Hello, AEA365 community! Liz DiLuzio here, Lead Curator of the blog. This week is Individuals Week, which means we take a break from our themed weeks and spotlight the Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources and Lessons Learned from any evaluator interested in sharing. Would you like to contribute to future individuals weeks? Email me at AEA365@eval.org with an idea or a draft and we will make it happen.
Hi, I’m Midjina Richard, MPH, CHES. I’m an Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. in Atlanta, Georgia. Before becoming a fellow, I had recently graduated from the University of Georgia and was just starting my public health career. I had some assumptions about my new position, but I wasn’t sure what to expect especially after finding out I had to work with a co-fellow. Collaboration in the workplace amazed me. It was so different from the competition in my graduate program. I want to share some lessons I learned that helped me with this transition from school to work.
1. Do not assume it’s a competition.
When entering a new environment, it’s perfectly normal to make assumptions, but don’t be too set in your expectations. In graduate school, I developed imposter syndrome because I felt a sense of competition from and toward my peers. When I started my fellowship, I expected the same competitiveness with my co-fellow. After spending time with her, I quickly realized we were in the same boat, and we had each other to lean on. In fact, our first conversation sounded like this:
“I’m a little nervous.”
“I’m a little nervous too!”
2. Identify what you need to thrive.
In the first month of our fellowship, our mentor gave us a short deadline to code qualitative data. When I met with my co-fellow the next day, I found that she’d already started coding, and I hadn’t even reviewed the articles yet. She suggested meeting again the next day, and I genuinely did not know if this quick pace was her work habit or competitiveness. My own history with a sense of competition led me to believe I needed to work more swiftly to keep up. However, I thrive when I use a slow, steady work pace; ultimately, my desire to thrive mattered more than a need to compete. I had to develop a way to communicate to my co-fellow that I needed to work in my style and not hers. It’s so easy to compare yourself to peers, but focusing on your development is crucial in a new position.
3. Make your needs known.
Don’t be afraid to share your needs and see where things go. I decided to have a conversation with my co-fellow about not wanting to feel like we are competing and to explain my reasoning. To my surprise, she shared the same sentiments. It felt so refreshing! We understood each other’s needs and it enhanced our collaboration and output. This moment opened the door to honest communication moving forward.
4. Be each other’s critical friend.
Our mentor regularly uses the term “critical friend,” and soon enough, my co-fellow and I developed a critical friendship by collaborating on many projects. We appreciated how we communicated and treated the work as both of ours. We critiqued each other’s work without taking it personally. We talked through data-related topics, combined ideas, and created something new. To be a critical friend, you must respect what the other person brings to the work, so be willing to listen. Additionally, you should be able to defend your perspectives by explaining your points. Therefore, a good critical friend is confident in their capabilities!
Working with others can lead to feelings of competition. My co-fellow and I chose not to compete. We experienced the power of comradery in the workplace by producing high quality work together. If you find yourself in unwanted competition, these actions can help you and others begin to thrive!
Rad Resource
Explore CDC fellowship opportunities here.
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