The First 90 Days
First 100 Days
Set up 1 hour meetings with leadership to ask 5 questions (send them out ahead of time).
- What are the three most important things about ____ that we need to preserve and why?
- What are the three most important things to change and why?
- What are the three must things you are most hopeful that I do as ____?
- What are the things you are concerned as ____ that I might do?
- What advice do you have for me?
Feedback loop after the above is summarized:
Here is what I heard and what we are going to do about it.
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
by Michael D. Watkins (Author)
- Accelerate your learning - understand your organization's markets, products, technologies, systems and structures as well as its culture and politics.
- Match your strategy to the situation - different types of situations require you to make significant adjustments in how you plan for and execute
- Secure early wins - build your credibility and create momentum.
- Negotiate success - build productive working relationship with your manager - expectations, working style, communication style
- Achieve alignment - figure out the organization's strategic direction
- Build your team
- Create coalitions - success depends on your ability to influence people outside your direct line of control
- Keep your balance - avoid the risks of losing perspective
- Accelerate everyone - help all those in your organization to succeed
First 90 Days
- Assess the business case for your hire. You were hired for a reason. Is it to generate ideas? To train others? To add design or technical skills that were lacking? To deftly oversee client projects? Learning where you fit within the overall business strategy is something that may seem obvious but is often overlooked. Figure this out early.
- Show your work. After a rigorous interview process, it can feel like you described your skills and experiences ad nauseum, so now that you’re hired you can get work. The thing is, most people in the company don’t know who you are, why you were hired, or what specifically you bring to the table. Make sure your team knows your resume and has viewed your portfolio. It gives people around you context, a view into your style, and an idea of how you complement or challenge them.
- Learn the communication patterns. Cracking the code of company culture often comes down to simply learning how people communicate with one another. Does your boss expect you to keep her informed on the details, or come to her with only the big problems? Does your team need constant validation or complete autonomy? It is not only a matter of imposing your own communication preferences on the organization, but assimilating into the patterns that already exist.
- Establish expectations with your boss. According to Watkins, one of the keys to success in a new role is to secure early wins: “Early wins excite and energize people, build your credibility, and quickly create value for your organization.” But it is important to define what a win is in your boss’s eyes. What does she expect you to learn and accomplish? How quickly does she expect to see results? The more clarity you build around these issues, the easier your transition will be.
- Don’t try to do too much. You may feel the need to validate yourself by proving your creative genius. Instead, feel confident that you’re there, and at least initially, listen carefully rather than talk. Find ways to highlight the strengths of others. As for your own genius, there will be plenty of time for that.
First 90 Days
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/06/19/9-steps-to-acing-the-first-90-days-on-the-job-
1. Let your boss know you're open to constructive criticism. Not everyone is responsive to hearing negative things about their performance—this is why some employers might shy away from giving you consistent feedback, saving much of the negatives for your formal performance review. But why would you want to wait?
Let your boss know that you want constructive criticism. Laying this out will encourage her to give you valuable feedback. And if you find that there is an issue with your performance, you can work to improve before your official review comes around.
2. Manage expectations. Don't lie about your expertise. The problem with the whole fake-it-until-you-make-it technique is that you risk skipping fundamentals. For instance, if you lie about your level of expertise in Photoshop, then all the tasks you have to do involving this program are going to be harder than you can handle. Let your employer take your learning curve into consideration. Or else you'll run out of steam in no time.
3. Observe the company culture. A huge part of integrating into your new work environment is showing that you're a good cultural fit. Now since you got the job, chances are your employers saw something in you that matched their company culture. Prove them right. One way to do this is to use the same communication style as others in your office. For instance, do your co-workers use instant messaging more than email? Follow suit.
4. Ask these three important questions about your goals. There are three key questions you need to ask your boss upon being hired, says Barry Maher, owner of the management sales consulting firm Barry Maher & Associates:
What does he or she absolutely need you to do within the first 90 days?
What would he or she like you to do beyond that during the first 90 days?
What would he or she consider world-class performance during that period?
"Then do everything you can to meet that standard, keeping your boss appraised of your progress. And if you're falling behind, don't be afraid to ask the boss what he or she would advise you to do to get back on track," Maher says.
"Follow that plan," he adds, "and no matter what you finally do end up achieving, the boss is going to be impressed by your drive."
5. Update your new role on LinkedIn. Broadcasting your new role to your professional network shows your enthusiasm and commitment to the job. It's signaling to all other hiring managers and recruiters that you've been swept up.
6. Know your office logistics. Make a conscious effort to learn all the office basics to show that you're savvy and resourceful. Rather than pestering your cubicle neighbor about little things (like where the copy machine is), try and figure these things out yourself. Some basic key players to look out for:the HR department, the IT/help desk, and the company directory.
7. Always say yes to lunch. Eating alone during the first three months on the job means you're missing a huge opportunity on key networking moments. Lunch is a great opportunity to build trust with your colleagues and let them get to know you a little better.
8. Avoid gossip. You're too new to get involved with who did what at the last holiday office party. More importantly, who cares? Your first three months should focus on proving your expertise. While it's important to be congenial and engage in small talk (No. 7), exit when the topic starts getting a little too gossipy.
9. Show enthusiasm. In all the craziness of this big transition, remember to smile. Maher says that the biggest pitfall during the first 90 days for employees is they forget that the adjustment is never going to be completely seamless—there will be "periods when you're confused, lost, flustered, or discouraged," Maher says. "Or even all four."
That's OK. Your new colleagues will pay more attention to the way you handle these pitfalls rather than the pitfalls themselves.
Ritika Trikha is a writer for CareerBliss, an online career community dedicated to helping people find happiness in the workplace. Check out CareerBliss for millions of job listings, company reviews, salary information, and a free career happiness assessment.
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