Leadership Comes with Great Responsibility

This week the Deli hired three new employees to help cover up the loss of 3 other employees who either wont be working there anymore or just part-time. I didn't want to do any sort of training with these new employees. I just wanted to stay out of it because I didn't think I had the right to tell them what to do or show them what to do when I was, before them, at the bottom because I was classified as the "newbie". But of course I some how had to show them how to do things. After getting into that position I was stuck. Thursday night my Manager came back for the evening to help do closing training. I was doing training all day with them and she watched me train them while she was there. I didn't know if I was doing a good job or showing them how to do things the way she liked it but I did my best. The next day at work she gave me a compliment I didn't expect to hear. She said to me "You did really well with training them last night. You were patient and just great with them and thank you so much for your help". I haven't gotten too many compliments from her in a while and when she said that to me it made me feel so good inside. I felt like I was finally being noticed that I know what I am doing, I am a good worker and I am not useless. She gave me the task of training them more that day and letting them be my shadow. She gave me the great responsibility to be a leader and train these new employees. Something came over me like this whole new me. I felt mature, confident and felt like a leader. I am a person who just wants to help people and when I saw them struggling and they wouldn't ask I would go up to them and make sure they were okay. I would encourage them and compliment them when they were doing a good job to help boost their confidence. I told them if you are in doubt or don't know ask. It's better to ask and do it right then not asking and getting told off for doing it wrong. Some of the other workers hate the new people asking them what they should do all the time but I don't mind. I rather help them then watch them struggle. If they don't ask they won't learn. If we don't help they wont learn. Yes there are people who can annoy you but sometimes you just got to suck it up and be patient with them. If I was a teacher there will be one or two students who are just bad and don't listen. But you can't give up on them. People are so hard on the new people so quickly before giving them a chance. Remember when you first started it took a while to get the hang of things. When I started I wanted people to be easy on me so I treat the new employees the way I would want to be treated if I was new. It might take some people longer to get it but they will get there. Almost every employee in this Deli have 2 weeks to show if they are good or not. There is a lot to learn and I think they should be given a chance. Feeling this leadership and having them come to me on what to do next or when should they take their break, or how to do things was so strange at first to have everyone come to me but at the same time felt good. Even one employee who has been there longer then me asked if they should do this cleaning task at that moment. I never get asked. I was thinking tonight if maybe this is another sign becoming a teacher is what I should do. I told someone about this and they said you would be excellent at a teacher. You need to be a leader, confident, patient and want to help. Maybe I would make a good teacher in the future. Even if I do I will probably be 26 or so before I actually had my own class to teach. By then I would be more mature and have a lot more confidence then I do now. So given the task of training has made me think more about who I am and what I could be good at. My Grade 1 teacher told my mother that I was number one leader in the class and when my mom told me this when I got older I couldn't see myself ever being a leader but more of a follower. But I think deep down inside me there is a leader in me just waiting to burst out. I just need to figure out what to do to bring the leader inside me shine.