Friends – when starting a new role in a new organisation, we are generally eager to make a good impression and start demonstrating value straight away.
So, what do most people do in their first few weeks in a new role? They focus on:
- attending meetings.
- reading up information on intranet, Confluence etc.
- reading reports.
- asking their manager questions to learn about what they need to start doing.
- attend induction sessions or training.
Here is my practical tip to help you learn about the company, its culture, its people and its norms.
Make a point of scheduling conversations with as many people as possible.
Ask your new manager who some of the folks are that you should speak to, so that you can learn more about the organisation.
Your manager will put you in touch with 2-3 people. But for every single person you meet, ask them to connect you to 2-3 other people. Take their names down – and if the person has not sent an introductory email or Chat, then contact the person directly.
In the session, ask about their role, but more crucially, ask them these questions:
- In your experience, what is the best thing about working here?
- Who has the most influence in this place?
- What do I need to know about the culture/norms?
- What do I need to know (and do) so that I am successful in my role?
Being a new person, people will tell you things that they normally wouldn’t. Pay attention. This insights from the lived experiences will be much more useful than any report or training you do.
Do this for 2-3 solid months and you will find that you have learnt things and know information that others don’t have. This will be your competitive advantage.
#workplace #communication
