In this episode, I tackle an important question:
How can you effectively integrate into a new team?
Drawing from my own experiences and recent discussions in the Effective Statistician Leadership Program, I explore common pitfalls and strategies for new team members.
Have you ever wondered why it’s crucial to build trust and understand team dynamics before introducing innovative ideas?
Today, I emphasize the significance of these initial steps. Through relatable anecdotes and practical advice, I aim to help statisticians and professionals transition smoothly into new roles and foster successful team collaborations.
Tune in to learn how to avoid mistakes that can hinder your integration and use the initial period to establish strong relationships and a positive team presence.
Key points:
- Integration
- New teams
- Effective Decision Leadership Program
- Common pitfalls
- Strategies
- Building trust
- Understanding team dynamics
- Patient approach
- Innovative ideas
- Relatable anecdotes
- Practical advice
- Transition smoothly
- Foster collaboration
- Avoid mistakes
- Establish relationships
- Positive team presence
All-in-all, successfully integrating into a new team requires patience, understanding, and strategic actions. By focusing on building trust, listening actively, and being adaptable, you can establish strong relationships and set the foundation for future contributions.
Remember, your initial efforts in understanding the team dynamics and culture will pay off in the long run, allowing you to introduce innovative ideas more effectively and gain the trust and respect of your colleagues.
If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your friends and colleagues who might benefit from these insights. Helping others navigate their new roles more effectively can contribute to a more collaborative and productive work environment for everyone.
Let’s spread the knowledge and support each other’s professional growth!
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Transcript
Navigating New Teams
[00:00:00] Alexander: I’ve recently had a mastermind which is part of the effective decision leadership program. And there we talked about Getting into a new team and what you do there and how you best start into that. And we all work on [00:00:20] teams all the time, new study teams, new project teams, or we get into certain initiatives where we work together on, for example, a specific project or process improvement or anything like that.
[00:00:35] And very often. These teams are not kind of completely new established, [00:00:40] but we joined them as a new member. So we are the new kid on the block now. There’s a couple of things you should absolutely avoid doing in the first, during the first period, [00:01:00] because this first period for you is to get into the team, get to know others, get understand the different people’s relationships between the different people, get to know about how people work together, what is [00:01:20] the culture, what are kind of the unwritten rules.
[00:01:24] And I can surely tell you that I have not done that and I have suffered a lot from this. And It really has hurt me at different occasions [00:01:40] throughout my career. And I don’t want you to have the same struggles. So here are a couple of things that you might do well intended. then actually can harm you quite a lot.
[00:01:53] So the first is you may be eager to bring your new ideas. [00:02:00] Ah, we can do this great new study design that I just recently read about. Bad idea. Yeah, you don’t start with something like this. Yeah, you don’t know whether these people actually have tested that in the past, have maybe rejected [00:02:20] that in the past.
[00:02:21] Maybe they have a reason for why they go with the standard approach, all these kind of different things. So first, build trust, build relationships. And once you have that, then you can come with ideas. Second [00:02:40] is not listening enough. Yeah, maybe you want to kind of bring a lot of energy to the team and you just talk too much.
[00:02:50] Yeah. Maybe that comes from being uncertain or being insecure and completely get that. And [00:03:00] some people act like that. Yeah. Say just then covers this insecurity by being, and by talking quite a lot. That is not helpful either. Asking questions. Sure. Yeah. Seeking clarifications for sure. Yep. When you’re new on the team.
[00:03:18] That is the [00:03:20] opportunity for you to ask the seemingly dumb question because you’re new to the team. Yeah, that’s completely fine. People will appreciate that. Yeah. Because, well, you’re new, you can’t know, yeah, how certain things are done and so on. And they will be really, really, that’s a time where [00:03:40] you can ask for lots of help.
[00:03:41] Well, you can actually always ask for help, but that is also where you’re going to ask for help for the things that you’d. Maybe other companies would know and other organizations would know, but because that is new, you don’t know yet. So you need to understand what the team norms are. [00:04:00] When people speak and which kind of tone they speak, how they interact with others.
[00:04:06] Yeah, that is really, really important. The next thing is [00:04:11] make small promises and follow up on these, not big promises. I once [00:04:20] was joining a new team and I made some pretty big promises based on some discussions I had with team members before I joined the team. And then I learned that. The assumptions were completely different. And then of course I couldn’t deliver on these promises.
[00:04:38] That was really, [00:04:40] really bad in the end. So really poor behavior. Being inflexible. Yeah, so, so you surely have your need to set your own boundaries or these kind of different things. But especially at the beginning, I would be rather on the [00:05:00] flexible side and try to adapt to them. You can surely mention that, yeah, I have some kids at home.
[00:05:07] This time I can make an exception. Yeah. I don’t want to do that forever, but yeah, let’s, let’s do that tomorrow. Yeah. Be flexible. Yeah. Try [00:05:20] to help the other people. That is really, really important. Understand where they’re coming from. Understand their goals. Don’t make assumptions of what you think their goals are.
[00:05:36] They have already tested what they have already discussed. [00:05:40] these kind of different things. Yeah. There’s nothing kind of more tiring than someone that comes up with all kinds of different ideas. Just to learn that yeah, these were already all discussed and dismissed for specific reasons.
[00:05:54] Yeah. You can check with, you know, maybe one or two persons in this kind of [00:06:00] teams, but don’t, you know, come with these big ideas directly to any kind of team meeting or things like that.
[00:06:08] So, I’ve done that in the past. I don’t want you to do the same things. Yeah, so make sure that you [00:06:20] don’t basically burn the bridges before you actually entered the team. Yeah, get slowly into the team. The first, I don’t know, 100 days are definitely there to learn, to adapt, to listen, to understand, to seek [00:06:40] clarification, and to improve.
[00:06:41] build relationships. It’s not yet the time to kind of completely come up with great new innovative ideas. Once you have established, you know, good relationships. Then you can do that kind of thing and then [00:07:00] you have a much higher chance to get listened to and to, let’s say, actually appreciate your input and not just kind of think about your, oh yeah, the new guy with the new crazy ideas.
[00:07:14] I don’t know him actually, I don’t trust him actually, and therefore I don’t trust him. I [00:07:20] don’t want to listen to him. You don’t want to have that reaction. So first, smoothly get into the team. Yeah, even though I understand you might be super motivated and you have lots of, lots of great ideas. Just keep them to yourself for a [00:07:40] little bit longer and build the relationships first.
[00:07:43] So, if you listen to this on a Friday, have a great weekend. Otherwise, have a great week and be an effective statistician.
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