When you start a new job or join a new company you will experience what I am calling temporary incompetence. You will have to learn quickly so that you can start doing well what’s expected of you. Here are some things to do early on.
MEET YOUR MANAGER: Your manager may schedule a meeting in which case you should take full advantage of it. Don’t be timid; find out the responsibilities of the job, expected standards, how she or he would like you to communicate with them and keep them informed of progress. Don’t panic at the sound of anything that seems difficult or overwhelming. You’ll find out soon enough where to get help.
KNOW WHO IS WHO: Find out all the key players; and note that not all will necessarily be just the big title holders. Know who are the gatekeepers, the informal leaders, the influencers and the ‘go-to’ people; all those from whom you can get a quick overview of how the organisation works, people who will prove helpful over the long haul. Find out which roles in the organogram interact with yours; understand these functions and how you can work well together. If your job includes working with external partners, find out who the top 10 contacts are and go meet them.
OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE: Listen to what people have to say in order to gain some insight into your new environment but observe yourself and form your own opinions. What are the problems, the issues, what’s celebrated, how do the politics play out?. Ask questions, and yes, including the ones you think are silly. Resist the edge to join any cliques or to be too opinionated in what you have to say.
MAKE FEEDBACK YOUR FRIEND: Seek feedback on what you do especially on how you can you can improve the tasks you are given. Let colleagues know that you want to learn and are very open to their comments. Use your ‘honeymoon’ period, usually the first 3-6 months (depending on the organisation) when you are allowed to make loads of mistakes, to adjust and keep getting better.
Now take action: How can you respond better when you don’t know what to do?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Get on the radar of decision makers
The common assumption is that if you do your job well, you will get opportunities for advancement. However, in addition to good performance you need to show that you have the mind-set and maturity to move higher by doing the following;
SEE THINGS HALF FULL: When faced with problems or difficult situations, look for what’s working rather than what’s not. Do not overstate what’s not working. This does not mean that you deny the reality of what is happening but rather that you choose to be optimistic by maintaining a positive outlook on issues.
GO BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION : Go beyond your prescribed role to see where you can contribute more by applying other skills you might have or contributing your energies to other organisational projects. Stay aligned with how your organization is evolving so that you can adapt accordingly and remain relevant. Also familiarize yourself with how decisions are made and priorities decided so that you are in a position to prepare to take advantage of potential opportunities.
MOVE THINGS CONSISTENTLY FORWARD: Determine to break out of any ruts and not to allow any difficult situations to remain unresolved. Bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Demonstrate that you can adjust to change, work through challenging times and make your voice heard. Acknowledge even little steps of progress. Take some positive risks to make your workplace a better environment.
DON’T WEAR YOUR FRUSTRATIONS ON YOUR SLEEVE: Be level-headed; increase your self-awareness and reflect on your own behaviour especially how you react when you feel pushed outside your ‘preference or comfort zone’. When people sense that you are too emotional or panic easily they may not take you seriously. Make sure your actions are worthy of the business setting.
BE A THINKER AND A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS: Show that you are fully invested in the organization and its future; that you are capable of leading and inspiring new perspectives in others, challenging processes that no longer work and can be counted on to do important work well and promptly.
Now take action: Make a plan for developing the above ‘competencies’.
SEE THINGS HALF FULL: When faced with problems or difficult situations, look for what’s working rather than what’s not. Do not overstate what’s not working. This does not mean that you deny the reality of what is happening but rather that you choose to be optimistic by maintaining a positive outlook on issues.
GO BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION : Go beyond your prescribed role to see where you can contribute more by applying other skills you might have or contributing your energies to other organisational projects. Stay aligned with how your organization is evolving so that you can adapt accordingly and remain relevant. Also familiarize yourself with how decisions are made and priorities decided so that you are in a position to prepare to take advantage of potential opportunities.
MOVE THINGS CONSISTENTLY FORWARD: Determine to break out of any ruts and not to allow any difficult situations to remain unresolved. Bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Demonstrate that you can adjust to change, work through challenging times and make your voice heard. Acknowledge even little steps of progress. Take some positive risks to make your workplace a better environment.
DON’T WEAR YOUR FRUSTRATIONS ON YOUR SLEEVE: Be level-headed; increase your self-awareness and reflect on your own behaviour especially how you react when you feel pushed outside your ‘preference or comfort zone’. When people sense that you are too emotional or panic easily they may not take you seriously. Make sure your actions are worthy of the business setting.
BE A THINKER AND A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS: Show that you are fully invested in the organization and its future; that you are capable of leading and inspiring new perspectives in others, challenging processes that no longer work and can be counted on to do important work well and promptly.
Now take action: Make a plan for developing the above ‘competencies’.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Shake off boredom on the job
It’s not uncommon to experience spells of boredom on your job; but staying bored could undermine your career. Working to get out of a ‘boredom rut’ is worth the effort; because it helps you avoid the ‘routineness’ that undermines growth.
Here are some suggestions for overcoming boredom.
ACT SWIFTLY: When you are bored you cannot afford to stay put otherwise your mind will ‘shut down’ or go into ‘recession. This will obviously not bode well for remaining relevant in your organisation or marketable in the job market. Avoid staying in the same job for too long especially where you are doing the same thing.
LOOK FOR NEW RESPONSIBILITY: Find assignments that will push you to become more alert, to apply your skills in different ways and most importantly to get new mental stimulation and new tasks that will shift you out of your old mindsets. You may even consider revising your daily schedule so as to suit your energy levels to how taxing the tasks are.
WORK WITH PEOPLE UNLIKE YOU: This may feel uncomfortable but it’s a good way to challenge your thinking, to learn from how others think. Go out of your way to interact with people very different from you in outlook, in skills-sets, in interests. This is likely to give you new perspectives and enable you interact in ways that stretch you.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW: Learning a new skill for example is always an excellent use of time and effort. The learning opportunities available may not be what you are interested in or be directly related to your job; but go for it anyway because getting out of the stagnation is the more important thing.
CHANGE JOBS: Where there’s little scope to try new things in your job, it may be time to explore opportunities for another job within the organization or failing that in another company. The longer you stay stuck in a rut, the more difficult it’ll be to get out and the more challenging it’ll be to deliver what is expected of you or advance.
Now take action: Identify two ways for staying ‘fresh’ on your job?
Here are some suggestions for overcoming boredom.
ACT SWIFTLY: When you are bored you cannot afford to stay put otherwise your mind will ‘shut down’ or go into ‘recession. This will obviously not bode well for remaining relevant in your organisation or marketable in the job market. Avoid staying in the same job for too long especially where you are doing the same thing.
LOOK FOR NEW RESPONSIBILITY: Find assignments that will push you to become more alert, to apply your skills in different ways and most importantly to get new mental stimulation and new tasks that will shift you out of your old mindsets. You may even consider revising your daily schedule so as to suit your energy levels to how taxing the tasks are.
WORK WITH PEOPLE UNLIKE YOU: This may feel uncomfortable but it’s a good way to challenge your thinking, to learn from how others think. Go out of your way to interact with people very different from you in outlook, in skills-sets, in interests. This is likely to give you new perspectives and enable you interact in ways that stretch you.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW: Learning a new skill for example is always an excellent use of time and effort. The learning opportunities available may not be what you are interested in or be directly related to your job; but go for it anyway because getting out of the stagnation is the more important thing.
CHANGE JOBS: Where there’s little scope to try new things in your job, it may be time to explore opportunities for another job within the organization or failing that in another company. The longer you stay stuck in a rut, the more difficult it’ll be to get out and the more challenging it’ll be to deliver what is expected of you or advance.
Now take action: Identify two ways for staying ‘fresh’ on your job?
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