First day jitters

[Cross-posted on Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?.]

If I had to choose a theme for this summer, it would be "Moving Up and Moving On." It seems that many of us, myself included, are either moving up the ladder or moving on to new opportunities. My May post on LT focused on getting yourself settled into your new digs, but I wanted to take some time to focus on meeting your new colleagues and staff for the first time. After all, the old adage is that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

• Remember that you've already got the job. The first time you meet your new staff is not the time to regale them with your resume, how you did it at your old job, or all those war stories you've been squirreling away. Presumably, you were hired because you have something to offer. They get that. And the one's that don't aren't going to be impressed by your stories anyway. There may even be someone on your staff who applied for the position that you were ultimately hired for, so it pays to be humble. When in doubt, it's probably better to say less than more. As someone wiser than me once said, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
• Focus on the other person or people. Be a good listener. Most likely, the staff is very anxious to meet you. Let them know that you're there for them by focusing individual conversations on what they do. How do they contribute to the school or district? What do they teach? How long have they worked there? Those who have been there a while can be a great source of the history and traditions of the organization.
• Master the name game. This is probably the most challenging one for me as I am awful at remembering names. The best advice I can give you is to use the name of your colleague as often as possible in your first conversation with them. At my last school, I snagged a copy of the previous year's annual. If you're really crafty, you can cut out the pictures of the faculty and staff -- usually arranged alphabetically -- and make yourself a "cheat sheet" by pasting the pictures back together by departments.
• Match your speaking style to your audience. Sure, sure, you've got your fancy-dancy advanced degree and the shingle in your office to prove it. The trouble is, if you try to hard to demonstrate your intelligence by flaunting your sesquipedalian stylings, you'll end up turning some people off.
• Watch your language! Your body language, that is. Check out this post and this one from The Positivity Blog. How you stand or sit when you're speaking to someone can often say more than the words coming out of your mouth.
• Appearance counts. The same thing goes for your duds. If you've got a room full of jeans and t-shirts people, strutting in wearing your best three-piece suit is probably unnecessary. Standards for appropriate dress vary greatly in every school I've ever worked in, but that's something you'll have to get a feel for before the big day arrives and you have to stand before your new staff. Of course you have to find some middle ground here as coming across too polished can be intimidating as well.
• Be careful with humor. If you're not a funny person, don't try too hard. Please. I don't know who's more uncomfortable - the new boss who tries to crack wise and fails miserably in front of a room full of faculty and staff, or the faculty and staff sitting there in silence trying to determine whether what you just said was supposed to be funny. Sarcasm, by the way, is almost never appropriate.

So, in closing, let me say, "Good luck!" to those of you who have started or are preparing to start new positions for the 2007-2008 school year. I'm sure there are many more pointers that I'm missing so please feel free to add them here in the comments. For me, these are some of the things I try to keep in mind so that my actions communicate to the staff that I am there for them. And if anyone from my new school is reading, I can't wait to meet you! It's going to be a great year! Image: "king penguins and another" by takuya miyamoto*

Comments

[Mike Waiksnis]

Great pointers! I switched jobs mid year this year so I recently went through the same process. I used the yearbook trick as well.

My top tips for people starting out at new jobs-

Don’t talk too much about your old job–they really do not care how you did it at _______.

Make sure you meet and show concern for ALL staff members–we all know the saying that the custodians and clerical staff really run the school.

**Hit the floor running–apply for that grant, introduce your PD plan, volunteer to serve on a district committee, walk the walk!

[Roberto Porrata-Doria]

Although I have been a principal for a number of years, I have just started a new assignment which is dramatically different, yet similar, to anything I have done before. Nonetheless, I took note of your pointers as if it were "that first day of that first year."

[Reggie Engebritson]

This is such a timely post as I am in week #2 of the new admin job and meeting new people every day. Other than wishing it was a law that everyone had to wear name tags, I am conscious of my body language, humor and listening skills. Plus, I am trying to stay in the moment and enjoy this part of what looks like will be a challenging and rewarding career move.

Thanks for the tips in all your blogs. I've also been trying to "feng shui" my office these past few weeks, and that is helping too!

Best of luck to you!

[Vivek Khemka]

Wonderful Post. Thank you, Scott.

I was nodding and smiling when I read the tip on remembering names. That's a tough one.

But the delight on a student's or teacher's face when you address them by name after having met them briefly (or never) has the potential to be the high-point of your day. It builds positivity and immediate buy-in. Highly recommended.

I blogged about the 10 Habits of New Principals yesterday- it is similar to this post, you want want to read it.

You can do so over at The Red Pencil http://theredpencil.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/10-things-for-new-principals-to-think-about/

Thanks!
Vivek

[JanBorelli]

Simply excellent... thanks for sharing.

[Scott Elias]

Thanks so much for the great feedback! I'm off to read the 10 Habits right now, Vivek!

[Stephanie Sandifer]

Thanks for posting this and sharing these ideas! I am adding these to my ideas for an "entry strategy" for my new job. :)