Do you remember when you first started at your new job? Remember, you were full of ideas, saw all the things that didn’t make sense, the opportunities that were being missed…but what to do with those ideas?
Put them out there in the first 30 days (give or take) and risk being told “you’re new here, aren’t you?” to maybe be followed up with some “you’ll understand how we work once you’ve been here for a while”. It is de-motivating, embarrassing and a great way to ensure that you never share your pearls of wisdom again.
Or you could wait til day 31 and risk forgetting the opportunities, becoming embedded in the organisation’s way of thinking and then not creating the change that made sense to you when you first arrived.
Each time an incumbent blocks an idea just because you are new, chances are that their objection will not be to the idea, but to you. How dare you walk in the door and see something that they themselves have not noticed. You are challenging their experience, their expertise and if you receive this objection, then you have made them feel very uncomfortable indeed.
So why not try something a little different. Pay special attention in those first 30 days, noticing the things that are clunky, out dated or that simply don’t make sense – and write them down. Notice the opportunities that you see and every option for innovation that you can find – and write them down. Capture every thought you have, when you have it, why you have it, and what you would like to do with it, and then wait for day 31.
So what do you do on day 31? Start sharing your gems a little at a time; you’ve been there for a little while and people should be a little more comfortable with you challenging the way things are done. And when someone new comes to you and shares an interesting idea, you can say “you’re new here aren’t you?” and follow it up with a “thank god you’ve arrived”.
Meg
This is a suggestion I could have used myself over the years Lisa 🙂 It is so true that new people need to tread carefully when they start noticing areas for improvements. When I am training people I always like to use 2 comments. One is from an inspirational book that states “Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?” and my own which is “Care enough to be bothered”. From my experience, both these I think work in your conversation here because both show other people that your observations and your actions are an asset to the workplace and if you release this wonderful energy slowly you will gain respect and show a different way to work. All good really.