Newness Is A Gift
You don't have to be new in role to realize the benefit of newness
There’s something really powerful about being new in a role.
Don’t get me wrong … you know nothing, and that’s sort of terrifying.
But you’re also unencumbered by everything that preceded you. You have no context, no history, no sense that “this is the way things have to be” to complicate things.
You bring a completely fresh and outside perspective. You can ask “stupid” questions that others may wonder, but don’t feel safe to ask.
Newness is a gift, but a fleeting one.
We lose our “fresh eyes” after some period of time. A week? A month? Six months? It may depend on the scope and complexity of the role, but at some nearer-than-you-think point, the newness is gone.
And then what do you do?
Years ago, I wrote about firing yourself—metaphorically speaking, of course. The idea is to periodically fire—and then rehire—yourself to recapture that outsider’s perspective.
What would you see if you started new in your role today?
Go ahead and try it. Put on your outsider’s hat and take a fresh look at your role, your team, and your company. Then ask yourself:
What questions do you have?
What doesn’t make sense to you?
What would you do differently?
What are your most urgent issues or priorities, given where the team is today?
Some things we do don’t make any sense, but we keep doing them anyway because it’s the way things have always been done. Often activities and priorities carry over from the past, but wouldn’t make sense if we started them today.
How often have you thought to yourself “I would do it differently if I started this new today” or “given what I know now, I would change some things.”
So do it.
You don’t have to actually be new in a role to realize the benefit of newness. You just have to act like you are.
Readers, what tips do you have for maintaining a fresh perspective in your role? Share your strategies in comments so we all can learn from each other!