Whenever your changing jobs, you’ll need to put together an entry strategy. The job change could be with your current company, another company in the same industry, or a different position in another industry.
Whatever the case, one of the smartest things you can do when entering a new job is to audit or assess the base-line measurements of the current position. Why? Unless you know what the results are now, you can’t compare it to the results of your future performance. You can also use the information for your performance reviews: Defining the value-added from your direct contribution.
Did you increase revenue or profit by 1% or 18.7%. Did you reverse turnover from 32% to 8%? Did you reduce cost by 10% or did you add to cost? If you don’t understand your contributions to the organization others won’t be able to either. If you have no measurable results, future bosses will say, “The resume looks OK, but we don’t know how effective this candidate will be on the job”. If you don’t know your value, you can’t communicate it to your current or potential new bosses.
How do you design an entry strategy? You want to accomplish 4 outcomes at the same time:
• Identify the Issues: issues you will need to solve short and long term
Do a “Needs Analysis”. Interview your internal and external customers to find out their views of issues needing attention. Compare their issues with those of your staff and boss. Are they comparable or different?
• Develop a 90-day strategy for immediate results
Prioritize the issues between short term, intermediate and longer term. Lay out a working plan to attack each issue: Objective, strategy, timing, and staffing. Develop the plan using two-week blocks of time. Share your plan with your supervisor to make sure it’s compatible with their views and plans. Attack the low hanging fruit first.
• Integrate into the culture: Connect with peers and client organizations in a positive way
Use the time during the Needs Analysis to develop a working relationship with clients, staff and peers. This may be the only opportunity to influence their view of you and your value to them. Make the time count. Show you’re interested to learn what they do, how they do it and develop an understanding of what you require from each other. Define your mutual expectations so you can eliminate misunderstandings, gaps in communications and their affects on performance.
• Bond with your supervisor
This is an excellent time to probe the expectations, plans and strategies of your boss. By laying out the results of your needs analysis, you are providing new information for your boss. By integrating your plans and strategies with your boss’s, you’ll get insights into the issues of the organization and reduce the number of errors along the way.
An effective entry strategy provides you with an accelerated springboard to demonstrate your value, but also provides for results quickly while developing a strong working relationship with clients, peers, staff and boss. It’s a winner.
Ready to test the market? Email: wkaufmann1@cox.net
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