
Your first 90 days in a new role are key to gaining the confidence of your colleagues. On Tuesday we talked about the first two months. What do you do in month three?
The third month
You’ve already made some good progress, so now we seal the deal. Keep that log of your accomplishments updated, and while you’re at it, update your resume, too. (It will get harder to remember the new learning as you get more comfortable with he tasks, so note it while it’s fresh.) Keep following through, and keep good records of what you’ve said you’ll do so you can be sure you’re doing it. You can use apps like Asana or Trello, or just add tasks and deadlines to your calendar.
Tell your boss your goals for this next month, and make sure he or she thinks those are good areas of focus. Work to be the go-to person for your areas of expertise, taking initiative and being a team player. If you’re struggling with anything, ask the people who seem like experts to mentor you through that one part of the work. Keep building those relationships by going to coffee with people, meeting for lunch, chatting over the water cooler. But if it’s a new place to you, don’t connect with people over social media just yet, and avoid getting sucked into office drama. That stuff is a little unavoidable, but hold back so you can really get a sense of things before you act.
Identify some areas of growth, and set a target date for accomplishing them. If you’ve made an early mistake, own up to it, apologize, and learn what you need to so you don’t repeat it.
Ask questions. Take feedback thoughtfully. (Yes, this is one of those things that’s easier said than done, but if you think of yourself as a novice, even if you’ve been in your industry for years, you’ll be more able to think of any difficult feedback as an opportunity for growth.)
And finally, just be the best version of you. You know what you’re like when you’re at your best, so keep that in the front of your mind. I think of this as your grandparent behavior: when you’re at a family gathering and your grandparents are there, you’re probably not cussing, complaining, or sexy dancing. But you’re still you, so don’t be inauthentic. It’s just the shiniest, politest version of who you are. Grandma and your boss will approve.