Earnest over brash

When you first join a new team it’s hard to figure out how to connect well. You’re trying to understand your the dynamic, where your strengths fit in, and what weaknesses need to be shored up.

When you first start with a team—or frankly at anytime; you can consider a Tuesday afternoon a great time to restart things—having a humble confidence, a desire to learn and get things done, can count toward a lot in ensuring that you’re making a positive impact.

Being eager and earnest will get you noticed.

If you lack experience or a full depth of understanding, coming to the table with a willingness to dive in and give it your all can set you up for integrating quickly and adding value to the group.

Earlier in my career I felt like every day was drinking from a firehose. Some days I still feel like that—and I hope the day never comes when I think I know it all. There was so much information to learn, so much to do, and an unlimited number of directions to take at a given moment.

The thing that got me into conversations with others in ways that made an impact was the energy I brought and the excitement I felt toward trying to find solutions, even if I didn’t fully understand the problem.

Now, that’s not enough on its own. Energy isn’t everything.

Obviously you need skill, expertise, and wisdom on how to apply the energy toward a project.

But I’d warrant that someone who isn’t quite at the level needed, but fully willing and excited to dive in, would be better than someone who thinks they knows it all, and deigns to condescend to the work.

This doesn’t give a blanket cover for brashness, however. Someone who just dashes in, and considers energy as the top metric for progress can endanger the work just as easily.

When you’re tackling a project and trying to figure out what winning looks like, if you fail to understand proper metrics for success, it’s far too easy to default to the loudest most excited voice in the room, and assume the bold brash personality is doing most of the work.

That might be the case.

But more often the understandated, quiet, caring, team members are making the true impact.

You also have the element of burnout. If someone applies themselves indefenitely with every waking hour, they’re sure to fizzle out and become a shell of themselves.

I’ve been there.

It’s not fun to try and recover from suddenly feeling nothing. Incidentally, Inside Out does a fantastic job of explaining this feeling when Riley loses her core memories.

So, we don’t want to encourage burning the midnight oil, caring for nothing but work and having no life outside that—in fact having a hobby and taking personal time can increase someone’s ability to bring their best at work.

All things being equal, someone who comes with a spirit of earnest excitement, willing care, and eagerness to apply themselves, can bring a dynamic boost to a team and project and help really change the way things are done.

So, bring the energy, and see what happens.