According to the Yeager Performance Model, the three essential ingredients for success depend upon whether the individual…
- Wants to succeed (desire)
- Knows how to succeed (knowledge of people and requisite skills)
- Has the chance to succeed (opportunity)
If at any point you find you are being held accountable for something but lack the authority to get it done, speak to your boss at once. Don't pass it off in the hope it will go away. You are a member of your boss's team now, so you should work to keep his or her support. Seek advice, guidance, direction, involvement. With tact, do whatever you feel you must do to ensure that you can deliver what you have been hired to do. Remember, nothing can ever be the way it may have seemed while you were on the outside looking in.
If you experience difficulties, you have an obligation to yourself and your supervisor to report that in the most fair and accurate way you can. Since you are still new, it will most likely be inappropriate for you to recommend solutions, but you can certainly elicit them, listen carefully, and act appropriately.
If you feel that your supervisor's own actions or inactions are contributing to the problem, you will have to tread carefully, of course. More than one recent hire has been terminated rather quickly for going over a boss's head or attempting an end run. Even if you go to the personnel department, whatever you say is likely to bounce back. After all, you are still the outsider, and the pack regards its survival as paramount.
Not every job is going to be perfect, and not every situation is going to require the boss's involvement. Be judicious in calling him or her in to help you with a situation. Some situations may resolve themselves in time, but you will have to be astute in determining which ones.
Get the Word Out
Now that you are on the job, be sure to notify potential employers who still have you under consideration. Phone calls are appropriate, but follow up with brief letters so you increase the impact. The recipients will appreciate the courtesy and respect you even more. Perhaps one day you may be in touch with them again.
You should also contact everyone who has helped you throughout your search—everyone. That includes the people you interviewed for information, librarians, and anyone else who may have extended you a special favor. Again, a phone call followed by a brief note would be appropriate—and appreciated. People tend to remember favorably those who were considerate to them.
Build Your Resume
Now that you are in the job, consider how difficult it probably was to document your accomplishments or relationships when a potential employer asked you for information to support your statements. Never allow yourself to be caught short again.
From this day forward, write memos, notes to file, detailed reports.
Send the originals to the right people, the ones from whose names you'll benefit most as documentation if you need to reference these projects in future interviews. Keep copies of any commendation letters, memos, or anything else that shows that you made a contribution to a specific project. If you are entitled to copies of your performance evaluations, keep them as well.
Finally, store this material in a secure file at home. Horror stories of leaders who have staged midnight raids on their own managers aside, you never know when you’ll be glad you have this material where no one else can see or touch it.
Although these are good procedures to follow in any career, you should be especially prudent about maintaining such information if you are in a high-turnover field. The track record you claim on your resume and in your interviews will have far more meaning if you can document it.
