for men are valued while they are new. Novelty pleases all because it is uncommon... a brand new mediocrity is thought more of than accustomed excellence... know that the glory of novelty is short-lived: after four days respect is gone. Accordingly, learn to utilise the first fruits of appreciation, and seize during the rapid passage of applause all that can be put to use...
Baltasar Gracián, 1647 (tr. Joseph Jacobs, 1892)
Newness is an asset that appreciates fast and depreciates faster. When you are new, in a role, a company, a field, you are valued simply for being new, because novelty is uncommon and pleasing, and a fresh face of only average ability is often esteemed above familiar excellence. But the glory is short-lived; the counsel puts it bluntly at four days, meaning the honeymoon closes quickly and appreciation cools into the taken-for-granted. The practical move is to recognise this window and use it deliberately: make your important introductions, launch your key initiatives, build your relationships and reputation while the novelty premium is still paying out, because once it is gone you compete on ordinary terms. Bank the goodwill of newness while it lasts, rather than discovering afterward that it was spending itself.
Practice
- Use the honeymoon deliberately; newness pays a premium that closes fast, so make your key moves while you are still valued for being new.
- Front-load the important introductions and initiatives; the first fruits of appreciation are the richest, and they do not last.
- Build reputation and relationships early; once the novelty cools you compete on ordinary terms, so bank the goodwill before then.
Use this when
- Use this in the first weeks of any new role or position; that window carries a goodwill premium you will not get again.
- Use it to time your visible contributions; the applause of novelty is brief, so put it to work rather than coasting on it.
Ignore this when
- Don't rely on novelty as a lasting asset; it fades in days, and accustomed excellence is what must carry you after (maxim 130 keeps showing real work).
- Don't over-promise in the honeymoon and under-deliver after; the premium buys attention, not a pass on substance.
A picture of it
Starting a new role, a manager understands that the goodwill she is met with has a short shelf life, and she spends it on purpose: making her key introductions, launching her signal initiative, and building the relationships that matter, all in the first weeks while being new is itself an asset. By the time the novelty cools a month later, she is no longer valued merely for being new, but the reputation and relationships she banked during the honeymoon carry her on ordinary terms. Had she coasted on the warm reception instead, assuming it was hers to keep, she would have found the premium gone with nothing built to replace it.
Newness is valued for about four days, then forgotten. Bank the goodwill of the honeymoon before it closes, or it spends itself for nothing.