Coming in for a Landing
I just returned from a weekend in Ohio to meet my 10-week old niece. She is very cute and surprisingly portable and well behaved (which I attribute to my super-chill sister-in-law). While I went into the weekend worried about making time to study for my coaching final later this week, I actually ended up with several opportunities to “flex my coaching muscles”. My brother is in the process of grooming himself to be promoted into a managerial role at his organization in the next six to eight months. My best friend is transitioning into an interim role (but hopefully permanent eventually) where she will go from supervising herself to supervising a team of forty. My mom is retiring in a week after 30 some-odd years of teaching elementary school students, so I led her in a coaching exercise to help her focus her free time on something other than the Dr. Oz show. Needless to say, it was an eventful weekend!
My coaching professor, Dr. Robert Barner, and Michael Watkins, the author of The First 90 Days, describe transitional coaching as helping one’s client to “land well” in his or her new position, ideally within the first 90 days, or sooner. I will leave you with a few short tips I shared with my family and friends this weekend about transitioning into new roles so I can hit the books!
MOST COMMON MISTAKES MADE BY TRANSITIONAL MANAGERS
ACTING Before Learning
Have you ever had a boss who came in ready to shake things up before he or she learned the lay of the land? I’m sure we all have. Taking the time to learn the environment and culture of a new organization or department within one’s current organization is critical to making the right decisions and making what Watkin’s refers to as “small wins”. You don’t have to turn the Titanic in your first week of work to prove your worth. More often than not, your colleagues will respect you for inquiring about “how things are done around here” before trying to implement changes. They are likely to be much more supportive of your small wins along your path toward making more sweeping ch relationshipanges.
Not Building RELATIONSHIPS
My coaching professor used the analogy of a bank account to elaborate on this potential pitfall. He regaled a story about making “deposits into the trust accounts” all of the administrative assistants at one of his former employers shortly after his start date by bringing flowers to each of them and engaging in casual conversation upon each personal floral delivery. As such, when he needed help with administrative tasks several weeks later, they were all too eager to assist him. Not only does making time to build relationships with your colleagues yield benefits when you need to produce a deliverable, but it can be especially useful when information is circulating around the office. Wouldn’t you want to increase your likelihood of “being in the know?”
Not Clarifying Management’s EXPECTATIONS
Even if your organization spells out your job duties and responsibilities on a legal document you sign in your own blood (sorry, that was kind of gross), there is still room for gray area as far as what your boss expects from you. Watkins recommends five conversations (which can be combined) to engage in with your new boss.
- Situational Diagnosis – to understand how your new boss views the situation
- Expectations – where you seek to understand and negotiate expectations
- Style – determine how you two will communicate
- Resources – what do you need to be successful?
- Personal Development – How you will overcome gaps in your current and future skill set
Not letting go of OLD job
I was sharing some of these tips with my husband while we were hiding from tornadoes in our stairwell this week when he astutely quoted executive coach and author, Marshall Goldsmith by stating, “ What Got You Here Won't Get You There”. It can be helpful to split a piece of paper to note the key differences between your previous organization versus your current one, e.g. how success is measured, how the team is structured, and/or how decisions are made. You will save yourself time and frustration later on by noting these differences and saying adios to the old regime.
Trashing the PAST
I once collaborated with a new manager on a project whose frequent and obvious looks of disapproval made her inherited team members feel as though everything she touched would turn to stone. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the point here is that denigrating the past will not win friends and influence people (at least not in a positive way). According to Watkins, it is far better to quietly observe, ask pointed questions, and assess behavior and results instead of “openly criticizing the people who led the organization before you arrived.”
I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here
I had the opportunity to go to lunch with two recent college graduates over the holiday break. Both grads started full-time jobs several months ago, so I turned our lunch dates into investigative reports on life on the job, or rather life on a new job. As luck would have it, their high hopes of moving up in the world did not equate to an all expense-paid trip to a Manhattan mansion like it did for Annie. While I was at it, I also asked my network of contacts about lessons they learned within their first few months in a new job. Not surprisingly, the lessons were similar between campus and experienced hires. Perhaps we have short–term memories. Since the New Year is a time for new jobs, I felt that this was an appropriate time to help you remember a few key lessons when embarking a new vocational journey. I hope you find them helpful now or that you file them away for the future. Happy New Year!
Put on a Happy Face
One of the partners I used to recruit for once told a group of new hires, “whatever you’re asked to do or whatever you take the initiative to do on the job – do it well. Whether it’s hole punching or performing SOX (Sarbanes Oxley) testing [important auditor work], give it your all.” We are quick to forget that it takes a lot of time and effort to train someone. If you begin new employment or take on a new role during a busy time of year, you may be asked to take on menial tasks just so that you can be an extra set of hands until someone has time to sit down and show you the ropes. Instead of getting frustrated that your boss or your team haven’t laid out a robust training schedule for you, put on a happy face and do what needs to be done. If you work for good people they will be most appreciative and hopefully eager to show you the ropes as soon as they are “out of the weeds.”
Keep Your Ears Open and Your Lips Sealed 
I used to get so annoyed when my parents would make comments like “You think you know everything at eighteen.” I’ll never give them the satisfaction of acknowledging that I now see some truth in this accusation, but the same idea applies when you’re the new kid on the block at work. It’s better to do more listening than talking. I used to be quick to offer ideas and suggest process improvements when starting a new job. I’ve since learned that a.) I don’t know everything and b.) it is better to first spend time establishing rapport with new colleagues before trying to suggest sweeping changes. Even though your new colleagues may seem set in their ways and it probably frustrates you to no end, there may be a very good reason for why they do the things they do. Give them the benefit of the doubt before getting on their cases. It’s not easy to do, but you will garner their respect and be able to institute more drastic change in the long run.
Solicit Your Own Feedback
Jessica, one of the recent grads I lunched with, shared that she is struggling with not knowing her manager’s perception of her performance. You can probably guess what I asked her when she shared her thoughts with me…”Did you ask her for feedback on your performance?” Jessica replied, “Well, no. Shouldn’t she be giving me positive and constructive feedback on a regular basis?” Ah, spoken like a true millennial. I thought about Jessica’s comments this weekend when I was greeted by my mother-in-law’s Shih-Tzuh. Lap dogs crave positive feedback for every little milestone. If you manage millennials, first remove the image of a small fluffy dog from your mind and then try to remember that they need both positive and constructive feedback often and on a timely basis. I advised Jessica to ask her supervisor if they can block time on their calendars each week to discuss Jessica’s performance and to “check in.” I’ll get back to you on how things turn out with Jessica and her meeting request.
Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
In any new situation, work included, it is better to play your cards close to your vest. For those of us who are risk averse and know nothing of card games, I mean that you should reveal few opinions of others until you take the time to get to know who your real friends are at work. Roommate Blunder: I had one suitemate my freshman year of college, April, who was a real princess (I mean A LOT worse than me). I made the mistake of making one ambiguous comment about her to another suite of girls, one of whom (unbeknownst to me) was in all of the same classes as April. Well, you can see where this is going. April approached me, “gangsta style” and that was the last time I EVER opened my mouth about a colleague, roommate, or student organization member (okay, with the exception of that accidental email I forwarded my sophomore year). I was lucky. I learned this lesson early in my adult life and fortunately April transferred to another university after our first quarter – whew!
Another recent grad I lunched with, Greg, wasn’t so lucky. He started working for a professional services firm several months ago. One of his supervisors was a nightmare. He made the mistake of telling another supervisor about supervisor #1’s controlling behavior. Wouldn’t you know it…the day he got back on supervisor #1’s job she monitored him even more – checking his computer every hour or so to make sure he wasn’t on the internet or using his company’s instant messaging tool, even though he was giving her advice on how to complete her work in the next breath. I advised Greg to seek out contacts outside his company until he determined whom he could really trust. Then, I suggested he befriend his HR contact (and fast) to get off that job as soon as possible. I would advise you to do the same (the keeping your mouth shut part), regardless of the situation.