Change is disruptive, it is hard regardless of your timing. Now let’s add an extra layer of complexity to it. I started a new job at a new company during the pandemic. In this new world, I only ever interviewed online. I never stepped foot in the office and never met any of the new folks I will be working with in person. Hello 2020 and welcome to a whole new world of getting your feet wet covid style. 

Here are a few things that are standing out for me as I reflect back on my unique experience of the last 90 days:

  1. Learning Mode: I am learning so much in the first 90 days and it feels so good to just focus on something new at this level of depth. As you know with any company, training is a big part of onboarding. I really liked the format of online learning and onboarding because it was a hybrid style. I had a master list of classes to take over a series of times. Some were self paced, some live and some with other attendees, this really helped to break it up and keep me focused.  We worked with a consistent cohort of “Nooglers” and we had plenty of break out time with that cohort. With the focus on getting up to speed, it feels great to be focused so much on learning for me as an individual. It’s been a long time since I was able to devote full days to just learning.  It is so refreshing and good for the mind, stress levels and opens your eyes to how important it is to set aside time to learn and grow. One take away for me will be setting uninterrupted time for learning each month.
  1. Networking is key: When you start a new job, you want to spend time meeting everyone you will be working with. Hard to do when 100% virtual I know. You can do video 1:1 calls but how do you make up for the hallway chat, lunch meetings or random people in the office? Google calls it Coffee Ninja. You can control how often, what you are looking for and when it happens but your calendar gets auto populated and you get matched up with others in the company who want to network and meet others. So far I have met 3 really great people that I know I would not have met otherwise. They are in different parts of the business, common thread for me is that they are all new to the company. Love using technology to solve some of the issues in innovative ways. We have all committed to meeting in person after the pandemic.

The second part of networking that stood out for me was almost everyone who I crossed paths with in the past who landed at the same employer all reached out to me. There was a great sense of comradery and everyone shared their experience in navigating as a newbie, tricks and tips as well as intros to others I should know. Made me realize how important it is to build and maintain your network and immediately gave me a sense of “ I’m home” to be among so many people I knew already. 

  1. Don’t Dive, Prioritize: I am a doer. I want to get fixing right away. I got great advice in the first week. Don’t dive in head first. Take it all in. There is a lot to do, don’t burn out in 6 months. Look at things that need to be done, then prioritize based on your skill set and the impact of the output. Pick a few things and do them really well. Best advice I have received so far. 
  1. Remember your WHY: As I learn about all the success stories in Health and Life Sciences and the innovative ways Google is approaching it, I remember why I am here and the passion burns even brighter than it ever has. I love the feeling that I can help make a difference in this space. I continue to be in awe of how new technologies are coming to bear to solve problems we have struggled with in healthcare for years. I am inspired to work with leading customers and partners to make the much needed transformation in Health and Life Sciences. This is all about the patient and at some point in our lives we or our family members have all been a patient and are a consumer of health, it feels so good to know the work you are doing is making a difference in the lives of others. 

Thank you for taking this journey with me, I will continue to share my insights.  I write this blog not to say I have the answers or this is a perfect experience but to remind me in the years ahead where my head was at the point in time, to keep the lessons fresh and remember the passion of what drove me to make a big change like this during the pandemic.

#msh #newbeginningscovidstyle #google #googlecloud #noogler

*A noogler is an affectionate term used to describe employees who are new to Google