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Dear
Annette,
What is the best way for a new employee to remember the other
employees' names? I will be starting a new job in a few weeks as the payroll
manager so, of course, I have to get names down very quickly. I sometimes have a
problem remembering names. Help!
Guess
Who
Dear Guess
Who,
It's the sheer volume of people waiting inside the theater,
not lack of confidence in the film, that makes a movie star's stomach flutter on
the way to her premier.
And so it is with a
new job. You arrive, walk into the office, and notice that every coworker you
meet has a nickname, first name, last name; sometimes an honorific, a hyphen
here or there, an accent and a diacritical mark. If only their parents, like
mine, had understood the basic marketing principle of branding. They would know
to keep the message short and simple. That's why my parents gave me just one
name, wisely marking all my possessions with it as soon as I started school. The
results were fabulous: I never lost a mitten and my personal brand was on its
way. I followed this parental wisdom in naming my dog Dickie.
Due to the nature
of your job, your coworkers have good reason for wanting to be sure you can
identify them correctly. The glare of those first-day flashbulbs makes it hard
to remember who anyone is, but from day two onwards, you need a plan. Here's
what I did when I had to learn 100 names in five days, what with the cruise
being so unusually short.
Before you start
your job, get a list of the people in the company or, if that's not practical,
at least those with whom you will be interacting most often. Study this roster
so that the names are firmly in your mind before you walk in the door. When you
develop a seething curiosity to know the face behind the name, you'll know
you've done enough to prepare.
Throughout the
first week, when you have a moment, review the list and try to put a face to
each name. Do this four or five times a day and quiz yourself by starting in the
middle, at the end, etc. Each time you practice you'll reinforce what you do
know while learning new information. The alternative is to make everyone wear
name tags.
Stay
fabulous,
Annette
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