Have you obtained a new management position in the last few months? If so, have you followed the key steps in order to be successful in a new position, quickly? Many organizations have onboarding programs to understand the organization, processes, etc. That’s great!
Whether your organization has an onboarding program or not, are you doing these crucial steps?
Here are the steps to success in a new position
#1: Follow the 1-1-1 Rule
1: First day
Your goal for the first day is to identify the tools, the means of communication and the key people. Ideally, you’ll have talked to your boss and a few colleagues or team members.
If you’re starting a remote role, make sure you know when you’ll see your immediate manager and the team in person.
To be successful : show yourself in your best light: smile + curiosity.
Avoid : Constantly telling everyone about your background or experience to establish your credibility. It is not at stake! It is up to you to integrate into the organization and understand the reality of it. 😉 Answer questions briefly, and be a good listener.
Listening is your best ally to be successful!
1: First week
Your goal will be to understand who you will need to interact with in your position. This means understanding your boss’s expectations of your position.
In an organization, no matter what your position, you won’t succeed alone. People are part of the formal or informal structure and have information or experience that can really contribute to your success in terms of integration and understanding of the main issues related to your position.
To be successful : set aside a 30-minute time slot for each person who, in 6 months’ time, will be able to contribute in one way or another to your integration into the organization and your goals, not to mention with the people in your team.
Here are some questions you might ask when interviewing people on your team:
- What is their role?
- What do they like most about the team?
- What would they change?
- What can you do for them?
BONUS TIP! I would ask my immediate supervisor these same questions! You owe it to yourself to understand everyone’s expectations of your role.
When interviewing people outside of your team, you might ask questions like:
- To find out the person’s perimeter
- I’m curious about what your team is doing? How many of you are there? And you, what is your role exactly?
- To understand service and process interactions
- How do our teams interact with each other?
Here, adapt according to your reality. The idea is to ask functional questions.
- To set expectations for the relationship
- In the relationship we will have together, what would need to be put in place?
- What is going well at the moment?
To avoid : falling directly into operations, focusing only on your role and your team rather than seizing the opportunity to fully understand the important issues and facilitate your priority management.
1: First month
You arrive in this new organization, or maybe in the same organization, but in a new position. Your first month should be dedicated to understanding expectations, the people around you, and priorities.
Some procedures and processes are also important, but as a manager, you have a relationship role, so spend your 1st month meeting people and grasping the context.
To be successful : manage your time well, so that you meet as many people as possible.
To avoid : imposing your way of seeing things or taking up all the space in interviews. At this point, your role is to listen and understand.
To be successful, you have to understand the organization first. Then, you’ll take your key strengths, talents, and skills and use them to be successful in the position.
The important thing to remember for the 1-1-1 rule
Avoid copying and pasting your past. Logic? Yes, but not always applied.
Imagine I’m your new CIO. For my part, I have a recipe for success. That’s why you hired me! I arrive in your organization, I apply it as it is. Will it work? We don’t know, but the chances are slim!
If I don’t understand my environment and context first, how can I make sure I’m using my background appropriately?
The notion of priority is important. In this article, I explain the 5 essential criteria for determining priorities. This could inspire some great questions to ask your interlocutors!
#2: Score the 1-3-6-9-12
Most organizations have an annual performance evaluation system, and increasingly semi-annually.
As a manager, I invite you to manage your own performance proactively rather than waiting for the process. In addition, at the management level, performance evaluations are often delayed… 😉
So, the invitation here to be successful is to make sure:
👉 Have clear goals from your immediate manager for months 1-3-6-9 and 12.
I invite you to ask questions like:
- After my first month here, what do you expect
- I am able to do so?
- Am I in control?
- Have I started?
- What kind of results would you like?
And, proactively, you’re going to put that in your tracking file for your 1:1 encounters. If your immediate supervisor doesn’t set up a 1:1 meeting, ask for one. At the beginning of each week, then maybe every 2-3-4 weeks after that. You be the judge!
Then, at the end of the period, you present the results, and you ask for feedback. Then you make an agreement for the next period.
If, during the period, you realize that this is unattainable, it will be easy to adjust in your 1:1 encounter.
Trust me, if you are that proactive, you will be successful quickly in your new position.
You may be slowed down a little or surprised. It doesn’t have to be formal, but it can very well be done in the informal sector.
There’s nothing worse than being told after a year that you haven’t been working on the right things!
#3: Maintain
All of these efforts must be sustained for long-term success. That is to say, you must maintain relationships with colleagues, with the team, and with your immediate superior.
This means continuing to understand the issues and using what you have been offered this position for to address them!
As a manager, it’s up to you to manage this process proactively. You are a leader and not a person who has to wait to be told what to do, right?
Go get the information, make your place.
In conclusion
In order to be successful in a new position, you need to make sure you take care of the relationship and performance side of your role. Most managers I’ve known, who fell into operations quickly, and almost didn’t have time to connect with their teams, let alone their colleagues and customers, knew this very well. And, a year later, they felt uncomfortable doing this process.
Even if it’s never too late, I can understand that there are times when you have to seize opportunities. Your first 3 months are crucial in order to meet people, understand the workings of the organization and anticipate how your contribution can make a difference.
Several online self-training courses could help you integrate a new position:
- Manage and Lead, to review how you view your management rolei as well as better understand the impact of your leadership style.
- Be agile, so you have the tools to adapt.
- Increase your energy and manage your time better, because a new position can be energy-intensive!
- Develop your courage and ability to delegate. The latter addresses the notion of organizational priorities.
- Finally, the workshop-conference ” Minimizing stress at work ” so that you can have a positive impact on your teams’ stress (and yours!)
And then, there is always management coaching to propel your success!
Don’t wait any longer, and be proactive today to be successful quickly in your new position!