The privilege of a great induction

Having now completed my first 4 weeks at Evelyn Partners I’ve been reflecting a lot on what a critical – and privileged – time your early days in a new role can be. I’ve absolutely loved my first 4 weeks – that’s partly down to the warmth of the welcome I’ve received, but it’s also because of the mix of how I’ve been spending my time. I wanted to capture what’s made the last 4 weeks so rewarding with a view to not letting go of the things that have made a difference even as I move beyond my honeymoon period.

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#1 human connection

During my first week in role we had an all-company townhall where I was introduced as “the mad runner” given I’ve decided to run to/from the office every day. Now, there’s only really one “mad runner” in the Middleton family ( Peter Middleton ) and in time I’m certainly keen to become known internally for something more impactful than running. But the beauty of this little introductory anecdote is that it gives everyone I’m meeting in my induction a little window into who I am outside of my professional profile.

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It’s no secret that truly knowing who your teammates are, and what drives and motivates them, is critical in building a high-performing team. The brilliant team I’ve inherited are certainly quickly getting to know my (many) quirks! An induction gives you the opportunity to be deliberate about first impressions, but I thinks it’s critical you keep looking for opportunities to deepen human connections at every chance.

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#2 curiosity

I’ve always loved asking questions. Being new obviously gives you a platform to ask loads of questions. But what I’ve never really thought about until this induction period is that curiosity is so much better as a team sport.

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I was pretty nervous coming into a totally new category, especially one that is as technically complex as wealth management. But not only have my expert colleagues been incredibly patient with my basic questions ( Christopher Kenny , Emma Sterland ), but they’ve also reciprocated the curiosity with me. What have I observed coming in? Where do I see opportunities to borrow from the industries I’ve worked in? What’s my perspective on how we’re approaching things?

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I always have an ambition to out-learn the competition and if we can maintain and grow our culture of curiosity then I’ve no doubt we’ll achieve that.

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#3 balanced diary

A well-planned induction is the ideal template for how I think you should always balance your time – and a big thanks to Megan Hawes for juggling my time! For me, a good induction balances three things:

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1. The opportunity to learn, to meet colleagues (internal and external), to hear from customers, to soak up all the new content that’s being thrown at you;
2. Being thrown into the deep-end on the most pressing content areas – there are certain things for which you just need to jump on the train and come up to speed as quickly as possible;
3. Time to reflect – thinking time is so underrated in the modern workplace! This is where my running comes in – I’m using it to bookend my day which is a great way to help set priorities and process all that I’ve heard and learnt.

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For me it’s so critical that I maintain the space to do all three of these things on a consistent basis, long beyond the end of my induction.

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#4 90 day plans

One of the questions you face most often during a leadership induction is: “what’s on your 90 day plan?” I’ve never put together a formal 90 day plan, but coming into new roles I’ve always had a 30 day plan. And that’s as simple as “forming a point of view”. ?Early observations are so important. You have the privilege of distance, of objectivity, and as long as you recognise the limits of your nascent knowledge, I’ve found there to be real value in putting those early reflections down on paper.

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Having captured my early observations, I form my short-term priorities, which essentially becomes the meat of my 90 day plan. But what’s struck me as I enter this next phase of my early tenure with Evelyn Partners, is what stops me building a 90 day plan on a continuous basis? If that’s the mechanism that helps me – and many others in new leadership positions – prioritise for the team, why am I not doing it more often?