“New Leader Insights”

You did it …. You landed a job to run a company …. Now what. Once the accolades stop the reality steps in you are now the new manager, and you will need to figure things out. Some leaders fall into a position and others are brought on because of a stellar work record and resume. However, you did it, you now need to figure it out. When taking a new position give yourself some time to check out the lay of the land. It is important you do not start making changes on day one unless the building is on fire and you need to lead everyone out!!
Even if you have experience in an industry, take time to understand the business in which you are operating. Do this by spending time with your employees and practice listening to them. Ask for their insights, and what they would like to achieve working there. Spend a good amount of time walking around and taking in the organization. A great deal can be learned by observing.

Don’t pretend you know all the answers and ask for help from others with more time in the industry. Depending on the position you landed you still need to be the conduit between the employees and upper management whether that is a board or corporate headquarters. Listen, but understand you are hearing from both sides. Once you have a clear understanding of the current state and some of the challenges spend time getting clear on where you want to take the organization.

Once you are clear, use your leadership team to co-create how you want to transform the organization to meet your objectives. Be clear with roles and responsibility and help your people understand how their work benefits the organization.

Find a mentor and work with them to develop a process to help you meet your goals. Communicate up, down and across to ensure people not only understand their role, but how the organization is doing. Recognize those who are helping the organization. Your first 90-120 days are most critical. Work hard to use them to your benefit and it will dramatically improve your ability to succeed.