Humility on a New Boat

 I recently started a new job with a new company in a new area. Likewise, I have recently joined a new rowing club and in the last few weeks joined a new boat. In both situations, I went from a comfortable situation where I possessed a certain amount of respect and responsibility to a new situation where I was an unknown quantity and knew less about how things work than anyone else.

At work, I have 11 years of help desk and call experience upon which to draw. I have had to learn what is the culture, how much I can leverage my experience to influence events, and how much I need to listen to those around me. In my first three months, I have been growing in confidence and acting independently. This has brought me some successes. One being in leading the team to develop a more efficient way of producing a client deliverable. Another being in pressing another vendor for details to confirm that they can provide us what we need (“leveraging my experience”). It has also caused me to make some mistakes, where I would act based on what sense at my previous jobs, but would find I acted in error based on what I didn't know.

On the boat, I have much less experience and have listened more. Even in listening more, I have still reached out for opportunities. The chief opportunity has been in signing up for a race in Philadelphia. This put me rowing in the “A boat” and rowing with much more experienced rowers. These are guys with better technique, greater strength, and faster times than me. I am clearly the weakest member of the team. This shows from my position on the boat. On the novice boat, I have often rowed in seat seven where I am one of the two people setting the pace. On this boat, I am rowing in seat two where I can follow the rest of the boat. The good thing for me is that my teammates are willing to help me and provide advice. Even in just two weeks, I am becoming a better rower.

In both situations – less so at work, more so at rowing – I have displayed genuine humility. At work, it has helped me get along with others whose experience differs from mine. At rowing, it has helped me focus on improving my own technique by following the advice of my teammates and the coach. A sense of humility is proper in any new environment. It enables me to be more aware of what I am doing, what is going on around me, and what people are saying and doing. I still trust in my own abilities and will do many things my own way (at rowing, I insist on carrying my oars the way people at my old club did – over the shoulder instead of by the hand), but a humble awareness of my surroundings helps me incorporate into my own experience what others have to offer.