Member-only story
Drinking from a Fire Hose: 3 Postures to Successfully Start a New Job
In my short career, I’ve held about half a dozen jobs. Those have been in different fields, with different companies, and at different points in my life. One thing each one had in common was an onboarding period.
We all start new jobs with a mixture of enthusiasm and confusion. We want to do well and impress our new boss (or bosses). But we also don’t entirely know what we’re doing and need the appropriate time to figure it all out.
How to Drink From a Fire Hose
More than once, I’ve heard starting a new job compared to “drinking from a fire hose.” It’s become a cliched phrase, but also one that makes sense. New jobs can be scary, overwhelming, and put us under a great deal of pressure.
During my last job transition, I jokingly imagined how you would literally drink from a fire hose. And it occurred to me that this is actually the opposite of how we should start new jobs.
Because if you were to drink from an actual fire hose (which you absolutely should not try) you should do so with your mouth open, feet planted, and eye closed. We should go into a new job with our mouth shut, our feet moving, and our eyes wide open.
