You know when someone is new, everything seems to be perfect.
The 'honeymoon' period they call it... everyone loves the new person and the new person can do no wrong.
The new person is viewed as refreshing and thought-provoking even when someone else within the organization has been saying the same thing all along. The same words coming from a different mouth just have a different effect on people.
The new person doesn't intentionally or maliciously encroach upon anyone's turf, but in the end it becomes a passive takeover that leaves many scrambling and wondering about who does what and who's responsible for which duties.
New blood within a system can be healthy and vital to long-term sustainability, but then again, there are times when the body rejects that new blood as it just doesn't match up.
Then perhaps, after time has passed and the dust has settled, the new person is no longer new.
The new person has (as previously mentioned) unintentionally stepped on the toes of others and has crossed lines that can't be uncrossed.
By the simple fact of doing one's job, the once lines drawn in the sand have been kicked over and reassembled until they are almost unrecognizable.
The new person is no longer considered new.
This individual is now considered an expendable asset that bounces around from task to task with very little direction and guidance.
So, now this individual, who once could do no wrong, feels alone on an island that drifts deeper and deeper into the sea.
As the island continues its path into the unknown, the individual's short existence seems to fade and the individual quickly becomes a distant memory.
How and when this shift actually happened really is a mystery as the transition from new to 'used goods' can happen in the blink of an eye.
The lonely island provides lots of time to reflect and think about what exactly has happened. This thinking can either continue to push the island further away, or the thinking can help change the direction of the current and shift the course entirely.
Being on the island isn't easy and it can be pretty lonely.
For all those island misfits, I salute you...
