In 2014, I started work as a teller at Scotiabank Guyana. I counted cash, processed deposits, handled withdrawals, and served customers across a counter. It was, by any standard, an entry-level role in retail banking.
Ten years later, I serve as Liaison Director at AGM Inc., coordinating ESG strategy, government engagement, regulatory compliance, and corporate affairs across a large-scale mining operation. The distance between those two roles looks wide. In practice, the same habits connect them.
I am not going to tell you that every entry-level job leads somewhere. Some are dead ends, and some employers will never recognise potential no matter how hard you work. But I will tell you this: the habits that distinguish senior leaders are available to anyone, at any level, from the first day of their first job. And if you build them early, they will serve you for the rest of your career.
What the teller counter taught me
The teller counter is a surprisingly demanding environment. You are handling other people's money. Errors have immediate consequences. Customers arrive with expectations — some reasonable, some not — and you must manage both with the same professionalism. You are on your feet for hours. You are being watched, audited, and measured.
Here is what that environment taught me, and why it still matters.
Accuracy is a habit, not an event. At the end of every shift, my drawer had to balance. Not approximately. Exactly. A discrepancy of a single dollar was investigated as thoroughly as a discrepancy of a hundred. That discipline — the expectation of precision, the intolerance for "close enough" — stayed with me. Today, when I prepare a regulatory submission or review a compliance document, I apply the same standard. Errors matter. Precision is a form of respect — for the recipient, for the process, and for your own professional standards.
You learn more from difficult customers than easy ones. Some customers were patient and pleasant. Others were not. They arrived frustrated, confused, or angry about something that had nothing to do with me. I learned to separate the emotion from the problem, to listen for what they actually needed rather than what they were saying, and to respond in a way that addressed the issue without absorbing the emotion. That skill — staying calm, staying focused, and solving the problem in front of you regardless of how it is presented — is one I use every week.
Service is not subservience. There is a difference between serving someone and being less than them. I served customers — I did not serve under them. I was a professional with a job to do, and doing it well was a source of pride, not embarrassment. That mindset carried forward. Today, I serve senior executives, government officials, and institutional stakeholders. The relationship is professional, not subordinate. I bring expertise, preparation, and perspective to every engagement. The teller counter taught me that service and self-respect are not in tension.
The habits that transfer across sectors
My career has moved through three sectors — banking, digital strategy, and mining. The technical knowledge changed each time. The habits did not.
Showing up prepared. Before every shift, I made sure I understood the day's priorities. Before every meeting today, I do the same. Preparation is the quietest form of confidence, and it is available to anyone willing to do the work.
Following through. If I told a customer I would look into something, I did it — even if it meant staying late or following up the next day. That habit of follow-through became my professional signature. People who work with me know that when I commit to something, it happens. You do not need a title to build that reputation. You just need to keep your word.
Being reliable when no one is watching. The teller counter had cameras, audits, and supervisors. But the real test was what you did when none of them were looking. Did you cut corners? Did you treat the last customer of the day as carefully as the first? Did you maintain standards when it would have been easier not to? Integrity is what you do when the only person holding you accountable is yourself. That habit, built in an entry-level role, is the foundation of every leadership position I have held.
What I would tell young Guyanese professionals
If you are early in your career — if you are at a teller counter, a reception desk, a junior administrative role, or an internship — here is what I want you to know.
This job matters. Not because it is your destination, but because it is where you build the habits that determine your trajectory. Treat it seriously. Learn everything it can teach you. The professional you will be in ten years is being shaped by the professional you are today.
Do not wait for a title to start leading. Leadership is not a position. It is a pattern of behaviour — taking responsibility, solving problems, helping others, and delivering more than is expected. You can do all of those things from any role. And when you do, people notice.
Your reputation is being built right now. The way you handle difficult customers, meet deadlines, respond to feedback, and treat colleagues — all of it is accumulating into the reputation that will follow you through your career. In Guyana, where professional circles are small and interconnected, reputation travels fast. Make sure yours tells the story you want told.
The work you do when no one is watching matters most. Promotions are not rewards for tenure. They are recognition of capability already demonstrated and responsibility already carried. If you want more, start carrying more now — not for the credit, but for the growth.
A final reflection
I sometimes think about the teller who trained me at Scotiabank — a patient, meticulous professional who showed me how to count, how to balance, how to handle a difficult customer with grace. She probably does not remember me. But I remember her, and I carry what she taught me.
That is the other thing about early roles: they are not just about what you learn. They are about who you become while you are learning it. The teller I was in 2014 would not recognise the director I am today. But the director I am today would not exist without the teller I was.
Do not rush past your beginnings. They are building something you will rely on for longer than you think.