One of the interesting things that is happening at my new job (Hat Tip to John Wilder for the idea) is that for the first time in a long time, I am coming into a career situation with essentially a beginner's mindset.
"The Beginner's Mindset", if you have never heard the term, is an idea that comes to play in martial arts (really, any art). The idea is that we originally beginners, then we move to technique and form and strictures. Some people stop here, but the masters always go one step further to the place where all they have learned gets re-subsumed into their practice as if they were approaching it for the first time again. By training, they have all of the knowledge; by instinct, they are approaching that knowledge in new ways, as if they were relearning it.
In most of my past roles, my initial start has always been for a reason: small company that needs new systems or small company that needs their systems revised. Here, none of that is needed. For the first time in something like 20 years, I can simply show up and learn everything.
Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Devices are an odd combination of knowledge bases on the Compliance side. On the one hand, we all "sing" from the same hymn book, the government regulations. On the other hand, those regulations are often not very specific in how they require things to implemented: "You must have a suit" is quite different from "You must have a suit in one of three approved colors, and the suit must be pressed". This is the wonder and excitement (if one can use such a term) of Compliance: the art of implementation to meet the specific company's needs. If one were to think of it as the regulatory equivalent of learning to garden in one's specific climate and soil, you would not be wrong.
So I get to read a lot of documents not with an eye to how to improve or to critique, but merely to understand.
If you have never had to enter a job where you were expected to just learn the job instead of creating or correcting it, you cannot imagine what a relief that is. For once, I just have to intake information and actually learn. I can observe with having to immediately render an opinion. I can try things out and practice in relative obscurity.
Oh, this will not last forever. I was hired to do things, and one of the things I was hired to do is help streamline processes and improvement them. But not right away. And not without understanding the process in the first place.
Of all the places I expected to land, it was hardly with the ability and luxury of being able to effectively begin as a beginner again.
At 70, I have done exactly this. Same profession for 46 yrs, absolutely new side of the field. You described it well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon! It has been some years since I have had to do this - I almost have to remind myself not to "go in and fix things", but rather just absorb.
Delete"to begin as a beginner".......a change of pace eh? But did you find out where the restrooms were?.......... :)
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - I did, although it to be fair I completely forgot the first time. Fortunately there is only one hallway to go down...
DeleteA very valuable observation - look and learn before trying to change what is there. So often (especially when consultants are involved) no time is taken to properly evaluate current systems, before driving in with changes.
ReplyDeleteWill - Indeed. And consultants always have the vested interest in finding a problem and fixing it, because otherwise they do not get paid. So there is almost never an incentive to comment on how things may be perfectly fine.
DeleteI remember taking over an operating room suite upon the death of my boss. Even though I worked hand in hand with him for years there was much to learn.
ReplyDeleteOne bit of advice from the Command Sergeant Major of the Medical Center was "Watch and Learn, before you change anything".
Good to hear your setting in well in your new job. Prayers for the peace and security of your family continuing.
Michael, the really good mangers and higher ups all have had a similar policy. They watch, talk to people, and listen before they ever start to implement changes. If anything, I need to remind myself to talk less and observe more.
DeleteThanks for the prayers. All is going well on both ends.
As an engineer, I started all my jobs taking on simple design tasks of little importance to learn their systems and documentation flow. Gradually, I would do bigger projects of more importance once I understood things and as time went by, I would undertake projects on my own just because I saw the need and not because I was told. But it took many years to get to that point, which is something upper management rarely understands or saw when they did their reshuffling of corporate structure.
ReplyDeleteEd, my rule of thumb when entering a new situation is "Do No Harm". In this case, there is so much already in place - not only documents and processes, but agreements and relationships - that me just dropping in from 10,000 ft. will do nothing but alienate everyone. For now, just listening and learning seems to be the best course (to be fair, that is all that is expected of me at this point).
DeleteMy career in medical technology was a bit downstream from your industry, but the parallels are many. Way back when I was a newbie, an old hand gave me the advice: "When you go to a new job, you tell them you don't know anything, show me how you want it done." Or as my military father once told me: A new second lieutenant, given his first command position, should go the first seargent and ask him to :"Tell me how this outfit works."
ReplyDeleteWisdom and experience should count for something. It's good to hear that you recognize that.
Having difficulty with my comments, but I'm not a nony.
DeleteGreg
Greg - Very much so. If asked so far, I have said "Well, I have seen it done X in other places" but that is only meant as an observation, not a recommendation. I sat through a meeting today in which I had seen similar situations, but they have a very different way of dealing with it. My job is to first learn that way, and then make suggestions.
DeleteNo worries about the Anon. That happens to me as well for unknown reasons.
I agree it will be nice to be an observer and learner for a period of time. And I relate to what you said about compliance. I have been in that field for a number of years, in banking, and trying to figure out how to follow a regulation is much like working a puzzle with tiny little pieces! And sometimes you don't know if you've done it right until a regulator comes calling with an examination. Good luck in your new role. I look forward to hearing more.
ReplyDeleteBob, the good news is that this company is long established and long in the industry, so they are quite familiar with how the regulatory aspects work. Thankfully, I do not have to re-fight that battle. What is more challenging will be figuring out how to help them streamline and improve systems. Like everything else in life, it is never quite as neat as one would hope for on the outside.
DeleteGod is good. The move was stress enough. Now you can relax and learn.
ReplyDeleteYou all be safe and God bless.
Linda, He is.
DeleteJust got an apartment locked into today and the initial reimbursement request submitted. This goes a long way towards the initial load off my mind. I have to finish my benefits sign up, and then I will feel like I am in a better place.
I'm reading backwards again, and am so happy to read how well the transition is going for you, TB.
ReplyDelete