Whether you are new in role within your current organization or new to the organization, it is important to get off to a strong start. In each situation, there are three steps you can employ to increase your likelihood of success.
First, you need to develop a 90 day plan. This plan should have 30 and 60 day milestones. The plan should include understanding the expectations of your role, determining its impact on key stakeholders and learning the culture of the environment.
Your first 90 days holds great opportunity to craft your role based on your strengths. Your approach to the role will vary in some ways from your predecessor. Therefore, it is important to leverage your unique abilities to meet and/or exceed expectations.
The content of your 90 day plan will vary by position and function. One constant factor is that you will have a supervisor. Your supervisor should align and have input on the plan. They can facilitate introductory meetings, and insure your are exposed to the right people and projects early in your tenure. This is critical if you are new to the organization.
Second, learn the culture of the organization. This may be obvious for someone new; it is not to be ignored when moving to a new role within your current organization.
Cultural fit is one of the most important determinants of success for leaders. Gaining an understanding the existing culture is a good first step. This will be helpful whether your role is to maintain or modify the culture.
Knowing the culture provides a solid basis for understanding how “work gets done”. This helps to know the people who are needed to get things done, and the pace of advancing projects. With this knowledge, your ability to “make things happen” is significantly improved.
Third, look for opportunities for “quick wins”. These are areas where you can address an issue, identify an opportunity or solve an existing problem. This will largely occur due to your experience and the reason you were selected to have this new role.
A quick win can help build momentum and positively reinforce the decision to place you in the role. It helps others to begin to appreciate you in your new role.
Net, as you move into a new role, strive to build on your success from prior roles. Begin by developing a 90 day plan, learn the existing culture and identify and execute “quick wins”.