Zen and the Art of joining a new team
Personal musings on my shift towards acting with conscious intention when joining a new team
Hello, Jesse here. This is my first week at Made Tech in the role of Lead Designer. Nice to meet you!
I’m excited to become part of our growing UCD team and in the process have been reflecting on my experiences of joining teams.
Diving blindly
Looking back, there were definitely times where I feel like I’d dived blindly into a new team, mentally unprepared and (re)acting purely on instinct. I was often also battling a heap of imposter syndrome and stress, which for naturally anxious people like myself, is an unwelcome but familiar part of the ‘starting somewhere new’ package. The panic sets in and you struggle to think objectively about stuff. It’s tough!
Over the years though, and with each new team that I join, I’ve noticed a gradual shift and growth in myself towards deliberate and conscious intention when starting somewhere new.
A team is a team right? RIGHT.
Fast forward to today, week one at Made Tech, and I’m comfortable enough to share with you that although I have plenty of agency-side and in-house team experience, I’m kinda new to consultancy work.
At any one time at Made Tech I expect to be part of multiple teams which is an exciting change from what I’m used to! There will always be the Made Tech UCD team (who all seem lovely btw) and then also whichever project teams I’m embedded in at that time. So this week I've been pondering on the difference between joining a team in a consultant role rather than joining as a permie.
My initial instinct is there should be no difference in how I act. A team is a team right? RIGHT!
So back to these intentions… In no particular order, here are some things I’m now trying to do consciously when I join a new team.
Actively listen
Reach out and connect with others
Be flexible and accommodating
Be present
Be self-aware
Be vulnerable
Earn people's trust
Check my ego
Encourage and nurture a positive environment
Go easy on myself
Remember to unclench my jaw and breathe
Reading back on them, many feel like common sense hey? I agree, though it helps me to have a list, a personal mantra if you will.
I’ll be shortly joining a discovery that we’re kicking off with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Exciting times! I’ll keep in touch and let you know how it all goes.
In the meantime, take care.
Jesse 👋