1. Build relationships with stakeholders

2. Do what you say, say what you’ll do

3. Seek to Understand

4. Learn, learn, learn

Now it’s time to create a game plan for your first four months on the job. Honestly, four months is not a lot of time, but it is the crucial time to get to know others, and for them to form their impressions about you that may be long-lasting.

You want to set yourself up for long-term success and create some early wins that are noticeable: tangible, small goals that showcase your abilities and demonstrate alignment between yourself, your team and the culture of the organisation. These four steps will help you build both your credibility and visibility with your employer:-

You would normally be introduced to stakeholders and team members by your manager, however not every organisation has a clear-cut onboarding process. Be prepared to promote and introduce yourself and what you do within the organisation.

That means – yes, the dreaded – networking! You need to be proactive in finding opportunities to build relationships with your manager, colleages and teams in the early stages of your new role. A critical step in getting the best out of your team, is understanding what is important to, and motivates them. You also need to understand their contributions and what you can expect from them. This requires conversations. 

Ask questions and learn from others. As you listen more, the more likely your colleagues will open up and provide suggestions or tips on how to perform well in your role, in addition to important business insights that will help you succeed. Without a solid understanding of who you are working with and mutual respect, finding success will be difficult. Of course, avoid ego, self-promoting and politics. Be authentic and interested.

You know – be trustworthy! In the first four months, it is crucial to build trust with your team. Show that you can be relied on and trusted by doing what you say you will do, and saying what you will do. This builds credibility and sends the right message about the standards you work to and that you take personal responsibility for your own work and results. Show your team that you ‘own’ your role and are invested in succeeding together.

In the first four months, you will be discovering more about the culture of your employer, the personalities involved, their idiosyncrasies and methods that deliver success to that employer. Be mindful of making negative assessments too soon and take time to understand your environment before making changes.

Keep in mind that the methods or projects may have been inspired by a key stakeholder, so investigate carefully. Seek to understand first, get to know more about the business and why things are they way they are. Be open to adapting to new ways of doing things and plan changes you want to make in the future carefully. 

A business consultant we know learned a valuable lesson from a tea lady that redefined the recruitment criteria for that company that geared them up for phenomenal success. No matter how experienced or qualified you are, there is always ore to learn when starting a new job. It is natural to want to go in with your best foot forward and show people you know your stuff, it is equally important to soak up all the knowledge available to you and learn as much as you can about the business, and the people in the business.

Talk to your colleagues, talk to different departments, talk to different people and look for opportunities to learn from others who are willing to share their wisdom and help steer you on the right path to success.

• Strong relationships with stakeholders;

• Be able to report a number of small wins;

• A clear idea of the environment, culture and personalities around you;

• An idea of your team structure, its goals, and what changes you’d like to make in the coming months.

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