You’re four weeks into your new job and by now should have agreed and be working to your 100 day plan.
It’s important to step back and objectively consider your progress. To constantly ask yourself if you’re going in the right direction and if you’re on track to meet your objectives.
Part of making an impact is also choosing how you want to profile and position yourself in the business.
To help get you thinking we have isolated 3 key areas to consider during these first weeks.
How to reinvent yourself at work
You don’t have to completely reinvent yourself overnight. In fact, this would be impossible. But if you take the time for self-reflection and identify what you want to change and the steps you need to take then you can keep yourself accountable to this every day.
- Have you just been promoted to Director or Manager and are you seeking to lose the Manager or Executive brand / style of working?
- Was there something that always came up at your former firm in your performance review as a key area to work on; and do you want this change to be the line in the sand where you reinvent yourself?
- How was your work – life balance in your last firm and do you want to make changes that reinvent how you balance the two aspects of your life?
- What is it about your own style of work – time management, daily routine that you can improve in this role?
- What new skills and activities do you recognise will be important to remain relevant and of high value? (Reinvention here is essential for survival.)
- Do you surround yourself with the right people and knowledge to be all you want to be in your career?
Reinvention is part internal and part external. For the latter think about your personal brand and positioning to the outside world (internally and externally to your firm). You’re a marketer and so this should come naturally for you!
Apply the same approach as if you were advising a Senior Associate or Junior Partner of the same. What is your social media strategy and positioning going to be? What initiatives will you step up into in the business to position yourself? At what commercial level will you choose (and prepare) to enter the conversation at?
Old wisdom, new job
If you find yourself saying “this is how we did it at X former firm” a lot, then stop. It doesn’t go down well.
It gives the perception that you are not looking to understand the nuances of your new firm and just seeking to bring a “cookie cutter” approach of what you’ve done before. It can also be perceived as a “know it all” approach.
Instead, find ways to articulate the same valid suggestions and points which make it all about your new firm. Demonstrate you have taken the time to listen, observe and understand the firm’s individual nuances. In reality, it may not be much different but your new colleagues will see themselves as unique from your former firms. Pitch this correctly and they will then be asking you to explain how it worked / the results you got at a former firm.
If it’s not working, change course
This can be one of the hardest things to do but it’s so important. Stay agile and flexible so that if you have gone off course and been distracted from your primary goals, or, have been pushing ahead with one tactic which is not working, you can recognize this, adjust and change tack.
As a final thought be sure to have fun and enjoy the new role. Hopefully you feel re-energised by the change and these challenges and enjoyable and fulfilling ones to meet!