The magical time before the rest of the time

(Written a couple weeks back.) This is my second week on the job in my new role. It’s that magical time when you’re not really responsible for anything yet, and you’ve got that honeymoon during which you haven’t yet had to say “no” to anyone, so nobody resents you, your presence, your power, or your biases. It’s that time when it’s not weird just to call peopleup and say, “Hey, I’m keen to meet you and understand what you do.” When meeting people is an end in itself. It’s a time when you can be popular just by listening to people rant – and you’d better. A time so early in your tenure that even your 90-day plan can still be a bit vague. That filling your calendar with action-item-free meetings is encouraged. It’s a time when you’re not yet tired of everyone’s shit, and they’re not yet tired of yours. A time when everything seems possible, regardless of the challenges. A time when, if you play your cards right, it just might be. A time when learning is the point, and not just something that happens by accident when things don’t go as planned. It’s a time when 90% of what you see is people’s potential. When your habits aren’t yet formed, the problem set that will challenge you hasn’t hardened, and people’s habits about you haven’t hardened, either. When remembering everybody’s name is hard, but greeting people entirely genuinely is easy. But it’s also a time when you’re not yet contributing anything of value to the business except your smile. And, but for internally sourced confidence based on past experience, you don’t yet really know whether or not you ever will. ..