I just wrapped up a year-long research project investigating what happens when leaders take on new roles or responsibilities in their company.
For the last few years, “onboarding” – the process of acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new team members, whether they come from outside or inside the company – has been a hot topic but it has focused almost exclusively on employees who join from the outside. But there has been a lot more internal movement than external hiring in the past year. Just because someone already knows a company, does it make their transition easy? We didn’t think so, and neither do the statistics.
Surveys by DDI (2006) and The Institute for Executive Development (2008) report 25% of people who move into a new job will fail. You don’t want to be one of those statistics. Paying attention to six common mistakes will help you make a smooth, successful transition.
Mistake No. 1: Assume you know what is expected of you.
One of the biggest complaints we heard from new leaders was a lack of clarity around the role and their boss’ expectations. A key reason for this is that there simply isn’t enough candid conversation, before or after the move. Would you take a job at a different company without thoroughly investigating it and spending time with your new boss discussing her expectations? Put the assumptions aside and start asking questions – even if you think they are dumb. How does your boss see the role? What does he expect you to accomplish? How will that be measured? What do other people expect from you?
Mistake No. 2: Assume you have relationships with the right people.
When people join a new company they invest a lot of energy building relationships with stakeholders. They know that these are critical to getting things done. When you move inside your company, you might assume you already know everyone. The reality is relationships are a lot more complicated than that – you take your history with you. If you have been promoted, people who used to be your superiors are now your peers. People who used to be peers are now subordinates. Not everyone is going to be happy with this arrangement, and not everyone will make it easy. A good strategy is to sit down and map out your stakeholders and realistically assess the history and strength of your relationship. You need to re-contract all of your pre-existing relationships, and you may need to build some bridges.
Mistake No. 3: Assume the culture is the same.
Every function, every team, every level in a company has its own culture. Your job is to understand how it is different from what you are used to, and what you need to do to adjust to it. For people who are promoted, operating at a new level of team dynamics and politics often comes as a shock. The sooner you figure out nuances around group culture and norms, the faster you will be able to fit in.
Mistake No. 4: Forget to earn the credibility of others.
When people come from the outside they spend their first 90 days working on an early win. They know it is critical to demonstrate why they were hired. What internal transfers sometimes forget is that their colleagues are waiting for them to prove themselves, too. People want to know why you got that promotion or were assigned to that high-profile project. It is not enough to rely on your history. You need to prove yourself.
Mistake No. 5: Take too long to figure out what you don’t know.
When you’ve just been picked for a new job it can be tough to admit what you don’t know. After all, you’ve been around. People are expecting you to know, aren’t they? The likelihood that you are going to walk in and not know everything is pretty high. Figure out what that is sooner rather than later and don’t be afraid to ask the dumb questions.
Mistake No. 6: Ignore your development gaps.
Every new job demands new things from you, things you may not have done before. You may need to delegate more, think more strategically, influence more effectively. Leaders often assume they are ready for a new job. We found that in the beginning, 75 percent believe they are adequately prepared and have the capabilities to be successful. By Month 10, this drops to 40%. It is more popular these days to talk about strengths, and you need to leverage them. But don’t ignore your development gaps. Address them before they become derailers.
Letter to the Editor: Your comments are welcome.
Keywords: Careers, new job, management, corporate culture, onboarding, job roles, role and responsibilities, earning credibility, development gaps
