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| BE THE HERO NOT THE ENEMY... |
There are two categories of individuals entering into a new
career – those who have experienced opportunity, persistence, and preparation come together and
those who have no experience but knew someone who opened the door.
No matter how you got there, here’s what you do to stay there.
- Know your job. Unless you have come in as an assistant or a glorified secretary or you are working in a startup, obtain a clear list of responsibilities from management identifying what is expected. There should be documentation that delineates each role/responsibility to ensure unnecessary friction is not created with individuals who may be performing the same tasks.
- Stay under the radar. Most companies do not have a training manual on exactly how your job should be done unless it is a low-level position. Nor do managers want individuals who are not self-starters and have no drive to figure things out without spoon feeding. Learn what others on the team are doing by asking the right questions and not creating waves. Allow people to offer you information or documentation instead of continuously asking or demanding.
- Make more allies than alligators. Be humble enough to know how to work with everyone, regardless of how much you know or who you know. In order to survive anywhere you must be able to relate to management and non-management. The perception that there is some entitlement will only alienate others and have them shy away from helping you.
- Keep personal connections private. Do not openly discuss your personal relationships with others working in the new place of employment. Keep that to yourself and don’t acknowledge it or go out of your way to expose it in office settings. If there is a relationship with higher level executives, allow them to boast about your skills to others rather than you tooting your own horn. Again, a sense of entitlement and the perception of being untouchable based on connections hurts rather than helps.
- Talk the least and work the most. Your work ethic, teamwork, and results should speak for you. Individuals should be less concerned about who you are and more excited about your arrival to help them do their jobs better and in less time. Focus on performing tasks that help others to demonstrate value.
You made it this far, now make it work to your benefit.
For more clues like these, be sure to check out some helpful videos on the YouTube channel or
purchase the book, Get A Clue – 10 Steps to an Executive IQ.
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