For any person switching to a new job, the first few months into the new job could be stressful. Getting habituated to the new office surroundings, culture and role could be at times intimidating. A new job gives the new recruit an opportunity to showcase their skills, talents, and learnings from their past experiences. At the same time, psychologically an individual might be overburdened under the weight of self-expectations and self-inhibitions.
The new joiners can fall anywhere on the spectrum of being overly zealous and passionate on one extreme to being timid and highly self-conscious on the other extreme.
However, a majority of these new joiners fall somewhere between these 2 extremes, with a few leaning towards the left or the right. It is the 5–10% of the new recruits who fall in either of the 2 extremes. I am taking the liberty here to label these individuals as “The Overwhelmers” as these individuals tend to either:
i) Overwhelm their colleagues with their excessive effusion of passion and over-zealous attitude
OR
ii) Get overwhelmed by the new setting or the work at hand or the expectations they have of themselves.
Inspite of the well meaning intentions of these new recruits, work that was planned gets delayed or tensions begin to appear. All these scenarios are antithetical for the healthy and steady growth of the organisation. In fact the friction/lethargy introduced, if left unaddressed, acts as an undesirable break on growth and progress.
The question arises as to what could be done to avoid this friction and ensure that all individuals perform to the best of their ability and avoid getting off the wrong foot with their fellow-colleagues.
The following approach, I believe, when followed by all members of an organisation will help establish a healthy and thriving work culture.
1) Establishing Trust
Trust is the bedrock of any solid and long-lasting relationship. If one cannot trust their colleague or partner then the relationship, be it professional or personal, will suffer. In a professional environment, individuals tend to place a lot of emphasis on their technical abilities or smartness. But if one fails to establish trustworthiness with their team-mates or colleagues, then the individual, inspite of their talent or smartness, will either feel left out or not handed with critical tasks. Trustworthiness is the major reason behind why Person X is on the the A-Team and not Person Y.
To establish trust on a personal level, spend time to get to know your team-members. Take genuine interest in them and hangout with them. Their might be occasions when a burning issue has come up and none of your team members are available to put the fire out. Step up during this time. Fill in for your team and do not sound grumpy or behave arrogantly by holding the favour over your team members.
On the professional front, take complete ownership of the work that you are tasked with.
Do not feel shy to seek for help when you are stuck. Get to understand the problem you are solving and do not be intimidated by it.
Do not assume any task to be small. The first few tasks coming your way in your opinion might be chores that are well below the talents or skills you possess. Do not openly display your disdain or dislike for the task. Know that, only when you have demonstrated the ability to successfully execute tasks, irrespective of their complexity or scale, will others be comfortable to hand over bigger responsibilities to you.
2) Establishing Respect
The simple yet profound rule of respect is well captured in the maxim
Give respect, Take respect
Treat others — irrespective of whether they are your team members or not — with respect and care. Be empathetic towards them. If you are an extrovert prone to cracking jokes or making witty remarks, be careful not to hurt the sentiments or feelings of a fellow team member.
On the professional front, your competencies and skills will evoke a sense of respect by your peers. Stay abreast with the latest of happenings in your field. The work you submit or do will be the testimony of your talents. So, display the finesse of a master craftsman in your work.
If you ever come across a situation where you find that the work of a peer or of your team doesn’t adhere to best practices then instead of being condescending, educate your peers and team members with the best practices. This is the moment to showcase your talents and enrich others with your learnings and experiences.
3) Communicate Effectively Often
Effective Communication is like the good habit which almost everyone is aware of, yet very few actually practise it. The reason behind this being
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.
Many confusions, misunderstandings, and arguments can simply be avoided by effective communication. Yet more often than not, we end up conversing instead of communicating.
Effective communication involves
a) Listening attentively to the other person with the intention of understanding
b) Absorbing and understanding all that has been spoken
c) Addressing the other individual’s concerns or queries by acknowledging all that he/she has said
d) Summarising the key take away from the communication
The steps outlined above apply to both the existing employees of an organisation and also it’s new joiners. It has to be noted that organisations are complex and intricate systems. The coming together of well intentioned disparate sub-systems does not necessarily translate into a favourable outcome for the system as a whole. For an organisation to perform at it it’s peak, all its individual sub-systems(i.e the individuals) should be aligned to the same goal and work in close collaboration. An environment that is built on Mutual Trust, Mutual Respect and Effective Communication serves as a thriving ground of collaboration and peak performance.
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