Good. You accepted a job (let's hope it was the one you wanted) and the starting day have arrived. Regardless of how long you've worked and how many jobs you've held, beginning a new one is stressful. You're going into a new environment and will be working with new people. They don't do things the way you're used to doing them, and vice versa. You're bound to have mixed emotions. You're excited because you have a new job, but also anxious because you want to do your best-and you want to keep the job.
When you accept a job, you go into partnership with your new employer. You agree to do a job for them, and they agree to pay you for your services. It's to both of your advantages to work out the job details as quickly as possible so that you can "get on with it."
Focus on asking and learning. Your first few days on the job, focus on asking questions of your boss, your coworkers and subordinates. In most instances, even if you're the new boss of the whole department, you aren't expected, and frankly shouldn't, begin to completely revamp operations on the first day. There's too much danger that you'll end up throwing out the baby with the bath water. Regardless of what you were told when you were hired, most of the employees are probably competent and trying to do their jobs. During the first few weeks, find out what they are doing and observe who's doing it well. Find out as much as you can.
Assume the learner's role, and let department employees know that you appreciate their help. Do a lot of managing by "wandering around." Investigate and ask about duties and responsibilities. If your new employer doesn't make arrangements for your training, you'll have to take the bull by the horns yourself. Introduce yourself around. Ask if anyone else has essentially the same kind of job. If so, ask them to describe their job and how they approach their work. Ask them to show you how they do some of the specifics.
Look for written job descriptions, training manuals or handbooks, catalogs of the company's products or services. Read everything you can find about the company and the department. Find out what the department's existing goals and objectives are and its purpose for the company. If you're at a higher level, find out what goals and objectives were for the preceding years, and what has been already set for this year.
Find out if the company has any purpose statements. Investigate the various budgets for which you're responsible. In short, find out as much as you can as fast as you can.
Determine formal and informal power structures. A first order of business is to find out about the reporting relationships in your department, division or company. Who reports to whom and how is the company structured? What do the organizational charts look like? Get a copy of the company policies and procedures, if one is available. If these are not written down, find out what policies and procedures are under stood.
In major companies, you'll likely be given an orientation session and a booklet or employee handbook describing the company, the benefits programs and the basic corporate personnel policies. If the company doesn't have these policies and procedures in writing, ask to discuss them with your immediate superior so that you won't make mistakes. Then take complete notes to use for reference purposes.
In addition to the formal power structure, every organization has an informal social structure that wields a good amount of power. What are the social norms for the organization? Who's friends with whom? What about coffee breaks, lunches, general socializing? Make an effort to be friendly, to become acquainted. It's tough to ease into a group. You don't want to be considered standoffish, but neither do you want to blunder.
The best way to begin is to observe carefully. With whom do you seem to have rapport? Which people seem to be the key players, regardless of their job descriptions and formal titles?
Notice who talks with whom, who appear to be the advice givers and the advice takers. Meetings are an excellent opportunity to get a feel for these arrangements. Who sits with whom, who speaks up and commands attention, who speaks up and gets groans (or inattention). Unless you're in charge of the meeting, you're better off observing the first few times before you begin to speak out.
Managing Your New Employees
It's a truism that you've been aware of for a long time. Managers don't motivate employees; they simply create a good working climate where employees can motivate themselves. As the new executive, you've got to get out of the blocks fast and create that kind of environment.
The same techniques you used earlier to identify and match the communication style of an interviewer will also work in managing employees and in interacting with your superiors and peers. Read over what you've read about the various communication styles-High D, High I, High S and High C-and begin applying this on the job. You don't just manage and encourage people down. You can manage and encourage up, and laterally as well.
Remember that most people have two main communications styles: the one they use in a favorable environment, and one they use in an unfavorable environment. As you get to know the other executives/professionals and your subordinates better, and have an opportunity to see them in both favorable and unfavorable environments, you will begin to see them as whole people. You'll have a better picture of their total communications style, the highs and lows as well as their strengths and weaknesses. By remaining alert and adjusting only those aspects of your personal and managerial style that will impact most on a particular individual, you'll be able to communicate better and more productively, develop your subordinates better and get the work done. You may find it helpful to keep notes about each individual's probable style, to "red flag" potential conflict areas and to plan ways to modify the way you work or manage each.
What Have You Accomplished?
If you got this far in the book, you should be employed in a position that will give you satisfaction, while at the same time provide financial rewards-or you are at least well on your way with your search. Let's hope that you haven't just given in and "settled" for work that will merely keep you busy.
You should also have learned a new set of coping and management skills. And you should have learned a lot more about yourself through your job search process. Your depression (if you were depressed) should be gone. It usually disappears just about the time you begin working, although you may still experience anxiety from time to time.
Much about your life should be in better shape than it was before you became unemployed. Above all, you should feel better about your age. Being an older employed executive feels a whole lot better than being an older unemployed executive!
