21 Jun 6 Steps for 60 Days: Setting Yourself Up for Success in a New Role
6 Steps for 60 Days: Setting Yourself Up for Success in a New Role
Leaders define and establish their roles and relationships in the first 60 days of their tenure. Our studies in neuroscience show that habits are firmly entrenched in 30 days. Once a leader has established their patterns of behavior, subordinates will ‘lock in’ their part of the relationship in the next 30 days. First impressions are a strong part of this relationship-building, so a great leader needs a plan that is put into place on day one.
You can’t always get what you want. Sometimes, what other people want turns out to be the right thing. Being frustrated about anything is a HUGE waste of energy. Don’t let your team see you frustrated. There is nothing to gain, on any level, from being impatient. If you are truly angry at something or someone, leave the building, go for a walk and cool down.
Your #1 task is to meet with 60 new people in 60 days. Whether it is 1:1 or in groups.
6 Steps for the First 60 days
- Build credibility.
With your peers: Listen and find out what they do best. If you are open, they will reach out to help you, and they will make you look like a star. Don’t ever say anything bad to anyone, about anyone.
With your boss: Be concise with your communication. This will help you limit discussion to:
Accomplishments (in the last 30 days)
Issues and Challenges
Deliverables (in the next 30 days)
Support requirements
With team/direct reports: Setting up a new Team Leader Assimilation program will set ground rules for communication. As you prepare for the program, we will encourage you to reflect, define and communicate the things you need and the things that are not required in your relationship with them.
- Walk the floor. Find ways to connect with your team and the larger organization. Meet people outside your immediate circle. Spend your time learning. Don’t be obsessed about changing things or making an impression. Listen carefully and respectfully to what people have to say. First find out what they do, before you talk about yourself.
- Begin with a couple of small ‘wins’. Make small changes that affect everyone on your team. Don’t make it dramatic, make it meaningful.
- Communicate with purpose. Everything you say and do sends a message. At every opportunity, you must consciously decide what to say and what not to say. Good relationships will inspire performance, and all of that is up to you. When you set expectations clearly and effectively, your team will follow through.
- Be humble and learn. Get out and get some feedback. Find out how people want to change the ‘way we have always done things’. Do what people tell you. Be their champion, before you do things for yourself. Work on that. Don’t be afraid to start innovative conversations at every opportunity.
- Be you. Be true to yourself as you lead your new team in a new way. This is your opportunity to start from scratch with the behaviors you are working on. How do you differentiate yourself from the person they might ‘think’ you are? Someone has ‘seen’ you in a meeting. Someone has ‘heard’ gossip about you. Ask questions. Listen. Use questions to focus your conversations. Ask people:
- What are your three favorite parts of your job?
- What do you like doing the least?
- What do you like doing the most?
- What would you like to stop doing?
- What would you like to start doing?
- How do you see me being the biggest help to your success?
- What does innovation mean for this team, and for you?
- What keeps you awake at night?
- What gets you up in the morning?
Remember, you have the first 30 days to build new habits: listening and learning, finding out about your team and the direction you will be heading.
Use the next two weeks to plan your small ‘wins’.
Use the last two weeks to deliver and consolidate the ‘win’, so everyone on your team is on the same page.
Don’t be afraid if you are not getting the bottom line results you would like. If you handle these two months carefully and thoughtfully, you will have more results than you can imagine.
|
6 Keys to First Impressions: 1. Be on time. Understanding the culture of your organization is essential. 2. In all your meetings, show you care about their part of this organization. 3. Ask a focused meaningful question. 4. Listen more than talk. 5. Body language – read theirs and know what you are saying with your body language. 6. Tell them what you are going to do next for them or with them.
|
This is a dramatic and important time in your career. Don’t forget about you. If you don’t take care of yourself, none of this will matter. Be serious about YOU.
You are their leader. You are building a team. Make it the best team ever.
Want to take it to the next level?
Ask us about our TLA – Team Leader Assimilation program.
This will be a four-hour program that will introduce the ‘real you’ to your team. We will spend the first hour on DiSC. Most of the team knows what DiSC is and understands their own. We will spend time looking at a ‘team view’ that helps us identify the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
The rest of the program has three components that effectively introduce you to your team. This program drives a successful transition to new leadership, while bonding the team and setting everyone up for efficiency and effectiveness as a team moving forward.
Need to set up a TLA for your new team? Click here for more information or fill in the contact form below for more information: