For the last two months I’ve had my head buried in the proverbial sand; my life consisting mostly of working, eating, and sleeping. The reason: a new job.
Although within the same company, I’ve changed cities, functions, and roles, and have been faced once again with the unique challenge of starting fresh. A recent conversation with one of my mentors got me thinking about how I had approached said challenge; I didn’t necessarily have a strategy from the get go, but luckily I have a natural tendency to get stuck in, which so far, has been successful.
A strategy for starting a new job must compliment the style and personality of the individual, that is, be authentic, but there are a few tips we can all take to better improve our chances of success.
Ostrich vs. Peacock
When starting a new role, especially at a new company, there is a delicate balance – and timing – between diving deep into the work and showing your new professional network exactly what you can do. This is especially the case for women, who are subject to prove-it-again bias; competence has to be earned and is not assumed in the same way as it is for men. The ostrich, head in the sand (in this slightly tenuous metaphor, the work), is deep in the learning and doing of the new role, but has little awareness of the bigger network, priorities, or strategy going on around her. The peacock is mostly concerned with a flashy display of his feathers; exhibiting to others his strengths and capabilities.
Both are ineffective extremes: head down without an idea or connection to the business around you means that you may not be directing your effort at the most impactful work to the company, and even if you were, chances are no-one would know about it. However, if you’re all talk (or show) and no work, then you don’t have any proven foundation to stand you up.
Know thyself
In this balance, two things are key: self-awareness, and timing. If your personality, like me, means it’s natural to dive deep into learning what your individual role is, understanding the tasks that are involved, and learning the processes that will allow you to do them, then challenge yourself at the very start of your work to set up some time with your manager or others to learn more about the overall strategy of the group, project, or business, and your role within it. On the other-hand, if your personality tends more towards talking about what you’ve done, building a network, getting exposure; then challenge yourself to put your head down for say, six weeks, and produce something, be it a whitepaper, report, dashboard, or proposal, that you can use as backing in the bigger conversations.
The Osprey
On my jobsite, (and many around the world) the osprey causes a bit of trouble when likening stationary cranes to high trees. Should they choose to nest in said cranes and go unnoticed until after the nest is formed, most companies conservation promises mean that the nests will not be disturbed. Ouch. Fortunately, our osprey chose an actual tree close to the river to nest, and we’ve been lucky to see eggs laid and hatched and now young osprey starting to explore beyond the nest.
Call it fitting a story to a message, but after seeing our own on site and reading into osprey, I found a convenient compromise between ostrich and peacock, and some good lessons to take into starting a new role:
1. Do the work
As with all birds of prey, if you’re not doing the work, you’re not going to be around much longer. The basic rule of survival is to get done what you need to get done: before all else, figure out what your job is, and do it. Get the fish on the table.
2. Keep a watchful eye
Be a keen observer of your surroundings: notice strengths, gaps, personalities; take note of wasteful processes, tricky colleagues, and importantly, where you can make an impact. This is about getting educated on your surroundings so you can tailor your approach and make a bigger impact. There’s no point fishing in an empty river.
3. Adapt
The osprey is unique in that it is a single species found on every continent except Antarctica. Osprey have learned to live off whatever fish is available, avoid whatever predator is prevalent, and build their stick-homes on anything close to water; from trees to poles to as mentioned, the occasional unoccupied crane. Adapting to a new surrounding is about the little actions that allow you to take root, build a base, grow your tribe without losing authenticity: and I believe this all is found in connection. Aside from the obvious joy that comes from connecting with other humans, building relationships are crucial to success in work and in life. On my construction site I work closely with personalities that I do not encounter as much in the home office; language, behavior, backgrounds, even hobbies are different here. Adapting for me here is exchanging the patent leather heels for steel-toed boots: using site slang on our walkie-talkies, learning about and experiencing local interests with an open mind, frequenting the neighborhood establishments, and ultimately discovering new ways to connect with people. If something comes up (and believe me it does, daily) that challenges my core values, my integrity, I call it out – but I can do that and stay open to the individuality – and goodness – in the humans around me. We all have a personal gauge on how far is too far when it comes to making small changes to connect to the people around us, and when “adapting” we must stay aware of what makes us feel good and connected, and what makes us feel compromised.
4. Differentiate
Osprey’s unique physical characteristics and hunting behavior resulted in it being given its own taxonomic genus and family (Pandion and Pandionidae respectively, for the enthusiasts out there) – as much as they can adapt to almost any environment in the world with fish and water, they retain characteristics that differentiate them from other hawks. When you do the work, are aware and knowledgeable of your environment and have started to build connections within it, then you can focus on owning what makes you uniquely you. With this backing you have a stronger springboard to make your mark and effect your change. Look for ways where your unique strengths can fill the gaps that you’re observing, and get after it. If you’re not sure yet what your unique strengths are: ask. There is huge power in candid feedback – good and bad – and it doesn’t just have to come from your boss. You can ask your peers, and you can ask your friends, you can even ask your significant other. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything: and your strengths at home are often manifested in your strengths at work. I once had a good friend tell me quite casually in conversation that my superpower was connecting people, and I remember every day that I can use this unique skill to bring people together and get work done more effectively.
My personal lesson in all this is that burying my head in the work has been productive so far, but to hone in on the places where I can make the biggest impact, I need to make the move from ostrich to osprey.
What is your advice for people starting a new role? Have you got any stories – successful or otherwise? Share them in the comments below.
– L