Joining An Established Team
Occasionally, it is quite simple to join a new office team when you get a new career, but frequently there is a bit of resistance. Occasionally, there is downright resentment, particularly if you are replacing a popular colleague who was sacked. This is not your fault naturally, but the onus will be mostly yours to restore the team spirit.
There are particular acts of politeness that should always be carried out whenever you join a new team, even a conversation or dining table. The first one is to not to speak too much straight off. You will learn more about the group by listening than talking or as my Dad used to say: ‘You learn more with your mouth closed than with it open’.
You are the new boy or girl and you have to defer to the established group for a while. Utilize this time to learn people’s names and characters. It is disasterous if you come over as a know-all at this stage of your new ‘friendships’. It is also better to learn how they do things at this stage, even if you know how to do them better.
The time will come when you can describe your methods, after you have tried theirs. This is a time of deferment and learning. No one will appreciate you coming in and changing everything straight away, even if you are the new manager, because it will imply that they are stupid having been doing everything in the wrong manner until you got there. If you give it time, you may even find that their way is better, once you understand it.
It is also best to not talk too much about your preceding job. Nobody actually cares anyway and, since your future is in your current career, it is better to concentrate on that than on the past. Give a little praise where praise is due, but be careful of giving colleagues grounds for imagining that you are patronizing them or toadying up to them.
Work hard, pull your weight, but stop short of attempting to make yourself look as if you are sucking up to the proprietors. Do not try any job that you know is above your capability without first voicing your worries. Somebody will be assigned to help you and this is a good opportunity to make friends. Strive consciously to become a valuable part of the group.
If you require help, approach the problematic one in the team, not the friendly one – the same tactic as in a fight. If you can turn this one, the others will follow. One handy tip is to never argue with anyone at this stage of your relationship. If you lose you will have undermined your position and if you will you will have created resentment. It is a situation where you cannot win, so do not take it on.
Team building takes time and talent, just like building any friendship, but if you bide your time and work at it you should glide into the group like a ship off the slipway.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with team building activities for teenagers. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Small Team Building Activities