What To Do When You're New review

Since I am currently in the process of finding a new opportunity for my career, I have been looking into some areas where I can both improve my performance and be better prepared to undertake a new position. One aspect of my new situation is meeting lots of new people - much more than what I would normally meet in my last position. Part of my self-improvement goal is to become more of an extroverted introvert. Being an introvert certainly has advantages for me, like the ability to be able to dig in and really focus on a project when I need to. However, in my roles (and almost certainly any new position I take up) I often have to perform tasks and fulfill responsibilities that require me to step outside of that comfort zone and be more of an extrovert. In looking for some ways to improve, one recent book I read through is What To Do When You're New: How To Be Comfortable, Confident, and Successful In New Situations by Keith Rollag. Keep reading for a quick recap of some of my takeaways from the book.


Two of the key messages that Rollag makes is that most people have a reluctance to introduce themselves to others and there is a real cognitive challenge to remembering people's names. According to Rollag, this is not unique to introverts, so that is certainly some comfort to me. With regard to making introductions, the goal is to start a relationship no matter how limited that might be, though clearly in the business environment it will probably be more than a brief encounter. The ability to establish a relationship as part of the introduction process is in contrast to what Rollag calls the typical S.N.O.W. Job - smile, nod or wave treatment - that we use to avoid embarrassing situations.

Once one gets over the reluctance to introduce themselves, the next challenge is taking steps to ensure we can recall who we met. Being remembered in future encounters can send a powerful message to the people we meet and interact with, so it is a skill worth investing in. Rollag turns to science and how our memory works to explain why names seem to so often slip away from us. The problem is that the name never transitions from short-term memory to long-term memory. This occurs because we end up having to pay attention to the rest of a conversation when meeting someone.

Rollag goes on to share a wide variety of tools and techniques to get past this challenge. One of the tools that I made use of while in a recent position was starting a written list of the names of people I met along with details about them and our initial encounter. I could then review that list to help better commit names and faces to my long-term memory. I found this to be quite effective. Rollag shared some other tools like repeating names, using it again during a conversation, and making mental notes.

A final set of recommendations revolve around dealing with new situations in the workplace. This will certainly apply to me as I move into a new position. Rollag suggests we think about how we would react if a newcomer were to approach us - we would likely be okay with it and proceed to help. Others are probably the same, so go ahead and approach people with your questions.

Overall I found the book to be a good read that had some nice, practical tips I was able to takeaway.