I have to say, I am somewhat of a know-it-all. I'll admit it. I love to be the expert, the teacher, the one who can help others understand. I feel insecure when I am out of my element knowledge-wise. It's a curse - believe me, I'm not bragging.
Last week, I was DEFINITELY not a know-it-all. I was more a don't-know-anything. I started my new job specifically because I was ready for a big blast of challenge at work. Well, I got that blast, and then some! I had become the go-to person for so many things in my old role, and while that was fun while it lasted, I was no longer inspired by my work.
Now I am experiencing something very important - complete humility. I have been sitting in meetings, my head spinning, writing down phrases, acronyms, titles, names, that I will later go back and research when I find the time. (Thank goodness for Target Wiki!) I have blocked research/learning time on my calendar - the good part is that I am working on THE team at Target that promotes learning. I am encouraged to take time to learn as much as I can! Even more important than writing down phrases is partaking in active learning. Read: asking questions. Asking questions is sometimes hard for me, partially because I don't want to be judged for the questions I ask. But in this new role, I am making questions a priority because I find that the people who are brave enough to admit what they don't know (1) learn it quickly; and (2) seem smart and insightful by the questions they pose. Chances are, someone else has the same question. And perhaps they'll silently thank me for asking it, and make it their own personal goal to ask it next time.
People have been asking me how the job is going. My best answer - I feel ALIVE again. I feel challenged, inspired, engaged, and there is a huge world out there for me to learn. I do love knowing, but I also love the learning process. It's what I'm hanging onto in these first weeks and months while things are still foggy. Soon enough I'll find some clarity, be able to teach others, help others understand, and add to my internal knowledge library along the way. It's going to be a BLAST!
Last week, I was DEFINITELY not a know-it-all. I was more a don't-know-anything. I started my new job specifically because I was ready for a big blast of challenge at work. Well, I got that blast, and then some! I had become the go-to person for so many things in my old role, and while that was fun while it lasted, I was no longer inspired by my work.
Now I am experiencing something very important - complete humility. I have been sitting in meetings, my head spinning, writing down phrases, acronyms, titles, names, that I will later go back and research when I find the time. (Thank goodness for Target Wiki!) I have blocked research/learning time on my calendar - the good part is that I am working on THE team at Target that promotes learning. I am encouraged to take time to learn as much as I can! Even more important than writing down phrases is partaking in active learning. Read: asking questions. Asking questions is sometimes hard for me, partially because I don't want to be judged for the questions I ask. But in this new role, I am making questions a priority because I find that the people who are brave enough to admit what they don't know (1) learn it quickly; and (2) seem smart and insightful by the questions they pose. Chances are, someone else has the same question. And perhaps they'll silently thank me for asking it, and make it their own personal goal to ask it next time.
People have been asking me how the job is going. My best answer - I feel ALIVE again. I feel challenged, inspired, engaged, and there is a huge world out there for me to learn. I do love knowing, but I also love the learning process. It's what I'm hanging onto in these first weeks and months while things are still foggy. Soon enough I'll find some clarity, be able to teach others, help others understand, and add to my internal knowledge library along the way. It's going to be a BLAST!
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