Why being an outsider is the best part of a new job
Starting a new job brings upon a dizzying onslaught of new experiences, with the work itself not even making it to the top 10 - new commute, new faces, new office view, new names for conference rooms, new lunch place… you are pulled away from a familiar environment, one which you’ve spent years carving to perfection. At first, it can almost feel as though you’re growing new parts of your brain, with all the pain that accompanies it.
Thrusted into new surroundings, you immediately start taking stock of it, studying the natives, and how you fit among them. you’re compelled to follow either one of two courses: assimilate or conquer. Both options are rooted deep in our communal ancestry, and they're awoken whenever the ground feels shaky and uneven beneath our feet. As modern humans, novel situations such as a new job, school, residence or relationships prompt us to either blend with our surroundings and become “one of the tribe”, or to assert our dominance and - in extreme hyperbole - torch the ground and anoint ourselves rulers.
Fact of the matter is, none of the above is particularly recommended. You want the scent to rub off on you, but still be able to be on the outside looking in. Whether it’s explicitly uttered (and whether you like it) or not, you’re being brought in as a disruptor. As such, you're in a unique position to point out all that has long since been deemed “not worth the hassle”, “too risky” or “didn’t work in the past”. Hell, it’s your duty to push back against anything you feel to be a misconception, and ask with the wonderment of a child “But why?” (within reason, obviously. Don’t make a fool of yourself…)
On my first 1-on-1 with my new boss, I expressed my concern that, while it was my previous workplace that got me this one in the first place, it might cast too big a shadow over my work, output and general efforts to blend in. I mean, no one wants to be perceived as “that guy who thinks he’s all that because he used to work at that place”, now riding into town to save everybody and “do things the right way”. I’ve actually made strenuous, conscious efforts to refer to my previous workplace as “them”, reserving the first-person privilege to the team I’m so desperately trying to assimilate into.
“Why would that concern you?” she responded, “You’re here precisely because you’re an outsider. Don’t rush it, remain an observer - and an outsider - for as long as you can; question everything you’re told; and don’t be afraid of being just a little bit annoying. You’d be amazed how many times the answer would be “I’m not sure, what do you think?” quickly followed by “You know what? Let’s give it a try!” You won’t even notice your own routine setting in and “that’s just how it is” becomes the inevitable stop of every argument. The longer you’re able to challenge what we’ve long considered a necessity, the better you’ll be at your job, and the easier it will be for you to enrol others in your ideas.”
It’s a tough balancing act. You want to introduce your DNA to the new host in a way that doesn’t leave any stepped-on toes behind, eliminates antagonism and to top it all off - actually gets you included, valued and listened-to by your colleagues. It’s that same DNA that got you hired in the first place, the one you’ve been constantly commended for as “just what we need here right now”. But, at least for the first few months, it is also an intrusion, a foreign object, and you’re bound to get some gatekeepers upset.
Don’t relent.
Focus on creating partnerships. Forging alliances. Forming bonds. Let your actions prove that you come in peace at every step of the way, while making sure it’s a sustainable one. Before you know it, there’s another “newbie” joining the ranks and here you are, ushering them in - now as an integral part of the team.