So you’ve landed that great position. Congratulations! Now the real work begins. You are expected to
understand your new environment. You are expected be successful in your new
job. And, you have a plan.
Throughout the interview process, you have evaluated the employer's
situation (not just its strategy and performance) to understand what to expect if you join the company. You will have
done as much up-front homework on the company as you could! You would have identified challenges to
overcome. You would know where the
company is in its lifecycle and the characteristics of that stage. You would learn as much as you could about
its culture. You would have paid special attention to the signals. What is important around here? You would have explored the company
mythology; who are the heroes? Does
the company have an annual rewards and recognition program? What are the award categories? Who have been recent
recipients? What was the genesis of the program?
You will know that an established,
Fortune 500, Blue Chip company will likely be much more structured with rigid
lines of communications. A turnaround
or a start-up presents its own set of predictable circumstances. A company experiencing rapid growth will be
more exciting, and fast-paced. Your background and experience are likely to
match the environment you are joining.
You probably joined a startup or a
turnaround. In these situations the
culture is less clear, it may be forming or transforming. You remember the four stages of
team-building? The forming–storming–norming–performing model of group
development
first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965.
As we become more senior in our skills
and experience, we are given credit for “knowing”…In fact, a standard interview
question is "what will you do in the first 30, 60, 90, days after you join
the company?" Or, where do you
think you want to take this department? The
requirements of your position notwithstanding
the employment agreement and any other hiring information you received are
nebulous. Large companies now
have virtual self-help HR representatives…” if
you have any questions, please call 1.800.HELP.ME” and they will give you the
standard company information. As a senior manager joining the company, you are expected to know the inner
workings (i.e., reporting systems) of the company when you first walk in the
door. The larger the company, especially
if you are publicly-traded, the more siloed the departments. Keep in mind, they ain’t talking to each other
for the most part, as they are busy protecting their fiefdoms. The culture (it’s like learning a foreign
language without a Rosetta Stone). The hierarchical structure can make or break
you in the first 90-120 days because you never get a second chance to make a
first impression. Do you report to
someone local? If so, that is hugely
useful. If not, you are subject to fragmented
detail that can affect your success and outcome.
You need to have an advocate in your
corner. Very important! Create a local network of management
personnel who can help you as needed. You may be on-boarded by “locals” who do not
report to your hiring manager. If your
hiring manager does not have a close relationship with these on-boarders, you
may not receive credit for your contributions to the company. Are they ready for you? E.g., if you are in a business development
role, do they have a list of prospects they want you to pursue. If you have to create your own list from scratch, there go
your first 90 days of hitting the ground running. Are you a leader? For your team? Do you have skills to unite a group of people
with competing egos? If not, take
advantage of any internal training offered by the company or seek outside
training. Be very clear about WHY “you” do what you do! You will need to be able to defend that every
day in many ways.
Clients buy WHY you do what you do not
WHAT you do. Regardless of the
onboarding afforded you, always keep the
image of how you want to be seen in the forefront of your mind. It will help you to create your own personal
brand that will help you in the future to
be known as a “_________________.” Leadership will brand you. Make sure you are the best original you can
be, not a cheap imitation
Remember, the successful integration
into the new company is your responsibility.
You must take the initiative, even
if your new employer has a structured onboarding program. You must know the pitfalls of starting a new
job. You have experience and a body of knowledge
to guide you. At this stage of
your career, you should be able to
anticipate when problems may occur. Build
your network. Keep a diary. Evaluate
your progress and make adjustments as necessary. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Be inquisitive.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim
Weber, President
New
Century Dynamics Executive Search
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment