How’s my behavior?

While I haven’t spoken much of a normal day at the office (which I will address in future posts), I must comment on today’s out-of-the-ordinary series of events at Avon Products., Inc, and its philanthropic counterpart, the Avon Foundation for Women.

I spent my morning drafting and editing turndown letters for the sponsorship requests that regularly arrive at the Foundation. I always enjoy reading the stories of hopeful beneficiaries and organizations, but understand the Foundation’s physical inability to grant all requests, and admire its grace in declining on a positive note. I started a few friendships with my new neighbors in Human Resources, as my cubicle was recently moved due to some space limitations. I’m thankful for these new relationships, as this department’s printer is FAR more complicated than what I had been used to with the Foundation, and that is something that I’m always utilizing.

Following the more typical tasks of the day, I attended two development sessions hosted by the internship program side of Avon. At 11:00 AM, we welcomed the Director of the Supply Chain into our conference room. He spoke for an hour on the invaluable importance of the supply chain for successful business operation, and clearly explained (for the non-business majors in the room like myself) Avon’s process of turning raw materials (ie. makeup ingredients) into finished products, ready for the commercial market. The most successful businesses have efficient supply chains with minimal stopping points along the way, and Avon is always striving to improve its production process.

In the afternoon, the interns re-grouped for a Behavior Development Session, where I learned that I am an “analytical person.” Last week, our leader had requested that we each answer survey questions on our perceptions of our personal behaviors. She also required responses from 5 of our superiors to create a comparison between individual and communal perception of each respective intern. From this valuable workshop, I learned the importance of being volatile in the professional environment, as the ability to adapt and get along with multiple personalities is a positive and highly sought-after quality by employers.

We have a busy week ahead of us here, and I’m looking forward to reporting back at the week’s end.

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