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
