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How long should I wait to point out ideas to the higher ranked coworkers? I work in the advertising industry which is all about ideas. For my job don't you think I should show my ideas right away?
I think that offering your ideas up outside of work, happy hour after work. Would be the best place to start.. have a beer and start talking and bring up your idea then. It will not come off as "the new guy trying to change the world" it will come off as the new guy who had a good idea, and bought me a brewski while he was at it!
Well happy hour sounds like a great idea but usually because of the competition between the employees, there is bound to be one that will use your idea before you do.
But then you can sue and you wont need to work or be creative!
Oh wait, you are not in the recording industry.. never mind..
Yeah, but that is why you have to kind of feel the waters a bit. Talk to someone that you know is not going to back stab you, someone who would support your idea. You would have to evaluate the situation and play it by ear.
Oh wait, you are not in the recording industry.. never mind..
Yeah, but that is why you have to kind of feel the waters a bit. Talk to someone that you know is not going to back stab you, someone who would support your idea. You would have to evaluate the situation and play it by ear.
If someone were to take credit for your idea and not acknowledge that it was your idea in the first place, you could pull up that old email and cover your butt to prove that it was your initiative and not someone else's. Also, keeping communications documented will protect you in those "he said, she said" disputes in which somebody is trying to blame you for something that isn't your fault or has absolutely nothing to do with you or your job duties. The corporate environment is no friendly place and unless you learn how to play the game and cover your butt, you won't survive very long.
This opening idea is not the only one that you will ever have. And since this is really a test balloon to verify that you understand the company, its structures and way of doing things. Having this co-worker run with your idea will show you who you should have brought it to in the first place.
We can't always be protected and honored for our ideas. Some of the most successful men in history routinely let other people take credit for their ideas. I am not advocating this in all industries, but getting the credit is not always the best thing.
For instance, this beer buddy takes your idea and runs with it, and then getts shot down. Now you have information on the idea thief, and those involved in his ambush.
Really this is probably a no-lose situation. Your first idea may not be your best idea anyway. You may very well come up with a better idea or a way to improve it after it is stolen anyway.
We can't always be protected and honored for our ideas. Some of the most successful men in history routinely let other people take credit for their ideas. I am not advocating this in all industries, but getting the credit is not always the best thing.
For instance, this beer buddy takes your idea and runs with it, and then getts shot down. Now you have information on the idea thief, and those involved in his ambush.
Really this is probably a no-lose situation. Your first idea may not be your best idea anyway. You may very well come up with a better idea or a way to improve it after it is stolen anyway.
There's a big distinction between ideas for improving how work is done or making changes to an operation, and offering ideas when they are the commodity on which your industry rests (which is also true in publishing).
For instance: "I think we should try a three-day trip to a resort as a way to stimulate ideas from our creative team" = bad comment for a new employee. "An ad featuring that star from Desperate Houseives might help us sell more laundry soap" = good comment from a new employee. Does that make sense?
Incidentally, I don't agree 100 percent with the original blog entry. Yes, it makes sense for a new employee to lay back for a while before offering comments. But if you're getting a quizzical look from your contact at your new employer, it's time for a little communication!
So when she asked "Do you have any comments?" instead of "Not really," a better answer might have been: "I do have some ideas, but I know I haven't been here long enough to have a good sense of what will work and what won't. So I want to gain a thorough understanding of the place before I make any proposals."
That would let your contact know that, if she hired you in the hopes of getting new ideas for improving/expanding the site, she didn't make a mistake in doing so.
Minda Zetlin
The Geek Gap
www.geekgap.com
For instance: "I think we should try a three-day trip to a resort as a way to stimulate ideas from our creative team" = bad comment for a new employee. "An ad featuring that star from Desperate Houseives might help us sell more laundry soap" = good comment from a new employee. Does that make sense?
Incidentally, I don't agree 100 percent with the original blog entry. Yes, it makes sense for a new employee to lay back for a while before offering comments. But if you're getting a quizzical look from your contact at your new employer, it's time for a little communication!
So when she asked "Do you have any comments?" instead of "Not really," a better answer might have been: "I do have some ideas, but I know I haven't been here long enough to have a good sense of what will work and what won't. So I want to gain a thorough understanding of the place before I make any proposals."
That would let your contact know that, if she hired you in the hopes of getting new ideas for improving/expanding the site, she didn't make a mistake in doing so.
Minda Zetlin
The Geek Gap
www.geekgap.com
I agree with Minda. A "not really" reply can seem as arrogant and spouting off, if you step back and look. It can seem like you're saying, "Yawn, been there, done that, wake me when something new comes along." So, yes, I agree with Minda that a short explanation would be better for most new people.
Fully analyze the problem before presenting a solution and what I mean by this is that if your analysis are right on target and your thought process was logical, you won't be repeating what has already been tried and tested.
Find out as much as possible without insulting your peer's intelligence by way of asking things and saying things in a way that sounds more like a question rather than an answer before presenting an idea.
Find out as much as possible without insulting your peer's intelligence by way of asking things and saying things in a way that sounds more like a question rather than an answer before presenting an idea.
you could not be more incorrect.
I feel that I have climbed very high up the ladder these past few years for multiple consulting gigs and full time gigs that I have been on. I also grew up around alot of ' Go-getters' which made me as strong as i am today. I might just sit on day one and listen and get to know people but day two I am running my mouth. When you show ambition and have good ideas that will make your boss proud of hiring you. IF you want to get put on the dummy list and be the first one to get laid off just sit there and say nothing.
Overall I say stay quiet the first day and run your mouth the second day!.
JB
http://www.astawerks.com
I feel that I have climbed very high up the ladder these past few years for multiple consulting gigs and full time gigs that I have been on. I also grew up around alot of ' Go-getters' which made me as strong as i am today. I might just sit on day one and listen and get to know people but day two I am running my mouth. When you show ambition and have good ideas that will make your boss proud of hiring you. IF you want to get put on the dummy list and be the first one to get laid off just sit there and say nothing.
Overall I say stay quiet the first day and run your mouth the second day!.
JB
http://www.astawerks.com
Well, "running your mouth" is not the best verbiage to use there...
There is always at least one at every work place.. if you don't see him...
Being a project leader many times I HATE when some smart mouth just spits out ideas and comes back with "There is no such thing as a bad idea!" when his idea is scoffed at.
As it is some what true that there is not such thing as a bad idea.. there is such a thing as someone who always has bad ideas..
If you have good ideas and you are not annoying about how you present them, or cocky know it all when you speak up.. It will not matter if you spit out ideas the first day!
Also, to the point of "the company has already tried it 18 times".. When you have an idea, say it as a question. "Would it work better if we did X and Y, or has something like that been tried before?"
There is always at least one at every work place.. if you don't see him...
Being a project leader many times I HATE when some smart mouth just spits out ideas and comes back with "There is no such thing as a bad idea!" when his idea is scoffed at.
As it is some what true that there is not such thing as a bad idea.. there is such a thing as someone who always has bad ideas..
If you have good ideas and you are not annoying about how you present them, or cocky know it all when you speak up.. It will not matter if you spit out ideas the first day!
Also, to the point of "the company has already tried it 18 times".. When you have an idea, say it as a question. "Would it work better if we did X and Y, or has something like that been tried before?"
Sometimes, the free giving of some of those initial ideas can backfire in a negative way but they can also cement a future relationship among your co-workers that ultimately empowers you further than if you had claimed the idea in the first place.
There is no limit to ideas..... sharing is good. For ideas and beers....
This is coming from a new employee with 6 days at the job under her belt....
There is no limit to ideas..... sharing is good. For ideas and beers....
This is coming from a new employee with 6 days at the job under her belt....
After reading you comment I was not surprised at all to see the you list yourself as an 'IT consultant'.
Most of us are not. And many of us have had our fill of "hired guns" who come in and after an hour or a day, start to tell us how we should have done it. (this is the same even if you use, "Well in my last job..." to lead in your comment)
I find that I learn a lot more by listening than talking. That does not mean that I am silent. I ask a lot of questions to get everyone else talking. Questions like, "So how does that work? What types of issues do we have with it? What has been tried before? Have we ever tried ...?"
This gets other people talking. You get to hear the war stories of other 'hot to trot' new guys that aren't there anymore and the dumb things they tried. And you also get to spawn ideas.
Most of the times we are not the lone IT person, and even if we are, that most means that before us was a non-IT person doing some or all of the tasks we are taking on. Asking the team questions is one of the reason to bring new guys into the team. If we ask, "why do we do this the way way we do?" And the explantions make the more senior employees think and have ideas, then the team wins.
But if we come in as "I was hired to impress you with my vast knowledge" attitude, we will probably only be there as long as the last consultant was.
Most of us are not. And many of us have had our fill of "hired guns" who come in and after an hour or a day, start to tell us how we should have done it. (this is the same even if you use, "Well in my last job..." to lead in your comment)
I find that I learn a lot more by listening than talking. That does not mean that I am silent. I ask a lot of questions to get everyone else talking. Questions like, "So how does that work? What types of issues do we have with it? What has been tried before? Have we ever tried ...?"
This gets other people talking. You get to hear the war stories of other 'hot to trot' new guys that aren't there anymore and the dumb things they tried. And you also get to spawn ideas.
Most of the times we are not the lone IT person, and even if we are, that most means that before us was a non-IT person doing some or all of the tasks we are taking on. Asking the team questions is one of the reason to bring new guys into the team. If we ask, "why do we do this the way way we do?" And the explantions make the more senior employees think and have ideas, then the team wins.
But if we come in as "I was hired to impress you with my vast knowledge" attitude, we will probably only be there as long as the last consultant was.
All one has to do is look at the email address to understand this person.
A note I once saw read: It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.
A note I once saw read: It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.
There is no "great" idea that merely needs to be enunciated for it to succeed. The idea must fit the culture, environment, skill set, and experience of the organization to succeed. It must be heard by the appropriate people at the appropriate time to be appreciated. It must be justified against criteria that will be specific to the organization. It must stand up to both facts and prejudices.
There is a choice to be made. One can become a disillusioned spouter of great ideas, or one can work with the organization to actually implement improvements. The latter requires team work, a sphere of influence, and a knowledge of corporate lore. Toni is right; don't go in spouting about the next great thing. Find and build an alliance of like-minded personnel and actually work towards making changes.
There is a choice to be made. One can become a disillusioned spouter of great ideas, or one can work with the organization to actually implement improvements. The latter requires team work, a sphere of influence, and a knowledge of corporate lore. Toni is right; don't go in spouting about the next great thing. Find and build an alliance of like-minded personnel and actually work towards making changes.
"The idea must fit the culture, environment, skill set, and experience of the organization to succeed." That is exactly right. And even if you have a great idea, by shoving it out there the first chance you get, your co-workers may subconsciously feel criticized. (As in, "Why didn't you guys already think of this?")
Wow, can I come work with you! Finding a place that fosters positive teamwork is *so* hard to find! It's all about fitting in.
Very valuable advice. Additional reasons for holding off a bit as a new employee with ideas include understanding the internal politics and culture of the new organisation, not being presumptive in transfering to the new org previously tried ideas whether they work or not because one is familiar with them and this shows intellectual laziness. Another important thing to consider is the stage chosen to present your new ideas, wait to be asked if you have an idea, especially at exec meetings as it is iomportant to build trust with decision makers, rather than be denegrated by those present who may see the new kid as a threat
"It's not always what you say but how you say it".
Worst case, go to your boss one on one after the meeting - probably even the next day - and just offer, "I was thinking about... Might.... work?" At least then you're not exposed to everyone's opinions. Worst case, your boss gives you some insight, as a good boss should do.
After sleeping on it, if it's not a great idea the next day then it never was a great idea to begin with and your saved face.
Finally, I'm sense a battleline here with the idea-havers on one side and the not-havers on the other. Some people just have ideas, there's no reason to hate that. It's a numbers game - ask Google. Just because an idea didn't work before doesn't mean it was a bad idea, it could have been office politics that killed it.
Ideas generate ideas and should never be discouraged. If you're not an ideas type don't hate, just find another way to differentiate yourself in the eyes of your boss. Geez, should a traded athlete wait to help the team win? Nuff said!
Worst case, go to your boss one on one after the meeting - probably even the next day - and just offer, "I was thinking about... Might.... work?" At least then you're not exposed to everyone's opinions. Worst case, your boss gives you some insight, as a good boss should do.
After sleeping on it, if it's not a great idea the next day then it never was a great idea to begin with and your saved face.
Finally, I'm sense a battleline here with the idea-havers on one side and the not-havers on the other. Some people just have ideas, there's no reason to hate that. It's a numbers game - ask Google. Just because an idea didn't work before doesn't mean it was a bad idea, it could have been office politics that killed it.
Ideas generate ideas and should never be discouraged. If you're not an ideas type don't hate, just find another way to differentiate yourself in the eyes of your boss. Geez, should a traded athlete wait to help the team win? Nuff said!
Good advice but not always relevant. I am one of those employees who asks lot of questions and can be a little over-eager. Its hard to know without asking if the solution you think might work has already been tried, some employers may even be asking for your input as a fresh pair of eyes always help. (Plus while you are keeping quiet you might be sitting on the solution just to keep your workmates happy.. try to remember you take jobs to earn a living not to make friends)
Rob
Rob
Fully analyze the problem before presenting a solution and what I mean by this is that if your analysis are right on target and your thought process was logical, you won't be repeating what has already been tried and tested.
Find out as much as possible without insulting your peer's intelligence by way of asking things and saying things in a way that sounds more like a question rather than an answer before presenting an idea.
Find out as much as possible without insulting your peer's intelligence by way of asking things and saying things in a way that sounds more like a question rather than an answer before presenting an idea.
Brilliant ideas, Toni!
What if I'm hired to work on a "Process Improvement Team"? I'm not, but my department includes such a team, and I'm curious what advice you have for them.
What if I'm hired to work on a "Process Improvement Team"? I'm not, but my department includes such a team, and I'm curious what advice you have for them.
I worked as an analyst for a Business Process Re-engineering team, whose job it was to simplify and streamline processes.
The big problem we had was that people knew that the process changes might result in jobs being eliminated and so were very insecure. They were unhelpful when we needed to draw out information.
I think if the expectations were set out up front - ie no layoffs, people might be moved around....it would have been easier.
James
The big problem we had was that people knew that the process changes might result in jobs being eliminated and so were very insecure. They were unhelpful when we needed to draw out information.
I think if the expectations were set out up front - ie no layoffs, people might be moved around....it would have been easier.
James
If you are hired *just* to work on a process improvement team, then it sounds like you're effectively an outside efficiency consultant. I've never seen the strategy of hiring a consultant to be on an internal team work, because people are just too suspicious of them, thinking they're a shill or "axe-man" betrayer.
It works better if the intentions of the company are out in the open, and the consultant is hired to *facilitate* process improvement.
The key to process improvement is that it isn't optional in today's world. Employees need to know that if they company doesn't change, it will die, like the dinosaurs. So, either way they could lose their jobs from stasis or change. In my experience, the employees that threw themselves whole-heartedly into re-engineering their work often grew so much from the effort that even if their position was eliminated, their skills were now needed elsewhere in the company. Those who resisted ended up eventually being let go.
These teams originated in Japan, which has a far more selfless culture than the US, and blind application of them to our work environment has caused problems. But irrespective of how well the process improvement program has been set up, as the employee your key to remember is to support the team's work. This means doing all you can to foster an environment of mutual collaboration and openness. As Toni pointed out, hogging the spotlight isn't going to help you or the team - whether or not you're the new employee. If the team functions well, then management will notice and reward them to the best of their ability and discernment.
Finally, I question the usefulness of putting a new employee on such a team, since the team's very purpose is to take lessons learned *in that workplace* and apply them to improving the business process.
It works better if the intentions of the company are out in the open, and the consultant is hired to *facilitate* process improvement.
The key to process improvement is that it isn't optional in today's world. Employees need to know that if they company doesn't change, it will die, like the dinosaurs. So, either way they could lose their jobs from stasis or change. In my experience, the employees that threw themselves whole-heartedly into re-engineering their work often grew so much from the effort that even if their position was eliminated, their skills were now needed elsewhere in the company. Those who resisted ended up eventually being let go.
These teams originated in Japan, which has a far more selfless culture than the US, and blind application of them to our work environment has caused problems. But irrespective of how well the process improvement program has been set up, as the employee your key to remember is to support the team's work. This means doing all you can to foster an environment of mutual collaboration and openness. As Toni pointed out, hogging the spotlight isn't going to help you or the team - whether or not you're the new employee. If the team functions well, then management will notice and reward them to the best of their ability and discernment.
Finally, I question the usefulness of putting a new employee on such a team, since the team's very purpose is to take lessons learned *in that workplace* and apply them to improving the business process.
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