Moving into a new position and starting a new job? Congratulations! Now that your job search is over, it will be smooth sailing from here on out, right?
We wish it was that easy, too. However, the daunting task of learning your new responsibilities, team, boss, division, and company is about to begin.
The challenge all people face when starting a new role is understanding how they will affect the company and how the company will affect them. There are steps any employee can take – from a millennial starting their first job to a C-suite executive taking over a new division – to better understand how they fit in the new landscape and integrate into their new role faster.
Use these 4 tips to get up and running in a flash.
1. Listen to everyone
When you are starting a new job – especially a leadership role – you need to do a lot of listening. Listening will help you build connections with your boss and team members. Listening will help you understand what changes need to be made.
Determine who the stakeholders are, schedule regular time with your boss, and take a genuine interest in your team members. And then listen. Ask them about the company’s biggest challenges, the office culture, and the decision-making process. Collect as much information as possible. When you know how to transform from advocacy to curiosity – meaning you advocate for yourself and your ideas less so you can listen and take an interest in others more – this will be a game changer for you.
Major changes may be necessary, but do an ample amount of listening before shaking things up.
2. Balance urgent matters with your day-to-day tasks
The tyranny of the urgent will threaten to hold you back in the beginning. This is a great example of when a career coach can benefit you during the integration period. An objective third-party will help you work on the business while remaining strategic to avoid drowning in urgent matters.
Identify key areas that need to remain in the forefront, no matter how derailing the urgent matters threaten to be. Create a clear plan to hold yourself accountable to the big-picture goals that have been established for you. When you know what you want to report back to your boss during your first evaluation, you’ll do a better job of keeping the day-to-day items rolling.
3. Go for a quick win
Ask yourself these questions when starting a new job:
- What wins matter most to your boss?
- Which top 5 priorities do you need to tackle?
- How will you maximize your team and resources to achieve them?
Write down your priorities and goals, paying attention to projects your boss cares about. Pick solutions that will yield visible results. Look for something early on that needs to be changed but perhaps leadership overlooked it. Recommend how you want to fix it and a plan for achieving it. This sends a message to your boss about the type of employee you are.
4. Prioritize relationships
Build relationships with those around you to drive engagement with your team and establish rapport with your boss. This is where point #1 really pays off. Listening is critical to establishing connections at your new office.
Regardless of your role, spend individual time with each member of your team the first few weeks. Ask them each similar questions: What are the biggest challenges the company is facing? What has been crucial to the team’s success in the past? What do you feel the company should prioritize?
A productive and positive relationship with your boss will lead to open communication throughout your tenure. Discuss challenges and opportunities with your manager. Ask probing questions about the scope of your role. And share a little about yourself to find common hobbies and interests between the both of you. The quicker you build relationships, the quicker you build trust.
New jobs are exciting and overwhelming. Be strategic about how you allocate your time and energy the first 100 days to make the biggest impact.
