Starting a new job?

Getting a new job, a new opportunity to make a contribution at a brand new company, is both exciting and daunting.

Where do you start?

How can you make a good first impression without killing yourself trying aimlessly to win others over?

Three things

Work - for humans at least - is increasingly becoming about building good relationships with other people; making connections, making a valuable contribution to the vision of the organisation.

Here are three places you can use to launch from in your new position:

#1 - It's never a waste of time to dedicate yourself to learning everybody's name in the business and practicing connecting that name to a face.

It's a simple, human act, but as the new person on the team, you have a small window of opportunity where this level of immediate dedication will very much impress.  

#2 - If you are taking over as a manager of a team, put down three key focus areas that you would like to focus on improving for your team in the year ahead. Just stick to a maximum of three and spend some time detailing the initiatives you would like action to achieve your key objectives. Then share your thoughts with the rest of the team and co-create this vision together with them - they will no doubt have a lot to contribute.

#3 - Spend time studying and understanding the organisation's overall strategy and think creatively about how you might be able to contribute effectively towards the success of the vision.  Only when you have a clear understanding of what success looks like for the business will you and your team then be able to offer realistic, innovative solutions as a part of the bigger team.

Good luck!