A segment of my client pool is always after new jobs. Some land laterally because they want a change, others get a promotion, yet others want to go into a new area, and do not much care how that looks on their résumé. In any case when they land a new job I often get a call from them in about two or three months to check with me for my assessment of how they are doing in their new job and if they should have any cause for concern.
In all cases I listen to what they have to say first, and then ask them to look at the following 10 questions. After their review of these questions I reconnect with them (by phone or in-person) to go over their responses—orally. Their honest responses tell me much about their potential success in their new job.
Here are these 10 questions:
- What surprised you in your new job in the first few weeks (something that did not surface during the interview process)?
- What is going really well?
- What is going off track that needs immediate attention?
- What one thing can you do that will define your leadership in the next 3-6 months? (my note: This question applies to everyone, even an individual contributor!)
- Now that you know the place better, what is that you really want to be and do there?
- What are you doing well that is helping you get there?
- What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there?
- What will you do differently on your next day at work to change that?
- How and where can I help?
- Where do you need most help (even if I cannot provide that help)?
Depending on how my client responds to these questions, one at a time, I form an opinion of how well situated they are in the new job and what they need to do to improve their engagement, value, and their enjoyment in their new job. Once I hear their responses, I provide them with a success score (#/100) that tells them how well they are likely to do in their new job going forward. I also tell them what they can do to improve the score. This change that they need to make includes improving their job skills, their relationships with key stakeholders, and also their attitude in how they are engaged in their job, among other things. Once I have a good sense that the client is able to make these changes in their new job I ask them to stay on track with these changes and call me in a few months to check again if there is any change in any of the areas of interest.
In some cases the score is low to begin with and the client is less enthusiastic about turning things around, even during the early stages of their new job. When the follow-up call (about 4-6 months into their new job) does not show much progress in their scores, I tell them that they need to consider a change, either within their own company or outside. My view is that when you are not properly engaged in your job and you are not able to turn things around to make them better, it is time to move on to something different and better than to delude yourself with the hope that things will somehow change—as some clients often think. They rarely change on their own accord for one, and if there is a basic mismatch in the job, they do not, even with a major effort on the client’s part. So, when this happens it is best to cut your losses and to move on to other opportunities.
I hope that you look at your own job and ask some tough questions about how you are engaged in your job and decide if you’re better off making a change to improve your own situation.
Good luck!