Raise You’re Likeability by Saying “Hi” to the “New Guy”
September 24th, 2007 Posted in Curt's Articles, Likeability FactorDo you remember your first day at your job? Do you recall that feeling of awkwardness of not knowing anybody? How about when lunchtime came around and that uneasy feeling seemed to be at its peak.
Now, take a minute and think about how nice it felt when the very first person came up to you and asked if you wanted to eat with them, or perhaps the person that introduced themselves and told you that you could come to them for help.
The second situation feels SO Much Better doesn’t it?
Start to be that person that is the first to introduce yourself to the “new guy.” Invite them to lunch; take them around the office to meet some of your co-workers. Be the difference maker that allows this new person to feel comfortable.
I can recall the very first day I had when I entered the new home sales business. It was a totally new line of work for me, in a new part of town, and really just a totally new experience. I was confused and unsure of what to do next or to even find out how to answer my questions.
The very first day, we had a big division meeting; the entire Dallas Division was there. Naturally, I showed up early in an effort to make a good first impression. As I stood around waiting, more and more people began to arrive. Not one person came up to me in the forty-five minutes or so that I was there. When it was time to go inside the meeting room, I peaked in and noticed that all the tables were basically divided into groups of six or seven people.
I wondered to myself, “Where should I sit?” “Who will I sit with?” In the transition, to the meeting room, again, not one person offered for me to sit with them, so I just went and sat at a seemingly random table. As the room filled up, my table also filled up, but somehow my table seemed different then the rest. It was quiet. As I extended my hand to meet the people that joined my table, I discovered that everyone that sat with me was new.
“Amazing,” I thought to myself. All the new people seemed to gravitate to each other, because it just felt more comfortable then interrupting another table’s conversation and asking if this seat is taken.
As I left the meeting that day, I was just blown-away by what I, and the whole group of new people perceived as a major lack of friendliness. It was almost a feeling of “You don’t belong here.” This was my first impression of the team I would be working with, and it was just not a good one. At that moment, I decided to make it a point to always introduce myself to the new people, and welcome them.
As I learned over the years with this company, it was just not a very friendly and inviting place to work. That was just not part of the culture they chose to embrace. Though they were a successful company and we sold many homes, by allowing such an unfriendly and unhappy atmosphere to take hold, they were not producing near the success that we could have.