My December 2 blog on the same topic dealt with the job-search aspect of one’s career missteps. In this installment I plan to deal with how one manages their career when in a new job and how to make the most to build your career based on that opportunity.
The following is a prescriptive outline of the actions one must consider to get good traction in their job and career. It is based on my own experience with thousands of clients and having iterated these practices in different situations. At the level they are presented here, they are generally useful after adapting them to your own specific context:
New Job:
Even as an assembly-line worker your new job should be treated as an opportunity to make a mark and get noticed for your potential. If you are an individual contributor you must use the first few weeks to assess the new environment and see what you need to do to espy how the place really ticks. How does the workflow occur; who are the real influencers; what is measured and what is rewarded; how can you get things done, etc. You must also make an assessment of your boss’s leadership style and how she prefers to stay on top of things.
Once you have sniffed this out while attending to your responsibilities and making good on them, you must create a 100-Day Plan of action that reaches out beyond what is expected of you in your job. This plan can include streamlining some process, correcting an off-track procedure, initiating a change to the test method, etc. Such a plan should be drafted and discussed with your boss within a month or so of your start date for getting your boss’s guidance and on how to execute that plan. Make adjustments based on this guidance and use this plan to set a benchmark for your Annual Review. When you do this you have already taken charge of your Annual Review right after you started your new job!
Relationships:
Too often most new employees focus on their tasks assigned to them and work hard to get them completed. In the first few weeks it is worthwhile to find some time to build relationships with people around you and identify where the centers of influence are. Make a special effort to build and nurture relationships, especially if you are in a responsible position (Lead, Manager, or above). In engineering/scientific jobs new employees often just focus on what is assigned to them and ignore the social side of their job. The social awareness comes from building your Emotional Intelligence (EQ). So, make an effort to socialize in an appropriate way and build your EQ as you grow into your new job; this is a great investment of your time and energy.
Building Your Brand:
Building your brand depends on how you focus on your value creation in your new job and how you measure your own contribution. Being conscious of what creates real value in your job (and this includes making your boss look good) is critical to how you are being perceived by those around you and those above you. So, do not just attack and complete what comes your way as a task, but critically evaluate if you are spending your time and energy adding real value to your job.
Acknowledging Others:
Regardless of your station in your new job, make an effort to notice when someone does something extraordinary, no matter where they are. Make an effort to publicly acknowledge their success or contribution in an email to their boss and send copies to senior people in their immediate ecosystem. Be sincere in your praise, authentic in your language, and specific about the work that impressed you. By acknowledging such work you are making yourself visible to higher ups and, more importantly, setting yourself up for getting people’s cooperation in what you may want to do in your own job. Most people yearn for such written and public compliments. They will even go out of their way to get such an acknowledgement from you by helping you out when you need it. Also, writing such notes takes little effort and it is FREE!
These are just some of the reminders that can help a career grow faster than otherwise possible. Although ignoring these suggestions would not be career missteps, heeding them would put you on a good track, with little additional effort!
Good luck!