5 Tips to Help You Succeed in Your New Team
Embrace the change to become an all-star
I compare starting a job to an athlete signing with a new team. Meeting new teammates (coworkers), touring a new home arena (office), being shown to a new locker (desk) – it’s easy to feel like an all-star.
However, there will be challenges considering all the change. I experienced this when I moved from the East Coast of the U.S. (shout out to New Jersey!) to Portland, Oregon to join #teamadidas at our North America headquarters.
I had to learn a new job at a new company in a new city. Here are some things that helped me embrace the change, settle into my role and find my place on the team.
1. Be open to feedback
I appreciate feedback because I believe we never stop learning. There’s always room to grow and improve; however, sometimes it’s tough to take feedback in your stride. I’ve learned to not take it personally and to not be too hard on myself. Instead I take note of the feedback and focus my energy on applying it to my game.
2. Reflect on today and look to tomorrow
Doesn’t it feel like some days go by in the blink of an eye? Between responsibilities at work and home, sometimes it’s easy to go (or fly) through the motions of each day, jumping from task to task. I take time to reflect on all my “wins” from each day, big or small, and I write down at least one thing I want to accomplish tomorrow or a skill I want to develop.
3. Network, network, network
Most people agree that building your network at work—and in life—is crucial to success. A mentor once told me, “Never be afraid to put your hand out, because you never know who you might meet.” This is my favorite piece of advice. I make it a point to always introduce myself to people I don’t work with and find a veteran who can coach and mentor me.
4. Stay focused on your game
Here’s another good piece of advice I recently received: “Stay focused on one thing at a time and do it really well.” This really resonates with me because I know that sometimes I work at a fast pace and try to do too much. It’s an important reminder for me to slow down and take my time to deliver my best work. It’s helped me turn weaknesses into new strengths to improve my game.
5. Find ways to get involved
It wasn’t easy moving to a new state, far away from family and friends. Since arriving in Portland, I’ve really put myself out there to make new friends. At work, I joined the adidas Basketball League and Toastmasters (public speaking) club. I also joined a weekend hockey league. I’ve met a lot of great people, I’m enjoying my new home city and I love my new job!
It takes time to adjust and build chemistry with new teammates but transitioning to a new team should be exciting. Embrace the change with a positive attitude to become an all-star and find success on gameday.
I would add just one more tip: be true to yourself and everything will be fine!👍
I can only agree. Receiving feedback can be tough from time to time, but it's also a skill that you can train and improve if you create clarity around the power of feedback and how to utilize it best. I started working on it a year ago. It's all about receiving it without reacting right away, let it sink in, process it and decide for yourself what you can get out of it and which action steps you want to derive from it.
Would love to hear your strategies.
Best,
Nina
so great to hear that you want to join #teamadidas. Keep on trying and keep your passion for sports.
Do you need any additional tips?
Best,
Nina
i specialy love tip no' 3