New on the Job?: Molt Like A Penguin

Many of my posts on this blog talk about strategies for finding a job; I think it's equally important to talk about effective career management strategies once you've landed a new job--or in your current line of work.

Today I'm musing on the parallels between allowing yourself space to learn in a new work environment and the cyclical processes of penguins. This post was inspired by my friend Deborah Tobin, who possesses a treasure trove of information: she's worked in recruiting, is a professional organizer and talks about penguins at the Central Park Zoo (she's a docent).

This weekend, Deborah is exhausted from talking: the penguins look terrible and everyone wants to know why they are all shedding their feathers. Are they sick?

In fact, this collective shedding is a sign of strength: the penguins are molting, an annual process which takes places after mating and before the winter. Over the course of two to three weeks, they will essentially shed all of their old feathers and grow a new coat for winter. During this time, they'll stay out of the water, eat very little (they've built up some reserves) and look more vulnerable than usual. Here's a YouTube video from the Tennessee aquarium which describes the process.

In my opinion, there are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between molting penguins and the process of adapting to a work environment:

It's the feathers that help make us attractive to others. Penguins need a healthy coat of feathers for mating, you are hired for a job based on the "feathers in your cap"--i.e. what you've accomplished in the past--and your potential to accomplish great things in the future.

In order to be successful, we have to let the feathers go and prepare for a new environment. Just as penguins need to molt in order to prepare for the winter, you can't rest on what you've accomplished before, you have to assess your new job--learn what success looks like within the context of your new environment--and then adapt.

For most of us, the comparisons end there: while penguins typically molt at the same time, many workers start new positions alone--and without the comfort of a large group of peers who are going through the same situation. From a professional standpoint, it's important to be simultaneously viewed as competent, capable and humble on a new job. You want to demonstrate both your potential, as well as your growing understanding of a new work culture.

This can be tricky; organizations with a similar mission can vary greatly in culture and in terms of what they value: what is an accomplishment in one environment, may be seen as counter to the team in another. You need to take the time to learn the difference so that you can get new "feathers."

Here are a few great places to start: Keith Ferrazi's blog "Never Eat Alone" and the books Your First 90 Days, and Sink or Swim: New Job. New Boss. 12 Weeks to Get it Right.

May you have many successes with the molting process...

Putting the Lawnmower Before Your To-Do List

Today, the world learned of the untimely death of Dave Freeman, author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die," at age 47. After experiencing over half of the adventures listed in his book, Mr. Freeman died of a head injury resulting from an accidental fall at his home. According to his co-author, Neil Teplica, "The title (of the book) meant 'you should live every day like it would be your last,' and there's not that many people who do...It's a credit to Dave -- he didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have."

Next Monday, a majority of Americans will say goodbye to summer on Labor Day--the day we honor workers before we begin work again! For many, the holiday is synonymous with new beginnings: as the academic year begins and campuses buzz with a fresh start, many job seekers will jump-start their search for permanent employment. Some will apply and get started with lists reminiscent of New Year's Resolutions. If you enjoy multi-tasking or are in a hurry of a particular sort, you may appreciate the following recent piece from the New York Times entitled Ten Things to Do Before You Finish This Article.

But before you set up automatic job search agents, polish your resume for rapid deployment, and start at the top of your to-do list with everything that must be done...I encourage you to smart small: is there anything that's getting under your skin now that might be fixed with only a minor adjustment?

My friend Jason Alba, wrote a great piece about this recently--he lived with a lawnmower that spit grass in his face for years until he spent a few minutes and discovered that all it needed was a slight adjustment. Are there any current modifications that you can make to your current situation that will make it more bearable for the short-term--and may even make it more attractive in the long-term?

After all, aggressively pursuing a lengthy to-do list can lead to rapid burnout; fixing minor annoyances can free up your time for both your job search and your personal life. Will you feel as though you've lived if you haven't been land-diving in Vanuatu, attended Las Fallas or the Academy Awards? Dave Freeman felt all of these adventures enriched his life: what's on your personal must-do list?

On Being Grounded

Career discussions that focus on job options and lifestyle choices frequently involve a brief mention of the importance of "being grounded": to have a home base, to be able to define what your core skills are, to know how your skills "stick."

But grounding isn't always good. Sometimes it's necessary to go out of your way not to do it.

I was reminded of this last night on my way home in the New York subway system. I started out taking the R train out of Prince Street. There was a cluster of Wall Street bankers, and they were talking quite loudly about the benefit of the recession to smaller financial services firms: from their perspective, these firms will be the lucky beneficiaries of the recent layoffs at Bear Stearns and other banks. I resisted the urge to interrupt and question whether this might also be an appropriate time for laid off employees to consider market sectors outside of the financial industry--market "pockets" where hiring projections outnumber pink slips and a deep talent pool. Given the sheer market numbers (and the widely reported statistic that every laid off Wall Street employee ultimately affects three other positions), I couldn't help but think that contemplation of alternative industries which use similar skills might also be useful. For example, I would imagine that a former communications VP on Wall Street might transition into a position in new media uptown: both are fast paced work environments, and I've heard that there's a shortage of senior management talent in this young industry. (This tip compliments of a career fair on Interactive Advertising sponsored by 212).

When I arrived at 42nd Street to transfer trains, I lost sight of the i-bankers and focused on the platform as I discovered subway workers on the train rails--picking up trash, using rakes, and wearing headlamps. I was uneasy, given that:

• The overhead announcer made it clear that the trains were still running on the track,
• I knew that one of the rails on the track was a "live" one in order for the trains to run, and
• I had recently read a NYT article about accidental deaths of subway workers.

The men on the tracks finished their work, but one worker stayed behind on the platform. I asked him about the live rail, and he gave me a quick crash course in how to avoid it: if you touch it, it won't hurt you unless you are grounded. If you're touching metal (in other words, if you are "grounded" to something else on the subway floor or to an object)--you'll be gone before you can blink an eye. He said the key was knowing the danger, and taking good care to avoid it.

Score one for the importance of taking care to "not be grounded" in New York.