I just found an article on the BusinessWeek site entitled “How Not to Be the Obnoxious Newcomer”. It seems that author Liz Ryan has also stumbled over one too many of those annoying people that waltz in on their first day and step on everybody’s toes, just like I did a while ago when I wrote (link: blog/newbie_dont_act_like_a_pro text:“If you are a newbie, don’t act like a pro!”).
Liz thinks:
There’s no doubt that every organization has a few best practices to share. As the new kid on the block, you can share what you’ve learned elsewhere and make a real contribution to your new employer’s operations. But if you lend that expertise in such a way that people roll their eyes and drift away when you enter a conversation, you’re not helping anyone—even worse, you’re setting yourself up to have negative credibility with your peers.