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New Kid on the Block Chances are, you’ve lived this scenario at least once in your career already: you’re selected for a new job, whether in a different department or a different company, and you have two weeks to wrap up your old business, say your good-byes, and then – BAM! – it’s time to report in to the new boss to get your
marching orders. OK, maybe you took a long weekend – during which you cleaned out the basement because otherwise it’ll be another three years before you get enough time for that. The scene shifts to three months later: you’re up to your eyeballs in “background” reading, you’re fighting fires on three fronts, and you still haven’t gotten that team retreat planned yet. You have an open door policy, but none of
your employees ever take advantage of it; you just discovered yesterday that your peers get together for lunch every Friday; and you’ve had exactly one sit-down meeting with your new boss – the morning of your first day on the job. You’re starting to wonder what you got yourself into. Let’s rewind the film, and see if we can write a new script for a smooth transition to your new leadership role. Where did things go off the tracks? More than
likely, the train wreck began the day you found out you were chosen for the job. That’s when you must take the biggest (and toughest) step: putting behind you everything you think you already know, and putting on “beginner’s mind.” Your No. 1 job as a new leader is to be a learner. And there’s a lot to learn. First, you’ve got to learn a little about yourself. Examine your beliefs about why
you got the job; if you think it’s because they want you to do what you did in your last job, think again. There’s no guarantee, and little likelihood, that what worked in one situation will work just as well in another. You’ll need to take some time to understand what’s different about this new situation, and what you’ll have to do differently to succeed. You were probably picked because the people who hired you think you’ve got what it takes to do the new job.
And, they also expect that you’ll figure out what that job is. So, the next part of your education involves learning everything you can about the new organization and the challenges you will face. This means going beyond hard data about plans, policies, programs, operations, and financials. Equally important is learning about the soft stuff: the people, the culture, the politics. You’ll want to
seek out the best advice and counsel, and stay open to new ways of seeing things, even if you’ve been brought in to make some changes. Harvard Business School professor Michael Watkins, in his new book The First 90 Days, suggests you define a learning agenda for yourself and create the
space to make a clean mental transition from the old job to the new. Establish a clear focus that includes both the technical and the organizational sides of the equation. Create a set of learning priorities and identify promising sources for the intelligence you’ll need. Seek to understand the history and the organizational psychology of the place, and identify who the key players are, both formally and informally.
You may feel you don’t have the luxury of the time it takes for all this learning. To be sure, you’ve got to get into action in those crucial first 90 days on the job, and demonstrate some early wins, if you are to build personal credibility as a leader. The thing is, it matters what those wins are, and it matters how they were gotten. The question is, says Watkins, how much emphasis will you place on learning as opposed to doing? Could you use some help with your own leadership transition? Talk to us about
the possibilities for working with an executive coach on this and related issues: Call (410)626-6008, or email info@bloomfieldassociates.com. 
Michael Watkins advises that a new leader start by meeting with direct reports one-on-one and asking them these five questions: - What are the biggest challenges the organization is facing (or will face) in the near future?
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Why is the organization facing (or going to face) these challenges?
- What are the most promising unexploited opportunities for growth?
- What would need to happen for the organization to exploit the potential of these opportunities?
- If you were me, what would you focus on?
From “The First 90 Days.” |
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Employees don’t have confidence in their supervisors’ leadership abilities, with only 38% expressing high confidence, according to a recent study. Groups with
strong leaders are about 37% more likely to outperform and are significantly more productive than other work groups. For an organization with 10,000 employees, this can equate to at least $28 million in productivity dollars. Another survey reveals that 72% of employees believe the people around and above them behave "with honesty and integrity" in financial matters, and in dealings with clients and investors. When it comes to overall ethics, though, the
picture gets cloudy: "Hypocrisy and favoritism" was the No. 1 reason cited by workers who had lost respect for their employers. Cell phone usage has passed residential landline use, with the average U.S. subscriber now spending 490 minutes a month. There are now 141 million subscribers to cell phone services, almost half the U.S. population. 
Hyperarchies A hyperarchy is “a large-scale, self-organizing community that sets free unusually high degrees of energy and engagement – despite the lack of clear or direct economic payoff for participants,” according to author and consultant Philip Evans. Perhaps the best-known example of this alternative structure for economic organization is the Linux open-source software movement. 
Trendwatching.com, a website and monthly e-newsletter based in the Netherlands, with 1,500 “trend-spotters” around the globe. What I like about it: I’m working on a scenario planning workshop this month, and when I discovered
this great online resource I knew I had hit paydirt. Trendwatching.com focuses on emerging consumer insights and behavioral trends around the world, and the “hands-on” marketing and business opportunities they present. But it’s also a great place to learn about what’s next in our increasingly global culture. Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  Standing at The Crossroads: Next Steps for High-Achieving Women, by Marian N. Ruderman and Patricia J. Ohlott. What I like about it: The authors,
researchers at the Center for Creative Leadership, look at the fundamental pressures and cultural elements that influence career and life decisions for high-achieving women. The book spotlights five key themes that are essential to the development of executive women: the need to act authentically, make connections, control one’s destiny, achieve wholeness and gain self-clarity. These themes will resonate with both men and women, and for organizations,
this book provides valuable insight into developing and retaining women.
Alicia Rodriguez
Executive and Leadership Coach
Sophia Associates Share what you’re into —
books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the title and author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to you or your website. |
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"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different."
— Albert Szent-Gyorgyi |  |
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Beth Bloomfield is presenting a scenario-planning workshop called “Think Like a Futurist” at the annual Association for Women in Communications Leadership Forum, April 16-18, in Kennett Square, PA. If you’re interested in learning about how your organization can think differently about the future, contact us! Beth will present a half-day public workshop, “Mastering Your World: A Workshop for Leaders and Human Resource Professionals”, on June 25, 2004. The workshop is sponsored by the Howard County Human Resources Society and Howard County Community College, and will be held on the college’s campus in Columbia,
Maryland. Click here for more information and to register. Sock-Burning and Sailing: The Rites of Spring – this is what we live for down here on the Chesapeake. Read about our home town in the New York Times. Registration may be required to view the article. | | |
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