Don’t Run, Walk … Six Steps to Getting Off on the Right Foot in Your New Job

You may have been hired for your energy, your “go get ‘em” attitude – those attributes so often associated with youth. But don’t be so anxious to make your mark or make a difference that you show your “age” or lack of experience. Your desire to dive in head-first as quickly as possible can result in a belly-flop, as opposed to the positive splash you were going after.

Whether you’re new to your career, new to leadership, or just new to an organization, don’t let your inner hasty, trigger-happy newbie sabotage your ability to be successful and make an impact!

Here are six ways to get off on the right foot…..without shooting yourself in the foot:

1. Observe before you act. Remember: patience is a virtue! Whether you’re taking over a team with momentum at its back, or one that can’t even get off the blocks, don’t let your immaturity or inexperience lead to rash decisions. Time is on your side. You can’t make smart decisions until you’ve learned the culture, dynamics, politics and power structure of your organization or team.

2. Build relationships. Set up face-to-face meetings. Be as present as possible. Meet your new boss, colleagues and direct reports. Introduce yourself. Ask plenty of questions. Take lots of notes. And, most importantly, listen! You’ll want to document what you hear are the needs of various parties. Never promise (how do you know you can deliver?). Just absorb and learn.

3. Do your homework. Dig into all resources about your organization, department and team. These include mission and vision statements, strategic plans, old financial statements and meeting minutes. Absorb and take in every bit of information that you can (appropriately) get your hands on. This equips you with context and background insight that might otherwise (and in some instances, still will) take you years to uncover.

4. Get “aligned.” You’ll be getting hit from all sides by people making their cases – wanting a “yes” from the new boss. Let them know you’re listening with effective communication. But also let them know how you operate – set expectations around your method and timeline.

5. Strategize. This is where you use all your stellar notes and observations to prioritize problems and forecast obstacles to goals. Prepare an action plan. Get input from external sources to validate assumptions and assess for alignment to organizational culture and goals.

6. Execute. You’ve prepared yourself well. Now you’re ready to deploy the steps outlined in the action plan. Get out there and dig in, making sure to revisit each of the previous steps frequently to keep yourself on track.

As you can see, this is no naïve young leader ready to take on the world. This six-step plan showcases the savvy, thoughtful leader you already are, not the one you will be. If you don’t get out of the gate smoothly, you may not get another chance at the gate again.

How about YOU? What methods have you used to successfully establish yourself in a new role?