…There is no second
opportunity to give a first
good impression…
Michael Watkins wrote a book called “The first 90 days”. Here he presents some reflections and clues to keep in mind in order to have a smooth adaptation at your organization. Today, I want to highlight some of his main ideas.
– Secure early wings: identify a few opportunities that you feel strong at and develop them as a way to build credibility. It is important that those wings matter to your boss, you don’t want to do something that is distant from what your boss wants you to get done. Just be careful, don’t attempt to do too much. To summarize, build credibility and reputation.
– …Speaking of the boss: it is so important that you take 100 % responsibility for making the relationship with your boss work. Don’t stay away, try to reach out to your boss often, but make sure you are not approaching him or her only with problems and if you have any difficulty or worry to present, make sure before that you have a solution to expose as well. Finally, the most important, don’t try to change your boss. Don’t forget, if you have the chance to get good marks from those whose opinions your boss respect, you may have half on the task done by getting that.
– Expectations: this is a crucial aspect, please set realistic expectations. It is important to dream but it is important to have a sense of reality and be aware that paradises only exist on fairy tales. On the other hand, communication is key, thus it is essential to clarify mutual expectations with your boss early and often. The Fellow Training Plan will be so helpful in this matter.
– Be open to learn: we all have a great knowledge, but a humble attitude and openness for learning and other people’s opinion could guarantee a better adaptation.
– Build a support system: remember even if you are an outstanding professional on your field, you still are a human being and as a consequence you have to remember you are not perfect. If you are having some challenges, you should find some ways to vent this or cope with this. In this case, talking to friends or just investing your free time at doing something that you really enjoy and disconnect you from your concerns are a good ways to release your stress.
To summarize, attitude is Key, even in the roughest time you want to remember that what does not kill you makes you stronger, after you build a first impression it may be hard to change it, so make sure it is a positive one… and last but not least. Sharing is caring. May you have a journey full of joy and growing!