Not too far off a year ago I blogged that my new job makes me nervous. I was nervous in new job because I didn’t know how my success was going to be measured, how I was going to achieve and accomplish in such a loosely defined role.
In less than a year all that has changed. I’ve just presented a summary of what has been achieved since I took over the area I am responsible for, and have had high praise from my superiors.
Here is some tips I can share on my experience – how not to be nervous in that new role and how to achieve success:
- Set clear agreed goals at the outset – set goals for what you are going to achieve in 3, 6 and 12 months. Most importantly, have senior management review these goals with you and ensure these goals are in line with what they want to achieve
- Regularly review your progress against your plan – in any job, and particularly when you are managing a large function, there will be lots of distractions along the way to achieving what you originally set out to do. Constantly reminding yourself of your aims will help you get there – a map to your destination if you like
- Communicate success – even with the most difficult and troublesome turnaround or startup assignment, there will be milestones achieved in terms of improvement or new accomplishments – record them and share them with your senior management. Don’t assume they see every success as you do
- Make it visual – when you finally present your achievements at 3, 6 or 12 months, quantify that success. How much has attrition reduced this year compared to one year ago, how many software releases are you team achieving, how many problems resolved in the last quarter versus one year ago etc – you’ll surprise even yourself at how good the change is!
I would also suggest lots of positive reading around your new role – create a sense of excitement and positive momentum when you take the job and try to sustain that by reading inspirational books. I’ve mentioned a few that I found very powerful in my first few months in the new job, but you may have others which work better for you – these certainly helped me set up my current role to be a great success.
Finally, if you are still nervous in your new job, remember one thing: you were hired for your talents and skills to do this job! People who know the challenges and problems much better than you do took a lot at your skillset, took the time to interview and identified you as the best candidate to get this job done – so feel great about yourself and get out there and do it!
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Related posts: My New Job Makes Me Nervous!