Starting a new job where you know nobody is a crash course in who you are without backup.

Walking into a place where nobody has a file on you removes every shortcut at once. No one is there to explain your jokes, no reputation does the first ten minutes of work for you, no friend stands beside you. Whatever you build gets built out of how you actually behave, which is uncomfortable and clarifying in equal measure. You find out which parts were yours and which belonged to the group.

If you start somewhere new, watch what you reach for in the first week. Notice who you become with no history in the room. That version is worth knowing.