Starting a new job can be exhilarating and stressful at the same time. You are excited to meet new people, take on new responsibilities, and grow. You also want to demonstrate to your new employer that they made the right choice by hiring you.
So, how do you put your best foot forward?
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about that impression is that how you do things is more important than what you accomplish in those first few weeks. You are helping your new colleagues to get to know what it is like to work with you. This approach is valuable whether you’re entering the organization near the bottom or the top of the org chart.
Listen first
When you first start with a new company, you don’t know what you don’t know. Even if you have lots of experience in similar industries, you are still entering an organization with its own history, people, and ways of doing things. In addition, you are stepping into conversations that have been going on for a long time. Of course, you’re going to want to immediately demonstrate your value to others, and it will seem like the best way to do that is to make suggestions.
Start by listening: How do people talk to each other? What is the best way to build on other people’s ideas? Which people in the organization have the respect of others? Who seems to have influence in meetings and behind the scenes?
The best way to answer all of these questions is to listen. When you go into meetings with the intent to impress and say things, then you listen long enough to figure out what you’re going to say next. When you enter meetings to learn, then you listen a lot and miss less of the subtlety of the discussion going on around you.
Be curious
When you get hired, you want other people to respect the knowledge and skills you’re bringing to your new team. As a result, you may not want to admit ignorance. Instead, you should be a sponge. Assume you know very little and that you are there to learn from others rather than to spread your knowledge and wisdom.
Ask a lot of questions of other people. When you hear a phrase or acronym that is new to you, stop the conversation and ask for clarification. When someone moves forward with a particular plan or a decision gets made, ask why it was done? Clarify that you’re asking “why” to understand the criteria and values people are using to reach decisions.
Ask your new team members whether there are documents you can read to understand how current projects have reached the point where they are. Attend as many briefings on projects as you can. Monitor communication channels like Slack to see how projects get discussed.
Admit mistakes
Of course, you’re going to make mistakes. That is inevitable. It is particularly likely early on. You’re going to misunderstand an instruction, or try something and get it wrong.
That doesn’t mean you should blunder about. If you are asked to do something and you’re not completely sure you understand the request, get clarification. It is better to be walked through the steps of a new task than to move forward with it and do it badly so that you or someone else has to redo it.
No matter how carefully you clarify, though, you’ll do some things wrong. It is crucial that you tell a supervisor or other colleague as soon as you recognize that you have made a mistake. Ask for help and find out what you can do to correct any problems that arise.
You might think that admitting a mistake will immediately tag you as someone who is not trustworthy. The paradox is that when you admit a mistake quickly, you are letting the people around you know that you are paying attention to the outcomes of your actions and that you are going to let others know as soon as something goes wrong. As a result, admitting mistakes quickly is likely to gain you trust—as long as you don’t make the same mistakes repeatedly.
Be trainable and correctable
When you first start in a new role, you probably feel a little apprehensive. You want to prove that you belong. When someone offers you some information or advice, you might want to demonstrate your prowess by telling others when you already know something you have been told. Resist that urge.
Instead, thank people for the advice they give and for taking you under their wing. You want everyone around you to know that you can be taught and trained. Even new executives have a lot to learn. You’d like everyone in the organization to feel like they have a vested interest and a role to play in your success.
In addition, if you’re in a leadership role, you should also clarify to everyone that you don’t want their deference. You are likely to say things that reflect that you are new to the organization (and have blind spots). Encourage people to correct things you say that are wrong and to push back on ideas they disagree with. Start early to create an atmosphere of productive disagreement and constructive criticism.
If someone does offer you a critique of a position, accept it gracefully even if you disagree with it. Thank them for the feedback and take it seriously, even if you still think what you said originally is correct.
After all, people are watching what you do as a guide toward how to treat you. If you dismiss well-intentioned feedback, you will probably dissuade other people from offering suggestions in the future.
