This past weekend was a city-wide extravaganza in Chicago, as the beloved Bears had not played in a Superbowl since 1986.  On Friday, on my way to my downtown office, I noticed that the Blue Line El train my nearly empty – the first evidence that people had already started celebrating.  That afternoon, in office buildings all over the city, work shut down early so employees could tailgate and enjoy beer and hot dogs among co-workers and friends.  As I post this, many Chicago employees actually have the day off because the Monday after Superbowl XLI is an informal holiday in Bears country.  

All of this got me thinking about the culture of organizations.  A person from another country (or possibly another state) visiting his company’s Chicago office this week might be completely baffled by all the hullabaloo. Nevertheless, if he wanted to fit in, he would have to try to get up to speed as quickly as he could, maybe even donning a Bears hat and pretending to be as supremely confident as his colleagues about the game’s outcome.

A lot of folks who start new jobs or spend time in other offices or organizations make the mistake of bursting onto the scene and immediately asserting who they are and what they’re all about.  However, the truth is that the most successful employees are those who are able to effectively assimilate into the corporate culture at hand.  In a new situation, it’s in your best interest to keep your eyes and ears open, with the goal of mastering the unspoken rules of engagement.  In the beginning, listen more than you talk, and pay attention to how people present themselves, how they work together, and how they interact with executives, managers and clients.  Observe, observe some more, and then adjust your behavior accordingly, and people will treat you like you’ve been there all your life.