Think back to a time when you started a new job. Most likely you were thrilled about getting to know new colleagues, maybe you got a promotion or new responsibilities. Let me ask you a question. Did you prepare a “learning plan” for the first 30, 60 or 90 days? A plan that would allow you to be up and running quickly and have some early successes?
Most people that I’ve met and worked with over the years never prepare an efficient plan. They are so happy to have a new job that this little detail seem to be of no importance. It’s a bit like a new relationship, in the beginning both parties make efforts to be on their best behaviour, but in too many cases once the honeymoon is over, all bets are off.
The thing is, it takes continuous effort to keep a relationship going. It’s the same in a new job, you may not know all your new colleagues or the company. You were attractive enough to get the position and you bring value to them through your expertise but you both really need to get to know each other to benefit from your mutual forces.
If you go too fast down one path you may end up hitting a wall. On the other hand if you never take action you get into action paralysis and that is no good either. So what to do?
One strategy to be efficient in a new position is to create a learning plan so that you can accelerate your learning. By gathering as much information as possible, even before you start your new job, you will be up and running in no time.
There are two aspects on learning; Effective learning and Efficient learning.
Effective learning gives your the foundational insights you need as you build your plan for the first 1, 2 or 3 months. Effective learning is about figuring out in advance what the important questions are and how you can best answer them. It gives you a roadmap what to focus your efforts on.The faster you climb the learning curve, the earlier you can begin to make good business decisions.
A good place to start is to question the past, the present and the future. How did the company get to where they are today? If performance is good, why has that been the case. And in the case of the contrary, what are the reasons for this?
Other questions to ask are; what is the current strategy and vision, who is capable, who is trustworthy, who has influence…. where does the company see themselves in the future. What are the challenges they are facing and what are the plans for them.
Efficient learning means identifying the best available sources of insights and then figuring out how to extract maximum insight with the least possible outlay of time.
The resources available to you are financial and operating reports, strategic and functional plans, employee surveys, press accounts and industry reports. An equally important source of information is when you talk to different stakeholders within the organisations. Apart from your direct reports, management and general staff, sources like customers, suppliers, distributors and outside analysts hold important insights on your organisation.
Hopefully this has given you some food for thought and some ideas for how to create a learning plan. So next time you will be prepared for a new position.
Until next time, Be Bold, Be Courageous and BE BRILLIANT!