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A New Start – Making Progress not Waves

We are often asked for advice on settling into a new role. Usually this centres around what is the company like, what do they expect and what will impress? Whilst we are able to assist with these specifics based on our relationship with our client there is one overriding piece of advice we can give to just about every new starter – Shut up and Listen!

There is no doubt that everyone feels the pressure to be seen to be making a difference or to impress. At a senior level there has been a fad of the “first 100 days” where managers or directors immediately set out what they are going to achieve or change in their first 100 days. Often they want to be seen as the dynamic “new broom” or “saviour” charging in to rescue or improve the business. At middle and junior level new starters are often keen to impress and immediately start regaling everyone with how they did things in their previous company. A step back and some rational thought would dictate that a more measured approach would be better in most cases.

Even at a senior board level the savvy manager or director will tell you, the important thing when joining a new organisation is to gain a thorough understanding of the business and it’s informal as well as formal systems and networks.

So what is the right course of action?

Clearly at different levels and at different stages of your career a different approach is required; even then, the particular circumstances of your recruitment, e.g. why the position is available, will have an impact.

Firstly, looking at recent graduates starting out in their career, there are inevitably some stereotypes you should be aware of - and avoid conforming to. Whilst many businesses look forward to the fresh, bright minds of recent graduates many of their new colleagues have plenty of complaints. The comments we here from clients include:

They think they know it all

They think the world owes them a living

They are Lazy

Poor timekeeping / attendance

They say “I didn’t study for 3 years to do dumb stuff like this!”

Of course these don’t apply to all or probably even the majority of graduates but the bottom line is that some really need a reality check. The harsh facts of life are:

Virtually every job has a large chunk of boring stuff

It’s a “dog eat dog” world and if you don’t want to do it someone else will.

Its NOT an ideal world

No-one has unlimited resource

Companies DO have conflicting priorities

Customers ARE’NT reasonable

Politics and inter-personal skills play a huge part in getting things done

So realistically no matter how talented you are you have to take some rough with the smooth and you will need to gain some respect and credibility before you will be able to change things. Key approaches to this include asking questions, learning the “why’s” as well as the “how’s”, being enthusiastic and not arrogant or a smart alec. Of course you will want to monitor your own performance so ask for clear targets and objectives so you can plan your approach and review your progress.

Climbing the career ladder

In subsequent roles through your career, being the new starter there are still many, albeit different, pitfalls to avoid. It is an inescapable fact that different organisations, even within the same market sector, will have different working practices, the exact scope of roles and responsibilities will vary and they often even use different terminology and jargon.

As you progress through your career, the pressures on you change as do the levels of expectation from both colleagues and employers. Many people are cautious of this expectation and feel nervous or embarrassed about asking questions; perhaps feeling people will think these are things they should know. However very often what you really want and should be asking is not “how to do X” but “how to do X here”. The difference is important and it shows a respect for the established systems and practices.

One of the most often heard complaints amongst colleagues and managers of new starters is that they constantly say “when I was at such and such we did X”. The general feeling, even if not vocalised, is “well you are not at such and such now so shut up about it!” It’s a dilemma. The experience of other situations and organisations may well be the reason why the new recruit was hired; so if they take the time to understand their new situation and how their experience is applicable there is no doubt it will be better received.

The questions, however, should not stop there. In order to make a real success of integrating into your new role the first point, which is so obvious it often isn’t considered, is to establish exactly what is expected. Re-check your job specification, if you have one, and fully consider the tasks, role and responsibilities, establish what performance criteria you will be measured against and what induction and training is available to you to make sure you are able to achieve your objectives.

In the early stages we would advise managers to have frequent reviews with new recruits to monitor performance, address any issues and offer guidance. As a new recruit, if you have not been offered such a review, ask for one. These don’t have to be full scale appraisals; more a quick discussion of progress. We would suggest these at the end of each week for a month or so and then perhaps monthly depending on the situation.

This is also an excellent relationship building opportunity for both the new recruit and the manager. Like it or not, much of the management process is informal. Of course there are formal communications, but in the very best teams you see team members able to make decisions and use their initiative to deal with difficult situations, because they have an understanding of what their manager wants and expects. Weekly reviews which may seem contrived at the outset soon develop as a dialogue of developing deeper understanding.

Armed with the knowledge of what is expected / required you can and should focus on achieving these objectives.

Tough at the top

Many senior recruits feel there is such a level of expectation on them, that they must immediately make their mark. However the packaging industry is littered with examples of new senior managers or even chief executives who have quickly taken decisive action to make changes that have had disastrous results. Invariably these choices were made for good reasons; often a streamlining of a process or a reduction in cost. In many cases these were absolutely good for the business from an operational or financial perspective but so incensed customers that the savings were wiped out by the lost sales.

So again, even in situations where a new manager or director has been brought in to turn around a struggling business and there seems to be a lot of pressure to take decisive action straight away, the wise manager considers all of the implications and consults widely. Of course unpopular decisions have to be taken and sometimes they have to be kept confidential, but research and understanding will always be the foundation of good decisions.

Communication as always is key. Listen first then speak. New senior mangers who blunder into silly mistakes, because they didn’t fully appreciate the implications of their decisions, can take a long time to re-gain credibility with their staff.

Good careers don’t just happen

It’s a truism. Not matter how some people seem to get lucky, land on their feet or lead a charmed life it doesn’t just happen. There’s a phrase which goes something like “people say I’m lucky. Funny thing is, the harder I work the luckier I get” and it applies to careers as much to anything else. Listen, establish what is expected of you, evaluate your own knowledge and experience, determine what you need to learn to achieve your objectives, put it in place steps to gain the required knowledge, apply your knowledge to the task at hand and constantly review your performance. Finally remember work is a social interaction, its all about getting things done through people, understand you role in that and optimise it for success.