The first few months are precious

When I join a new company or team, I’m usually filled with WTF’s.

• WTF – why is the PM running sprint planning?
• WTF – why aren’t we releasing more often?
• WTF – why do we have to do that deploy step manually?
• WTF – why does that alert exist if everyone ignores it?

Then after a few months, I forget that I ever thought those things were weird. I get used to them just like everyone else before me. Learned helplessness is a sneaky little punk. You don’t notice it creeping in.

People tend to forget about their radical ideas after a few months. So those first few months are precious. Write down every WTF you come across, so you can remember them once you’ve started taking things for granted. And when another new person joins, be the first follower when they raise an issue so it can gain momentum.