When encountering a new culture

I am tempted to offer all sorts of suggestions at my new place of work. Things are different here. There are different assumptions; different constraints; different rituals. My immediate reaction is to want to do things that way I am used to doing them. 

I am parking this urge for the time being. While I will offer a few suggestions, my focus is on asking questions and understanding the way things work here first.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that this organisation is functioning, and functioning well. Therefore any reactive suggestions from me may not actually be that useful. It may be adding unnecessary process, or not aligned with the values of the organisation. I want to understand how and why it works first, and then bring my experience into the picture if I think it could help.

The second reason is that I want to unlearn some of my unhelpful habits and assumptions, and the best way to do this is to observe how somebody else does it.

I think that through this approach both the organisation and I will benefit.

When the band takes over

I am in Hobart at the moment and this morning was on my way to MONA by way of a yatch. I overheard a musician talks Ng to her friend about the first time a whole band had played songs she had previously only written and played by herself.

She said how exciting it was hearing what each band member brought to the song, the nuance they brought to expressing their take on the feeling of the music and lyrics. It became bigger and better than her solo act, and bigger and better than any of them by themselves. 

This has been my experience with a business idea I have had. For two years I played with it by myself, and then eventually started talking to others about it. I now have a business that will be launching in 6 months, it has 3 other founders, and the texture and richness of the business is way bigger and better than me, and way bigger and better than any of us could have made it by ourselves.  

I liked playing in a band. I have always enjoyed team sports. And now I get to experience that same vibe in a business I am helping to create. I am so grateful.