The window of opportunity is never greater than when you are starting a new job. Fitting in allows you to take full advantage of this immense opportunity to accelerate your own growth and development. The following principles will take you a long way toward success.

1. Dress Appropriately You have visited your new organization at least once, and probably several times before your first day of work. Dress style is a cultural norm, whether or not a formal dress code exists. It is the first thing people see, and it affects their impression. Adjust your style of dress to fit in.
2. Demonstrate a Consistent, Positive Attitude This appears to be a platitude, but it is not. Your positive attitude is one of the first things people notice about you. And because positivity is contagious, you will add something of value right away.
3. Work Hard This is another apparent platitude. But once again, it is immensely important. Everyone appreciates hard work and it is very visible. It increases the amount of value you add. If you work hard and you have a positive attitude, you will immediately earn a positive reputation in your new organization.
4. Be Brutally Open-Minded (Thanks to Our Colleague Brent Proulx for This Wonderful Phrase) A new job is an opportunity for tremendous learning and growth. Be humble. Allow your biases and beliefs to be challenged. Let some time pass before saying, “This is how we did it at my former organization.” As Stephen R. Covey¹ taught: First seek to understand, then strive to be understood. If you are sincerely receptive to learning from your new associates, they will be more receptive to learning from you.
5. Cultivate Positive Relationships Unless you cultivate positive relationships, you will not fit in rapidly, and you might not ever fit in at all. Over time, cultivating positive relationships is the most important thing you can do.
6. Make Your Boss's Priorities Your Own Larry is indebted to one of his mentors, Sigi Brauer, for this insight. This is about adding value. Value, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Demonstrate a sense of urgency in moving forward those things that are important to your boss. Again, it is extremely noticeable, and your boss will sincerely appreciate it.