| Workplace Wisdom |
| "Put your whole self in to overcome obstacles, turn your life around. That's what it's all about." Kelly Tyler Put Your Whole Self In! Life and Leadership the Hokey Pokey Way |
Copyright 2004 Kelly A. Tyler
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
| Kansas City: 816.353.8786 Chicago: 312.670.1230 |
Kelly Tyler
March 22, 2011
Were you ever the new kid in school? Do you remember getting suspicious looks from classmates? Do you remember
trying hard to fit in?
If you’ve been the new employee, board member, volunteer, vendor, customer, or manager, you have probably felt
the same suspicion from the current team, employees, board, or volunteers. You also might recall trying too hard to fit
in, when doing so just made things worse.
When someone new joins the team, they change it. Whether the team likes it or not, and often it does not, it changes
just because someone new joined. A team that is running effectively wants to be disrupted as little as possible. When
you are the new person, the more you do to make the change painless, the sooner you will be welcomed and able to
contribute.
The disruption of a new person is often caused by conflicting goals and fear. The current team could fear the following:
When a team is working well together, it does not want a new person to disrupt its efficiency by asking too many
questions, requiring justification for past decisions, or needing to be spoon-fed information.
When Elizabeth joined a project team at work, she was eager to get along with everyone and contribute quickly.
Although she had good intentions, she took so much time during meetings to ask questions about the team’s decisions
that she was unable to contribute at all and eventually left the team. While everyone liked her, they did not want to
spend time during meetings rehashing everything that was working already.
If a team is not working well, not achieving the results needed, and about to fall apart, an individual might be
assigned or invited to join the team to fix it. In that case, the individual’s goals would be different from the team’s
goals. However, conflicting goals can be a problem for effective teams too.
The newbie’s goals could include any of the following:
It would be wise for existing teams, departments, boards, and groups to have a structured initiation when new people
join; however, most of the time it is up to the individual to figure out the team and how to contribute quickly.
The following 12 strategies can help new teammates contribute more than disrupt teams they join:
When you are invited to join a team, ask why you are being invited. What does the team need from you? What are
the time, financial, attendance and other obligations and expectations? If you join the team, meet with the person
who extended the invitation again after the first meeting to discuss the 12 items above to aid your initiation.
Whether you are the newest employee, board member, volunteer, manager, client, vendor, or teammate, certain
fears, goals, and expectations should be anticipated. Take initiative for being a valuable teammate by resisting the
common temptation to dive in head-first. Instead, tip-toe carefully and you will win friends, influence people, and
contribute effectively to the team and its Mission.
March 22, 2011
Were you ever the new kid in school? Do you remember getting suspicious looks from classmates? Do you remember
trying hard to fit in?
If you’ve been the new employee, board member, volunteer, vendor, customer, or manager, you have probably felt
the same suspicion from the current team, employees, board, or volunteers. You also might recall trying too hard to fit
in, when doing so just made things worse.
When someone new joins the team, they change it. Whether the team likes it or not, and often it does not, it changes
just because someone new joined. A team that is running effectively wants to be disrupted as little as possible. When
you are the new person, the more you do to make the change painless, the sooner you will be welcomed and able to
contribute.
The disruption of a new person is often caused by conflicting goals and fear. The current team could fear the following:
- The personality won’t mesh with the current team
- The new person will enforce changes in how the team works
- He will not understand or respect what has been done and decided
- He will not respect the people or team culture
- He will waste time by not following team practices, thus making decisions and tasks take too long
- He will be a “taker” not a “giver”
When a team is working well together, it does not want a new person to disrupt its efficiency by asking too many
questions, requiring justification for past decisions, or needing to be spoon-fed information.
When Elizabeth joined a project team at work, she was eager to get along with everyone and contribute quickly.
Although she had good intentions, she took so much time during meetings to ask questions about the team’s decisions
that she was unable to contribute at all and eventually left the team. While everyone liked her, they did not want to
spend time during meetings rehashing everything that was working already.
If a team is not working well, not achieving the results needed, and about to fall apart, an individual might be
assigned or invited to join the team to fix it. In that case, the individual’s goals would be different from the team’s
goals. However, conflicting goals can be a problem for effective teams too.
The newbie’s goals could include any of the following:
- Establish credibility right away, so the others know she’s worthy to be on the team.
- Define her role quickly, so she is able to dive in head first.
- Develop personally through learning or trying something new.
- Networking to get business from team members directly or as referrals.
- Make her mark on the team to further advance its Mission the way she feels is best.
- Retaliate for past run-ins with someone on the team or someone the team supports.
- Advance her own career by being part of the team’s achievements.
It would be wise for existing teams, departments, boards, and groups to have a structured initiation when new people
join; however, most of the time it is up to the individual to figure out the team and how to contribute quickly.
The following 12 strategies can help new teammates contribute more than disrupt teams they join:
- Be invited. Offer your strengths and service, but do not force yourself on a team. If the team wants you, they will
invite you and eagerly include you. - Commit to the Mission of the team. Learn it prior to joining. If you do not buy in to the Mission and cannot support
it, do not join that team. - Have a reason for wanting to be on the team. Know what you bring to the team and how you can help the
team advance its Mission. Do not join a team just to be on a team. Joining for purely self-serving or political
reasons will not help you win friends and influence anyone. - Respect the history. Lean how and why the team was created, what it has accomplished, and who has been
on it. - Get to know the people on their terms. Let them reach out to you. Again, do not force yourself on them. Learn
their strengths and contributions and rely on them accordingly. - Understand the culture and how people work together. Assess relationships, communication styles, and
interaction. Adapt to the norms, culture, and existing styles. - Learn the team’s values. For example, one board may be warm, welcoming, gracious, and value growth
through relationships, while another may be formal, title-conscious, focused on rules. It would be helpful to
understand which board you are joining, so your behavior is consistent with the culture. - Understand the formal and informal roles of the teammates. Know who the leaders are and who does what
work, regardless of written policies. If you are a new team leader, do not change others’ roles right away, as you
may not know the strengths of the teammates and could cause resentment among the team. For example,
when William was the new president of a board, he brought a list of roles with the names of people he wanted
in the roles filled in. He left three key contributors off the list entirely, which in essence kicked them off the board.
Later, when no one on the board bought in to his big idea fundraiser, because they all resented him, William
called back two of the people and asked them to champion his cause. The cause never got off the ground
because William was so disrespectful, and his entire term accomplished nothing significant. - Learn the procedures, policies, and decision-making practices. For example, one council makes decisions during
meetings. If you miss the meeting, you do not have a say in the decision. Everyone on the team understands
that and is fine with it. A new person might want to delay decisions when he cannot be present, and that would
not go over well with the team. - Listen more than you talk. Absorb the culture, people, history, policies, procedures, and roles by listening. Ask
questions when they will not disrupt a meeting or momentum. Listen and adapt to the team. - Offer to help. Be a “giver” not a “taker.” It is unwise to ask the team for favors such as referrals, meeting location
preferences, or schedule changes when you are new. If you joined the team for what you can get out of it, the
team will see that quickly and you will not really be included. - Relax. Dip a toe in at first and dive in later. Diving in head-first disrupts teams, causes resentment, and often
causes teams to disband without meeting their goals.
When you are invited to join a team, ask why you are being invited. What does the team need from you? What are
the time, financial, attendance and other obligations and expectations? If you join the team, meet with the person
who extended the invitation again after the first meeting to discuss the 12 items above to aid your initiation.
Whether you are the newest employee, board member, volunteer, manager, client, vendor, or teammate, certain
fears, goals, and expectations should be anticipated. Take initiative for being a valuable teammate by resisting the
common temptation to dive in head-first. Instead, tip-toe carefully and you will win friends, influence people, and
contribute effectively to the team and its Mission.
| 12 Ways to win friends and influence people when you’re the new kid on the block |
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