What to Do When You're New: How to Be Comfortable, Confident, and Successful in New Situations: Q&A

Keith Rollag, Ph.D., is an organizational researcher, management consultant and Associate Professor of Management and Chair of the Management Division at Babson College. His work and ideas have been featured in The New York Times, Newsday, Investor's Business Daily, MIT Sloan Management Review, Wired News, Harvard Management Update and other publications.

  Career Development   Leadership   New Practitioners   Resource Management   Talent Management  

We received dozens of questions during our April 2016 Book Club webinar for What to Do When You're New: How to Be Comfortable, Confident, and Successful in New Situations. We didn’t have time to answer them all, so the author has selected a few additional questions for response below.

1. Isn't it good to be somewhat uncomfortable—being more observant, careful, strategic, etc.?
Yes, as you say a little bit of nervousness can make you more mindful of what is happening around you, and the adrenaline that gets released in new situations can help you stay focused and alert. But too much anxiety can be at a minimum a distraction—you end up thinking too much about your worries and fears and are less focused on learning and connecting to those around you. Even worse, that discomfort can cause you to stay at your desk and not take the initiative to introduce yourself to others, ask questions, develop relationships and in general do the things that ultimately will make you more successful, connected and happy in your new role.

2. What’s the best way to understand the structure of the new organization, especially as it applies to your project? The first person you meet may portray themselves as having more power/input into the process than they really have…

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