I have to say that training for a job in a department I have worked for previously and in which I have lived surrounded by the small island community it encompasses for the past 13 makes the transition in some ways much harder than I anticipated. Isn’t that the way of life? We always think we are prepared for what we are walking into, but when we get there, it’s always more challenging than expected. When I begin a new job, I jump in running and immediately asking the questions of what, where, when, how, and why in relation to how the job works and the tasks I can take on right away and devote 110% to doing the very best I can to ensure everything is being accomplished in the most efficient and effective manner and with a positive, go-getter, problem solving attitude. That’s just me, and today, I struggled with having a clear picture of how I will be able to immediately contribute to my new position in this way, how I will help resolve certain problems or issues, and how I can devote myself enthusiastically to a job that I have no doubt I can do, but for which I don’t know where to start.
We are in the middle of a transition on the atoll, and the department I am going to work for has just suffered a great loss of a central employee and leader through the reduction in force which occurred at the beginning of the month, and they are now welcoming in new employees not just for positions recently vacated voluntarily, but also to help carry the load of what has been lost in manpower, so I need to “slow my roll,” so to speak. I am coming in with all my ideas and my thoughts for how I can immediately jump in and help carry the load and be a positive addition with handling any necessary changes, and I’ve forgotten to allow everyone to get used to me being there first, used to me taking on the role of a colleague who’s been with them for several years now. So as much as my communication and collaboration are strong points, if I forget to listen to the heart of the organization and the people in it now, in the midst of this great transition time for them, why would they have any desire to listen to me and my ideas to help and collaborate with them later?
So I will take a step back tomorrow, recognizing my nervous anxiety about the upcoming position has caused me to approach things in a “jumping the gun” type manner and instead I will just soak it all in. This may mean simply reestablishing relationships with my co-workers and making sure that the duties which do not change during this restructuring will be handled as if there was no change in employee to ease the transition as that is what’s best for everyone, not just me, and that’s what communication and collaboration is about, allowing everyone to participate in the conversation and working together to deal with the everyday challenge of running and sustaining a department on a tiny atoll in the middle of the Pacific.
The fact that I don’t know where to start is frightening and overwhelming to me. And yes, this is typical with a new job, but this is a job that I have talked about moving into for years, a job where I already knew the duties more fully than any other job I’ve come into cold turkey, a job that I have been told more than once that I am “perfect for.” So tonight, when I considered what I would write my journal about, I decided that I need to write in a more positive tone than my mind has been in for the past couple of days. Writing has always helped me to move from my negative thought processes to a more positive outlook, so it’s time to make that move. I need to stop worrying about what I’m not sure about, what I’m unclear about, and start focusing on what I know I’m good at, which is communication and collaboration. These are the two tools which will help me the most in facing the challenges of my new job. With communication, I am able to talk about those things that I need help with and with collaboration, I can come up with a plan to tackle the challenges and not have to do it alone.
The other thing I need to remember is that change is difficult, for everyone involved, and not only are things changing for me in my schedule and in some ways, my every day life, but for all those I am working with and for now. To help me remember this, I only need to spend an hour or two with my youngest child, who can be shaken so easily by transitions and change of the smallest sort, just like last night where the tears began flowing over the fact that there was no macaroni and cheese left when he had been told there was. Instead of being flexible and realizing that there was no shortage of food, and he could easily choose another food item to eat if he was still hungry, it was the principal of change that threw him for a loop. That’s not what he was expecting, so it upset him, Over the years, I’ve learned that during the times when I can’t prepare him ahead of time for a transition or change, I simply need to give him a few extra minutes to process and adjust, and he’ll be fine. I think this is where I’ve failed the last couple of days at work. I haven’t allowed myself and my new co-workers the time to adjust to the changes before attempting to introduce more.
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