To begin this course, we will look at working with your team, starting with your arrival and the first two weeks in your new role.
Your goal is to successfully complete the first two weeks in your new role.
Finding your place and getting comfortable and confident in your career is critical. You will have to integrate into the company and simultaneously start being operational. To do this, you must:
Analyze your mission and objectives.
Know how to introduce yourself quickly.
Meet the key people.
Be visible.
Analyze Your Mission and Objectives
When you become a manager, you must find your place in your new organization. Your direct supervisor (your line manager) looks forward to welcoming you; your new co-workers and colleagues are curious to know more about you.
Before you arrive, take a little time to go back over any notes you made during the interview. Review the key objectives and tasks for your new role - and keep an eye out for any news about the company. You want to be as informed and ready as possible for your new role.
When you arrive - or even before - make the most of your initial conversations with your line manager. Ask them:
The strategy of the company and your department.
Your mission and primary objectives.
About the people on your team.
You’ll also begin to get a good picture of how your line manager thinks and what is important to them.
Introduce Yourself
In your first few days, you’re going to meet many people! Some meetings will be planned and deliberate, and some will be by chance - especially when you’re in the office.
So how you introduce yourself is very important.
When You Meet Someone by Chance
Begin by taking the lead and saying hello without waiting to be introduced. It shows that they are important to you.
You’ll have about half a minute to introduce yourself and make a positive first impression. So prepare your 30-second pitch. Be concise, but make them curious to learn more about you. And remember, be warm.
Hi - I’m Mike. I’ve just joined to lead the commercial insight team. It's good to meet you. I’ve spent the last 25 years building and managing sales, marketing, and consulting teams in tech businesses and professional services firms. I’m really pleased to be joining the team here. Tell me about you - What’s your role?
Then let them talk!
A Scheduled First Meeting With a Colleague or Co-worker
You will have more time to introduce yourself. The other person is also there to get to know you.
Prepare a slightly longer introduction - in this context, you’ll have up to three minutes - a 3-minute pitch.
Remember that you don’t want to come across as boastful - you have to strike a balance between being assertive and humble. You also need to balance being direct about your past achievements with demonstrating that you are fully present in your new role. People will always be much more interested in what you will do in your new role and how what you’ve learned in your career so far is relevant. And, of course, what it’s going to be like to work with you.
Meet the Key People
Try to meet the key people in your first two weeks:
Your manager (we've already covered that).
Your new colleagues - especially the managers from other departments you will be working closely with.
The members of your team.
Meeting Your New Colleagues
Your goal is to get your new colleagues to accept you and start building trust.
Before each meeting, define what you are specifically interested in knowing more about.
Begin the conversation by asking the person how much time they have for you.
Introduce yourself quickly with your 3-minute pitch.
Find out about the other person: their role, assignments, challenges, and interactions with you and your team.
Ask them how you can be useful to them.
Ask for their advice in tackling your assignment. This may allow you to gain additional information.
At the end of your conversation, arrange to meet with them again once you have settled in and are more integrated.
Meeting New Co-workers
Your goal is to establish a trusting environment and talk about things that matter.
Take the time to meet each team member as quickly as possible during your first two weeks.
Before each meeting, remind yourself that you are critical to their daily work and development within the company - and that they will be equally important to you in your new role: how well they perform will define your success!
Ask them open questions about their daily tasks and assignments and how they feel in the company.
Explore their expectations of the company, the team, and you. For instance, how could team cohesion be improved?
Talk about the future: "Where do you see yourself in two years?"
These interviews are an opportunity to start identifying the different personalities on your team and how each one operates, including their strengths and areas for improvement.
These sessions are an opportunity to learn how the team worked under your predecessor.
You also want to show your co-workers that you respect and value them by showing concern for their team's well-being.
Be Visible and Available When Necessary
You Are the Gauge of the Team's Motivation
It is essential to show them that you maintain a positive attitude in all circumstances - even when you have personal problems or professional issues with your manager.
Greeting co-workers with a smile in the morning, asking about their family, and having a coffee with the team helps you get to know them as people.
The relationships you establish at the start of your work together will help provide a strong framework for you to solve - or even avoid - future problems.
Create a Positive Environment
Your co-workers and colleagues must be able to share their ideas and concerns with you even outside the one-to-one and team meetings.
It helps build a climate of trust!
Here are some simple rules that will help create the right working environment:
If you have an office, let your team know they can come and see you if they have questions or need your opinion - if your door is open. However, you do not wish to be disturbed if your door is closed.
If you work in an open-plan office, find a balance between approachability and the need sometimes for deep work. Here are two suggestions:
Agree with your team on a signal that you are busy, such as a visible flag on the desk.
Share your online calendar with them, to see when you do not wish to be disturbed - even when you are at your workstation.
Overall, aim to make yourself as approachable as you can. For example, giving your work cell number to your team is a sign of trust.
Bravo! You have completed your first steps as a manager!
Let's Recap!
Do your groundwork before your first day to help you make the best possible first impression.
Spend time with your line manager to start building a professional rapport.
Prepare your 30-second- and 3-minute pitch so you can introduce yourself effectively.
Make appointments to meet all the key players for your business (manager, colleagues, team, etc.) and prepare your questions!
Lay the foundations for your future collaboration by setting out some basic rules for communication.
Let's now look at the importance of delegating responsibility in your role as manager.
