Join the Conversation

What do you do when you are at a party? Do you find a comfortable spot to watch people from a distance? Perhaps you walk slowly from one group to another, listening to conversations, saying hello to people you know and getting introduced to ones you don’t know. Or maybe you are a showman, bringing energy to the whole room, making sure everyone is having a great time.

When I was transitioning from an engineering role in a product group to a training role in customer support, I was at first stuck alone in a corner, trying to figure things out, searching online for answers, analyzing options. This got me stuck, overwhelmed, and discouraged.

I finally decided to add myself to e-mail lists that were used by training professionals around the company and to attend events related to their work. I began by observing, but later I started asking questions, sharing my opinions, and offering help. I was genuinely interested in what they were doing, so they were happy to talk with me. It allowed me to test whether I wanted to be one of them or not, to learn their lingo, and to clarify what kind of work I would prefer.

We often feel the need to isolate ourselves as if we needed to have the right answers before we could engage with others. But how can we find the right answers WITHOUT engaging others?

Only by talking to them was I able to learn about all sorts of different training related groups around the company, and to get introduced to people I would have had a difficult time to connect with otherwise. That’s how I found the training consultant position for next 4 years of my career.

Catch yourself when you are in a corner, in isolation, trying to figure things out all by yourself. Maybe you tend to search for job openings over and over again, or to read books about how to write your resume, or to predict the next reorganization in your department. How can you connect to others, observe, listen, and exchange ideas? Join the conversation!