There are couple of lessons I have applied in the last couple of months that actually improved work relationships with my coworkers. I thought I would share some of them with you. I am pretty sure you know all of them. But I thought it would be nice to share.
Secret Nicknames:
Since I am a programmer in a IT development, my coworkers are much more experienced, and "serious" than I am. It kind of makes me little insecure since I just came right out of college. I realized making funny and inappropriate nicknames for each my coworkers won't hurt as long as I don't tell them. Yes, those are secret nicknames. Sometimes I try to associate people with funny cartoon character. I actually picture one of our developers as "Scooby Doo", and another one "Giraffee" since he is 6 ft. 5' tall. I see our vice president as a "Shark". Not sure why. As a result, every time I am talking with someone of them, I have a smile in my face for no reason, and somehow feel much more comfortable. They sense my enthusiasm and sense of humor. The nice thing about this strategy is that it works well with dealing scary people. Why don't you try visualizing a scary guy you know with Mickey mouse nose and ears couple of times?
Ask for Help:
Since I am a newbie, I have to ask for help from developers frequently. I actually worked with all of my coworkers once in a while. I have started to ask for suggestions and took notes because their insights and years of experiences are valuable. My attitude actually made them help me more. Feel free to ask stupid questions. They will understand you are a "noob", and feel like being your savior :) Asking for help simply gives people feeling of importance (as long as I am not asking for money). One important I ever learned from my closest friend/mentor that I should always make other person make feel more intelligent than I am. It makes us humble and more approachable.
Birthdays:
Remember their birthdays. Trust me on this. Many adults working nine to five jobs are way too busy to celebrate their birthdays. Their kids would probably draw some lame pictures with their stupid crayons, and their wives..I don't know. I actually have a list of all my coworkers' birthday. If they don't want to let you know their birthdays, make something up. I already gave a nice gift book to one of my coworkers. This is the best investment I made in work area since he went extra miles to help on a issue last time. I usually have couple of gifts on demand.
Know Little Things:
You don't have to know someone's life story to be their best friend. Notice subtle things they do in a consistent basis. What is their favorite ice cream flavor? Which bar do your coworkers like to hang out? Do they love donuts? What is their astrological sign? These are trivial information, but I found out these small things actually helped me make great friends in my college life. There is one thing I learned from Mother Teresa: you can't never do great things, but you can do small things with great love.
I know there are one billion ways you know to get along with coworkers. Feel free to share some with me. I will apply if I feel it would be comfortable to use. Thanks for stopping by! What are your strategies to get along with new people/coworkers?
Chase, this is all first-rate advise.
ReplyDeleteThe first one, on nicknames, where you note that "as a result, every time I am talking with someone of them, I have a smile in my face for no reason, and somehow feel much more comfortable. They sense my enthusiasm and sense of humor. The nice thing about this strategy is that it works well with dealing scary people" is something I wish I'd thought of a long time ago. In my years working, I've enjoyed the company of most coworkers. But there were two (in different institutions) that I could never get comfortable with - i.e., they were both arrogant, and both made me nervous. I no longer work with either of them, but I wish I'd thought of your nickname trick - it would surely have helped.
Thanks, Jon. Late is better than never! :)
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