A Time of Changes

As we creep toward the end of the year, there are so many changes. I sit in my home office typing as I have so often over past years, but already a week and a half into a new job and it feels pretty familiar.

The culture seems to be reasonably positive, but not overly chummy. I'm still eating lunch alone, other than meeting with external friends in the neighbourhood. There's a lot of eating at desks, and many students that won't be around for ever. Making connections with other managers is probably a good goal, though some I've seen seem to be a bit low on skills and personality. I always wonder when joining a new team, who will be the smart ones, and how many dozy ones are there. Funny how, even after the big period of the bubble bursting in tech, that there are still dozy employees without a bunch of skill, when they could be so easily replaced with stronger people.

The Practice We Get
Whe live a life without practice, that is the premise of this blog. Each time we experience something it counts. There are no do-overs. Meeting new people, first impressions can't be retracted. Relationships build based on perceptions acquired in short order. But as we get older we've done the whole thing before a few times. And while we can't start over with those situations, we can learn from the past and build on it.

I think about other situations where I was the new guy and wonder about what I should do differently. Moreover, I think about when new people joined groups where I was established, and what my perceptions are.

There seem to be some simple rules. I there are a few easy approaches that can stand one in good stead. I've always excelled in the places I've worked, but like many people have described to me, you begin by feeling that you don't know what you're doing and are going to get fired when they find out. That's stressful sometimes, but it's a good sign. It probably means you're concientious about learning, and wanting to do well. One shouldn't react in subsequent roles by being blaisé about the ramp-up period. Dilligent effort is still important, but the stress is relieved somewhat by recognizing it from past experiences.

The easy approach mentioned is something coming to me more recently. Often one feels compelled to demonstrate their validity with frequent interjections to illustrate their value. A superior says "Here's where the photocopier is." the gut response is "Oh, we had a photocopier in BobCo too." Well, okay a lame example, but you see what I mean.

I remember thinking that I didn't want to hear anything else about BobCo. So, I try to bite my tongue. I don't need to justify my existance and experience constantly, so I try to repress it, based on lessons learned from other scenes on the stage of life.

The Secret to Success
Nothing beats the basic elements of experience, willingness to learn, and a good work ethic. Assuming you've got the goods, you can still mess it up. I've come to the conclusion that if you talk only when you really have something to say, generally smile and are friendly, with those simple rules you can succeed with a lot less of those 'basic elements' I mentioned.

Of course, if you can't back it up, you'll have trouble at some point, but particularly in a big company, you can go a long way by showing up at meetings, being positive and not spewing long diatribes of words for no reason.

The Words you Need
The most important words are those that reflect back what people are saying to you. You don't always need the answers (though some times you will need them). If you can engage, listen and reassure the other person when you understand (and ask when you don't) your personal-stock rises in all those that you meet. A string of mis-guided comments when you are ill informed is a great way to make your shares plummet.

Wrap
So as we approach a new year with lots of opportunity, and interactions and a holiday period with time for introspection and discussion with friends, your assignment is to try a little bit of putting yourself in other peoples shoes. What are you projecting in your interactinos? Are you listening? Are you using an economy of words? Can you shift the balance towards more listening and less talking in your interactions?