Congratulations! You’ve landed your new Leadership role, you’ve got a whole new team of people to get to know, new stakeholders to work with and whole new levels of responsibilities and actions. Exciting times.
The stakes are high though. It can feel like everybody is watching you, waiting to see what you are like; are you capable, are you trustworthy, will you lead them or the function in the way they want it led? The pressure is on, and you will want to make the best first impression that you can. You’ve changed jobs before, so you know that the first 3 months are critical, in fact you’ll probably know in the first week if you have made the right decision. But you want that decision to be yours. So, how do you make sure you land perfectly in this new role?
It’s all about planning, listening and confidence
Being intentional in your career management, thinking about what you want to be known for, what quick wins you can make, who you need to align with and being clear about the measures you will have for success in your first 3 months (or 100 days) will pay dividends for you. From the day the job offer comes through you need to be preparing and planning to achieve your goals.
Begin with the end in mind
Take the time to figure out where you want to be in 12-18 months and work backwards. Are you seeing this role as a springboard to a Chief People Officer / Human Resources Director role? If so, work out what are the steps that you will need to take in the coming 100 days to put you on that path to success.
Use the information you have
Start with the job description and your notes from the interview process to make sure you really understand what is going to be expected of you. Which elements do you feel confident about and which do you need to learn? If you need to brush up on your coaching skills, your understanding of talent acquisition systems or get updated on employment law changes, now’s the time.
Go back to the research on the organisation you did ahead of the interview. Look at the other jobs that are advertised and how they might connect to the job you have.
Take the time to understand the size and shape of the organisation, its purpose and what employees are saying about it through review sites like ‘Glassdoor’.
Finally, look at the company’s competitors and suppliers. What do they do right? What can you learn about how the market operates? What are the main people challenges in this sector – engagement, EDI, reward, recruitment? What can you bring to those challenges?
Go back and ask more questions
If you hadn’t got the job, you’d be asking your interviewer for feedback, so don’t assume that “congratulations, we’d like to offer you the job” is feedback enough. Go back and ask why they chose you over the other candidates. It will help you understand what they specifically valued about your approach, and which of your strengths you can build on and showcase; to help them know they made the right decision.
Start building your network
Day one shouldn’t be your first contact with all of the people you are going to be working with.
Draw up a stakeholder list/map to understand who your closest connections will be, do you have any allies already, and who might the gatekeepers be? (Underestimate a PA at your peril!). Do some Linked-in stalking to work out who you already know and seek out your new peers within the organisation to introduce yourself before you start. This will give you some familiarity on your first day and show your colleagues you’re serious about success. If you get an opportunity for an informal meeting with your team or peers before you join, take it!
Some tips for building your network:
- Prepare an ‘elevator pitch’ or introductory sentence for yourself and your role and use it when you are introduced in the business.
- When you first meet someone new, remember it’s not about selling yourself, but demonstrating how you can help them, so have some open questions ready to use.
- When you get there, make notes about everyone you meet. Do they have family, pets, or hobbies you can use as touchpoints in informal conversation? Have they raised issues or problems that you could help solve?
- Be the sort of person you would like to work with. Be yourself and bring your personality but be ready to listen to the other person too. Don’t criticise, don’t get drawn into moaning about individuals or the way things are. And smile. Be a source of positivity.
- Be mindful that whilst people will be interested in where you used to work and what you used to do, it can become irritating if you keep telling people about your previous place and how different (or better) it was.
Keep checking back
The longer you’re in your new role, the easier it will be to lose sight of those goals you set yourself at the beginning, and as you become caught up in the new organisational culture it can be hard to remember what stood out as unique about the organisation when you were new. Keeping notes from before day one will help you remember how far you have come and how much you have learned. If you have managed to keep a reflective journal or diary notes about how it’s going, you will be able to see the progress you are making, how much you have learned, what impact you have had, and that can be a good confidence boost.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself
Taking on a new role can be a challenging time, especially if you are moving up a level or moving to a new sector. Make sure you have someone by your side to talk it all through with. This might be a friend, family member or former colleague, or you may choose to take a more strategic approach and engage a coach for this. It needs to be someone who can help you develop your personal brand, identify skills gaps and nurture your stakeholders.
A new job is an exciting time. It’s a clean slate and an opportunity to start afresh. Leave your previous job well. Do good handovers and maintain your reputation. You never know when you might meet your old colleagues again and you want people saying good things about you that bolster your wider reputation, ready for your next move!
Putting the planning in now will help you make the best start you can in your first 3 months. If you are interested in finding out how coaching with me can help you achieve the perfect landing in your new role, get in touch and we can arrange a conversation. Good Luck!