Becoming an approved manager in Western Australia

The Harding Letter 

Monday 9th October

When I first moved back to Perth, Western Australia I was very lost.

What industry do I go into?

What job do I apply for?

Will I be happy doing this job long term?

I was full of questions & needed answers.

So I began to reflect & look upon where my happiness in my twenties derived from.

This was often in:

• Social connection

• Having time to enjoy my lifestyle

• Saving money for future projects & investments

• Building my skill set & experience

I found a bartending role in my local town of Western Australia.

I realised it ticked off 3 of the 4 tasks above.

But I needed more.

I needed growth & progression.

It then become my main focus to work my way up the professional hierarchy.

So I invested in education & enrolled myself in an approved managers course.

Here was my trajectory:

I started as a bartender.

Then I became a supervisor.

Then I took on responsibilities of a duty manager.

You may be wondering, but Benny why is this so important?

It’s because it made me build a skill stack!

Adding multiple skills together to provide more value.

This is the “holistic” way of doing things

The skills are good by themselves but if you can connect them with other skills then you can increase the value you provide.

When you can provide more value.

You can provide a better service.

When you provide a better service.

You can can charge more money for your skills & abilities.

If you can do this in your full time job, you can replicate the process.

Turn that process into a system.

Then implement that system into your side hustles & passion projects down the line.

That’s my plan.

3 of the biggest skills I’ve learnt from managing:

• How to manage people

• How to manage systems (technology)

• How to manage cashflow

That last one is incremental if you want to run a successful business.

Cashflow is the oxygen of any business.

I learnt this with my own business failures.

More on that in future letters/videos.

So the question then becomes, where do you start?

This is when you begin with your vision.

If you want to live your best life.

If you want to be the best version of yourself.

If you want to help other live their best life.

Then you need to envision it first.

After this is done.

Then you need to experiment with it.

Visualisation → Experimentation

Or this can be reframed as:

Visualisation → Actualisation

In order to visualise it, it helps to write these thoughts and ideas down.

On paper or digitally in your notes.

This is what I did with planning the steps to become more qualified professionally.

Here’s the steps:

1. Register for approved managers course with all your personal details

Approved Managers course - Apply here! 

2. Complete all sections, pay for course & submit to course provider

3. When passed, download certificate (statement of attainment)

4. Apply for police certificate, pay fee & download to your documents

Police Certificates - Apply here!

5. Apply for approved managers card via department portal
   
   Helpful tip: There are TWO types of licence restricted & unrestricted.
   My recommendation is to choose unrestricted.

Approved managers card - Apply here!

6. Take all documents to post office, get them validated by member of post office, sign application summary and pay fee (hold onto the receipt for proof).

7. Await for card to arrive in the post

Managerial benefits:

• More value provided

• More money made (for food, travel adventures, fitness)

• More authority in the hospitality sector (doubling down on experience)

• More responsibility and more purpose

Mindset

And may I just say, this is only the beginning!

To truly achieve mastery in this area it takes time & practice.

Imposter syndrome?

I felt this when I first got started.

However, at some point EVERYONE starts from zero experience.

Its the practice and time in the saddle (so to speak) that pushes you forward.

Once you get into the routine of:

• Knowing what your responsibilities are

• What your supposed to do and how to do it
  

You will become more confident and capable in your skills and abilities.

So if you’re looking to work your way up the professional hierarchy, here’s some final tips:

Get to work & show your value.

Speak through your work & invest time into your self-education.

Be reliable, be trustworthy and always ask how you can support your team(s).

Thanks for Watching.

Have a wonderful week!

See you in the next letter (:

- Benjamin Harding