Last week marks my one-year anniversary in a new organisation and what an amazing year it has been! Working as a Success Architect (Business Transformation Specialist), in a Fortune 500 IT software company, continues to be an exciting and remarkable journey.
As a seasoned professional I knew the initial months would be a delicate dance of, supporting customers, enhancing my knowledge on the software platform, and building my network and credibility. Thank goodness I chose to work for such an amazing organisation, within a wonderful team, that has given me the support, time and access to materials to be able to thrive.
Join me in revisiting the headlines of this transformative year with a hope that it will inspire others to embrace the unknown.
1. Building a Network
As someone who thrives on personal interaction quickly building a network of trustworthy individuals was top of my agenda. I am however acutely aware that this takes time and effort. Thankfully, I was assigned a buddy, a peer of mine who had been in the organisation for several years. She couldn’t do enough to support me, giving me guidance, encouragement and access to her well-established network.
Additionally, I was delighted to see some friendly faces in the day-to-day crowd. People who I had been fortunate enough to work with before, albeit not directly. After proactively reaching out I quickly established a regular cadence of informal ‘get togethers’. Its amazing what you can learn about your new organisation and role from informal chats. Another huge benefit of doing this was that I now had a friendship group at work! 😊
Similarly, following joint onboarding sessions with all the other ‘newbies’ we formed collaborative communities. This proved hugely beneficial, we were all at the same point of our journey and could lean on each other, to overcome any challenges or give guidance and advice.
Top Takeaways:
- When starting a role in a new organisation if you are not automatically assigned a buddy, ask for one.
- Seek out friendly faces. You’ll usually find some, particularly if your move is within the same industry.
- Lean on people in the same situation as you and share experiences to shortcut and accelerate your learning journey.
2. Credibility
Credibility must be earned; this obviously takes time. It can be frustrating to feel like you’re having to build this from scratch, in a new organisation, but it is inevitable. For example, in my first few months although there was an expectation that I brought a level of experience with me I did find myself being unexpectedly challenged on a few occasions.
Being prepared for this I wasn’t deterred or defensive. I adapted my approach by explaining my rationale and reliving short ‘stories’ of where I’d successfully dealt with similar situations before. Bringing the situations to life and taking my colleagues on a journey, rather than arriving at the destination immediately, worked extremely well! Also, as a bonus I soon found myself being approached by others for help. I embraced this with a huge smile on my face, as I knew I had built some credibility and I love helping others develop!
Top Takeaways:
- Be prepared to have to rebuild your credibility in a new organisation.
- Don’t be defensive when challenged by colleagues, this is natural.
- Find opportunities to subtly demonstrate your experience each day to effortlessly build your credibility.
3. Setting Expectations
In readiness for day one I set myself a clear 30, 60, 90-day plan, mapping out where I wanted to be in the next three months. My milestones included understanding; the company culture, who is who, how the business operates, what is expected of me, learning new skills, setting realistic end of year goals for myself, etc.
At roughly the three months mark I found myself in the notorious ‘3-month wobble’. A phase where you transition from blissful ignorance to a stark realisation of your own incompetence in a new role. My self-confidence took a hit and I asked myself the usual questions. Am I doing the right things? Will I ever be as good as …..? Will I ever be able to do this?
Realising I had entered the consciously incompetent phase of my onboarding journey I set about acting for a swift recovery. Afterall I’d been here many times before. The things I did to quickly rebuild my self-confidence were;
- Embraced the discomfort and accepted it for what it was.
- Sought reassurance, from my trusted network.
- Revisited and revised my goals, to ensure they were realistic with a clear path.
- Asked for constructive feedback from colleagues.
- Reflected on my successes to date.
Stepping into a new professional chapter is exhilarating and a bit unnerving. Reflecting on the past year it reminds me that personal growth is a continuous companion, irrespective of experience. My journey has been full of triumphs, some expected and unexpected challenges and a few surprises. Even the most seasoned individuals among us need support, encouragement and a dash of self-compassion to emerge more confident than ever. I’d love to hear about your experiences, please comment below. What were your challenges when you moved organisations or roles? How did you overcome these? Did you have a ‘3-month wobble’ and do you have any other hints and tips to swiftly rebuild self-confidence?
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