You might agree that those first 90 days in a new job are critical for creating the best first impression - which tends to stick - and for starting your relationship with your new boss on the right foot. In this short blog, we will go through some ideas that will help you to achieve just that and perhaps ‘reset’ your relationship with your current employer if you are well beyond the first 90 Day point.
I think that there are five things to consider - let’s go through them now:
- Context. The relationship with your boss is arguably set by what it is that you are going to do to help move them forward in achieving their assigned objectives. In fact, we could go further and say that the only reason that you have been hired is to help your boss achieve their goals. With that in mind, it would be helpful to put our work into the context of what is happening within the enterprise that we are working for: What is going well? Where is there a need for improvement? How are we doing relative to our competition? What initiatives have we on deck now and why are they important? What is most important to our new boss now? These are all good questions to ask.
- Your Goals. Your first 90 days become much easier to manage if you have a clear set of goals/ objectives that you have discussed with your new boss. This sounds so basic, but so often, I hear of people not really understanding exactly what they are to achieve in a given 12 or 18 month period. Sometimes, the new boss will simply say ‘win more clients’ and adds no more detail than that. So, if you can, try to gain more specificity so that you know precisely what is to be achieved and by when.
- Your Plan. It might be a good idea to go back to your boss after the first meeting, having understood your objectives, for a second conversation. This will afford you the opportunity to lay out a basic plan of how you are going to achieve them. It will give you a chance to get input from your boss and allow you to clarify and verify that you have understood everything clearly and that you both agree on what you are going to do. You will also have the opportunity to ask for the resources that you will need to achieve those goals.
- Culture and Behaviours. At either of these two meetings, it might also be a good idea to discuss what culture your new boss seeks to achieve and maintain with their team. What values should be held and what behaviours do they want to see? You might also want to ask how you can contribute to establishing this culture, making it clear that you are someone who is keen to contribute in this way.
- Communication. Finally, it is important to understand just how your boss wants communication between you to work. Some of my clients have told me that their boss likes to communicate over a few brief messages over WhatsApp a couple of times a week. This, however, may be widely divergent from what another boss prefers. So, think about the medium - face to face, Zoom/Teams, emails, structured reports, etc. Also, consider the frequency and timing. For example, your boss may just want to have a summary progress report once a week on a Friday at 4pm unless there is anything urgent (and by the way, it may help to understand that they think qualifies as urgent). Ensure that you are crystal clear on how communication is to work in order to avoid any faux pas and to make the best possible impression.
So there we have it. Some basic ideas about how to start a great relationship with your new boss so that everything is clear and agreed:
- You will be working on what your boss has decided are the important priorities - not what you might have guessed at.
- You will be tuned into the culture of the firm and work with this in mind.
- You will communicate well and appropriately, relative to your boss’ preferences.
All of this means that you have set off on this journey with your new employer in the right direction, ready to deliver upon the value that you have promised in the recruitment process.
If you are due to begin a new role at a new firm and would benefit from some coaching on how to make a positive and lasting impact, get in touch to arrange a free Coaching Call here. You can find out more about our coaching services on this page.
