I’m sitting on the back deck at our house, letting my mind wander the different paths of anxiety, of anticipation, of excitement, of not-yet-knowing. I start my new job tomorrow and these paths all started at the trailhead of that thought. What will it be like? Who will I get to work with? How long will it take to learn the processes and systems I’ll need to know in order to do my work effectively? These questions and more are bouncing around in my mind.
I’m also thinking about the lessons I’ve learned throughout my years of working with kiddos. I am realizing there are many principles I can carry right on with me into this new endeavor despite the fact that it’s a completely new kind of work for me. I’m going to share them with you below, in hopes that they can also help you be successful in your own workplace. Here they are:
- Be kind. Kindness can go a long way in building relationships and creating a positive culture.
- Be open to learning. I don’t know everything, I never will know everything, but I want to learn as much as I can. Continued curiosity can often result in creative solutions.
- Be compassionate and empathetic, seeking to understand other perspectives instead of pushing my view on everyone else. Collaboration can bring about wonderful, beautiful things.
- Show up as my best self so that I can do my best work.
- Take a break when I need to reset. Go get some coffee, take a little walk, chat with a coworker for a minute or two. Often frustration or overwhelm can dissolve when the space is intentionally made for that to happen.
- Realize that the first time I do something, it might feel REALLY hard, and I am being brave by giving it a try. For more on this, go listen to Brené Brown’s podcast on FFT’s. It’s fantastic. Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6UAoHu3VQJNrZcBubo4ABF?si=yNDV8saSR1-nerbvhMwfsA
- Move my body and drink all the water. My body is the thing bringing my brain to work, so I shall try to show it some love.
- If you have extra time, see if others need help. They probably will remember that and maybe even help you out in the future.
- Be kind. Always.
So my plan is to show up tomorrow morning with these things in mind. I won’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I will try to keep in mind that I’m the “new kid on the block” and no one expects me to know it all right away. I pretty much just need to show up, be kind, and be ready to learn.
I would absolutely love to hear what from my list above resonates with you, what principles you use in your work life everyday (whether I listed it above or not), or any other thoughts you may have about this topic. Please comment below or shoot me an email so we can engage in a dialogue about this – I would so love that!!
Before I sign off, I just want to share a quote with you from Dr. Brené Brown. Her work has taught me so much over the past couple of years, and I am so grateful. This one hits me smack dab in the forehead as I think about the reality of starting a new job. It’s from her podcast Unlocking Us, and it says:
“When we give up being new and awkward, we stop growing, and when we stop growing, we stop living.”
Brené Brown
I want to grow and I want to live. How ‘bout you?
Hopeful today,
Sonja K.