Corporate Culture Shock

August 26, 2009 · 3 comments

We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word.
Lulu Lemon Manifesto

Credit: jovike

Credit: jovike

After a week of soul searching I’m settling into some new digs and a new role.

And you know, the funny thing about corporate culture is that starting somewhere new is a lot like moving to a new city or country. There people are different, the clients are different, the values and goals are different, and there are very different ways of doing things.

Submersing yourself into something like that is quite an experience. It’s like learning to walk and talk all over again.

No matter how sure of yourself you are, no matter how much you know, it’s impossible to avoid how much you don’t know.

You might have a lot of potential. You might have a lot to offer clients. And you might have even more to contribute toward the company’s goals.

But you don’t know the landscape, you don’t know who the rising stars are, and you don’t know who are the best people to help you get certain things done.

You’re completely disoriented. You’re lost.

The steepest learning curve is getting your bearings. But at the same time, you have to hit the ground running. So the best that you can hope for is that you can trust your instincts to know what the f**k is up, and that they send you running off in the right direction.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Alphonse Hà August 26, 2009 at 3:23 pm

A friend once told me that after a few snowboarding lessons, he went a full day without falling and was very proud so he told his snowboard instructor.

The instructor told him that if he didn’t fall at least once that day, that means that he didn’t push himself enough.

Hitting the ground is definitely a good thing.

Reply

CT Moore August 26, 2009 at 5:49 pm

@Alphonse, that’s such a zen parable. I love it. But I’d still prefer to stay on my feet ;)

Reply

Alphonse Hà August 27, 2009 at 12:15 pm

I like to walk on cloud 9

;)

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