes-all the "re" words-meaning do it differently and better). In short, she should be the one to change and adapt, given the changing conditions needed to do her job effectively.
But beyond planning such a basic personal revamping, when you redesign yourself, let others know, so they see you growing and changing and want to help.
In addition, she should find out more specifically what she needs to learn. Tonye should talk to her supervisor or someone else she feels most supportive of her to find out what she needs to do the job well. If she is on a probation period and want to stay, she should find out what she needs to do to perform the job effectively.

If you are facing such a situation in which you need new skills of any sort, you must learn what additional skills you need to learn, seek help from mentors, coaches, teachers, peers, or others who might help you learn,and then start learning. The sooner you take action, the better-because this way, you don't have to resign yourself to losing out or falling behind-or get resigned (i.e: terminated or laid off by someone else). Instead, with a personal redesign, you're back in the game, like a whole new package. Just like companies refresh their packages to reappeal to consumers when they are losing market share, refresh and repackage yourself to increase your own appeal. Find a way to redesign a NEW IMPROVED YOU!
Adapted from “A Survival Guide for Working with Humans” Gini Graham Scott, Ph.d.