Sharon Wilkinson

Team Manager

"I initially joined the AA back in 1990 as a short-term measure to earn extra cash. Sixteen years on, I'm still here. Why? Because I enjoy the job and the people, who have been so helpful and supportive. It's as simple as that.

"I've tried to be just as supportive to the people under me since becoming a Team Manager seven years ago, especially trainees who need hand-holding more than experienced team members. Sales had always been my thing, but I've recently moved into Customer Services, a whole new area. It's been an eye-opener, but things constantly evolve at the AA so you get lots of variety and different challenges.

"It's my job to motivate around 20 customer advisors to hit their targets. The secret is getting the best out of team members so they get more out of their jobs and perform better. As well as supporting people one-to-one, I organise games to incentivise them. For example, at the moment anyone who makes a member sale has the chance to win a prize - chocolates, cinema tickets, that sort of thing, which the AA is very good about providing. There's also a bit of friendly inter-team rivalry. At the moment, there's a competition going on and the top-performing team will have an afternoon off and a gala evening at the cinema. I try to make things as light-hearted as possible, but you have to know where to draw the line. That, to me, is being a good team manager."