I never dream of becoming a supervisor. I have never imagined myself to be good at leading a bunch of people. But most of the time, things happen when you least expect it. And that’s exactly what happened to me when my then supervisor tells me that he’s recommended me (along with someone whom I thought was more fit to the post) for the supervisor position to a new program.

Despite my extreme hesitation I thought I didn’t have any more choice to refuse. After all, promotion, no matter how big or small, means an increase in pay. But what I didn’t realize is that promotion as such has its own price to pay—struggles and sacrifices.Still, a promotion is a promotion. And once you have it, might as well learn everything you can from it. Let me share what I learned so far:

1. There’s always a better way of saying something. Whether it’s giving orders to your team or asking employees to render overtime, there’s always a better way to explain what and why something is necessary.

2. Being a supervisor doesn’t mean being a tyrant, neither it means acting like everyone’s best friend. Your workplace is not your home where everyone will understand and give way to everything you do and say. While it’s good that you have the power to motivate and lead people, be cautious not to go overboard. Likewise, being too friendly especially to the few selected ones may just invite favoritism and politics. Be firm when rolling out an important policy, but wholeheartedly easy when it’s time for occasional fun.

3. You should treat with equal importance the things that are important to your boss. This is the first thing I learned when I became a supervisor. In fact, I learned it the hard way. Being a supervisor doesn’t mean just sitting behind your desk. It also means identifying what’s important to your boss and make it important to you as well. This way you do not become a part of the problem, instead you become a source of solution. Exactly, not easy. Until now I am still on the verge of developing this skill (hahaha).

4. Too much emotion has no room in the workplace. This is especially true when making decisions. You don’t want to see people go. Likewise, you do not want to keep poor performing members no matter how agonizing their life may be.

5. You can no longer dodge numbers. How I always avoided math subjects in school whenever I can. But not at work. Whether you like it or not, it will become part of your work life—at least as a supervisor in a call center.

6. There’s a lot of bad hair days, hence, you should know how to enjoy your pay. When you start handling bigger responsibilities, expect a lot of pressure. No wonder, they offer a hefty compared to non-call center industry. Because it means after all the bad hair days, don’t be guilty to splurge on some material things that will bring you joy. And to be honest, this is so far my favorite part.

7. Expect the unexpected, accept it and don’t complain. Or else you will just subject yourself to so much stress and worst, burn out. So many changes can happen at work, one moment the client wants this, another moment they want that. Expecting the unexpected is not much of an issue. But accepting it and not bothering to complain is a completely different story. So the rule is simple. Expect the unexpected and do well from it, but if there’s nothing you can do, accept it and don’t complain.

8. No matter how you want to make things easy for everyone, it will not always be easy. Plain and simple, some things are just not meant to be.So learn when to stop insisting your way.

9. Always bring something that comforts you. Mine is always my little “kikay” kit. When I’m under pressure and stress is suffocating me, I fish out my kikay kit from my biggie bag and fix myself. After that I’m a bit ok.

10. It’s just ALL IN A DAY’S WORK. And you when get home, not even that early tiff with your boss will matter anymore.