Whether you’re starting a new gig or hiring for one, Kyle Van Noy offers lessons from 13 NFL seasons that will shorten the learning curve.
The first thing a new teammate wants to know is whether you’re there to take their job. They may not say it out loud, but everybody is thinking it.
I know because I’ve been that guy seven times, across six teams. I’m a linebacker in my 13th NFL season, a two-time Super Bowl champion, and a Pro Bowler. This September I joined the Minnesota Vikings. I signed to the practice squad, the team’s developmental roster after training camp had already ended, and after three game-day call-ups, I was added to the active roster. Over the years, I’ve been the rookie, the starter, and the veteran who signs after the season has started. I’ve also watched plenty of new guys walk into the facility. Your workplace may not have a locker room, but you’ve been on one side of this: the new hire sizing up the room, or the veteran sizing up the new hire.
If someone is about to start at your company, or you’re about to be the new person, these are things that can shorten the learning curve for everyone. Calvin Johnson made it easier for me in Detroit, and Vandy just did it again in Minnesota. I try to do the same for the next guy, because we win as one. And for the record, I still don’t pump my arms when I run.
Source link







