My wife used to be a stage manager in the theatre, many years ago. On one of her first jobs as a humble ASM, she arrived a few days before the opening of a new play. She quietly kept her head down, kept out of everyone’s way, and did as she was told. A few days later, the set was put together and furnished for the first time. The director and designer and senior staff were deep in debate about a problem they had discovered. One side of the set looked far too empty. They couldn’t put a new piece of furniture there, because the actors had been rehearsing for three weeks without it and wouldn’t have time to adapt all their moves. Anyway, they couldn’t afford to hire any more furniture.
At this point my wife asked if she could make a suggestion. The director and designer hadn’t even learnt her name at this point, and seemed sceptical about her being able to help, but they were prepared to listen to anything as this had been holding them up now for an hour or two. My wife said, ‘Do you think that if you moved the rug over to that side of the stage it would fill the visual gap without getting in the way of anything?’ So they tried the idea, it worked, and everyone was very grateful. Not only that, but because it was the first time they’d noticed her, it gave her – at least for a short time – a 100 per cent record of being brilliant. So they got it into their heads that she was a smart cookie, and despite her making as many duff suggestions as everyone else after that, they never shrugged off that first impression that she was worth listening to.
She uncovered a great Rule here for any new situation in work or education. It’s an excellent principle for getting off to the right start with teachers, tutors, lecturers, colleagues and managers. Impress them with the intelligence of your first comment or question and they’ll mentally mark you down as a potential star student. When you start a new job, it’s tempting to be so eager to get stuck in that you come out with any suggestion you can, however lame (and we all make lame suggestions sometimes). Far better to stand back and observe, and pick your moment carefully to step in with a well-judged contribution that will get you noticed instantly.
Keep quiet until you’re sure you have something really worthwhile to say, and make sure the first time people notice you, it’s for something that really makes you stand out in the best possible way. It might be an hour or a week before your opportunity presents itself, so just keep out of the limelight until it does. And if it really feels too long, then think up a smart question to ask, if you haven’t got something specific to say. But watch and listen and be vigilant, and sooner or later your moment will come. Grasp it, make that great impression, and find yourself instantly elevated to a higher level of respect from the people who matter.