I’m a month into my role as a Leadership Coach with Dulead. It’s been a great start and has reminded me how important it is to get off to a good start. If you spend your first 30 days well it will propel you into the future. A slow or negative start can take months to recover from. What is important to do in your first 30 days at a new job?
- Learn your boss’s style. Make getting to know your boss one of your top priorities. Get to know them personally, but even more importantly understand their leadership style. Are they a big picture guy or do they like to dig into the details? Do they want daily updates, multiple updates per day, or will a weekly update suffice? Do they prefer email, phone calls, or to talk in person? Do they care more about when you punch-in and out the clock or that you just get your job done? What is the dress code they expect? These are just a few of the details you want to figure out about your boss as soon as possible. Many of these you get from observing your boss and how they interact with your coworkers, not peppering him/her with questions.
- Clarify your responsibilities. Shortly into your job, you’ll discover expectations and demands on you that may not fit with your original understanding of the role. These aren’t necessarily good or bad, but they need to be clarified. Are they your responsibility? Should you devote time to them? Or will they distract you from activities that your boss thinks are more important?
- Discover your boss’s priorities and pressures. Put yourself in your boss’s shoes. What is most important to your boss? What pressures are they facing? What are they being measured on? The more quickly you can discover these and help with them the better. If you make your boss’s priorities your priorities, then you will help them succeed. If you help your boss succeed, you will succeed. It’s a win-win!
- Build relationships with others. Get to know your team. I’ve made it a personal goal to have lunch or an in-depth 1:1 conversation with a different co-worker each week for the first two months. You never know the connections you’ll form, friends you’ll discover, or common interests you’ll have. This makes work more enjoyable and your team more effective.
- Ask for feedback. I asked Eric, my new boss, for feedback after two weeks and plan to again at six weeks. While I think I’m doing a good job, I want to make sure he thinks that. Is there anything I’m missing? Any disappointments or points of frustration? Anything else he’d like to see? I always want to be learning and growing. Feedback is a great way to make that happen!
- Pray for your work. As followers of Jesus, we should always be praying for those around us. However, sometimes we forget to pray for our work, especially if things are difficult or frustrating. Pray for your boss, coworkers, and the organization. Pray for why God has you there. Pray for yourself and opportunities to grow, develop, and make meaningful contributions.
Starting a new job can be overwhelming. Adjusting to a new culture, team, organization, and schedule can be a lot. However, it’s not good enough to just survive the first month, you want to thrive. By doing the above five things you’ll set yourself up for long-term success!
Question: As you’ve started new jobs, what have you learned is most important to do in the first month? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.