I am loud. I’ve been told to watch my voice’s volume more times than I can count. I get especially loud when I’m either excited or having a heated discussion. Being loud doesn’t help you stay under the radar. You attract attention to yourself when it is not necessary or helpful. As a result, learning to stay under the radar is an ability that hasn’t come easy to me. I’ve worked really hard at it. While I don’t think I am anywhere close to mastery yet, I am better than I used to be.
The ability to to be under the radar is a very useful skill for anyone getting started in a new job/industry/career/project/client relationship. It is best to be heard only when you have something value to say. In fact, any first impressions that aren’t positive tend to be negative. It’s an easy concept to forget though. It’s tempting to try and stand out as soon as we get into a new situation. In fact, “trying too hard” feels like a nice way to put any insecurities about a new environment to bed but it tends to be counter productive most of the time. I’ve observed even seasoned campaigners make this mistake from time to time in an attempt to dazzle and stand out.
The principle at work here is – fit in before you stand out. If you are getting started in a new environment, stay under the radar, work out how you can fit in, and fit right in. Once you’ve got that covered – dazzle ‘em!
A Learning a Day 