Starting a new position is a tender time for both employers and employees. Each of them is figuring out whether this is truly going to be a good fit or not. In order to give the boss (or client) absolute confirmation that you were a good hire, doing the following will help you to win over everyone that you’re about to work with and for in the short term, but to set the stage for your reputation in the long term.

Show up early. A high ranking military officer once told me his philosophy on timeliness, “if you’re early you’re on time, if you’re on time you’re late, if you’re late don’t even bother.” I don’t think he literally meant not to show up, but rather that people who show up late (without good reason) tend to look a little foolish or out of control.

Look sharp and be sharp. This was a phrase from Jeffrey Fox’s book “How to be CEO”. Never underestimate appearances. Looking sharp helps you to at least appear competent for the role. The perception of competence is half the battle. Being sharp is everything though because it makes the outward perception true, which is the most powerful perception of all.

Take initiative. Jump right in, and ask how you can help, get your hands as dirty as quickly as possible to produce tangible results on a current project or initiative.

Get context. Read organizational reading materials, take an orientation class if it is offered (or mandated). You can get critical context through some of the following sources:

• A website
• The organization chart(s)
• An annual report
• The organization’s newsletter
• The schedule for key meetings and other annual events
• Key working groups, boards, committees, or communities of interest that are relevant to your position

Talk to people. Sit down with senior people who know the organization well. Conversations with these people will help you to find out:

• What the culture is really like (i.e. What are the acceptable and unacceptable social and professional norms of the organization)
• What the organization expects of someone in your position
• The core work hours, and general attitudes for flexible work and good times of the year to take vacation

Create a self-teaching plan. If you’re new to the industry, company, client, job, or function create your own learning plan with objectives of things you think you should know in the new position.

Take notes – lots of notes. Taking diligent notes – whether you need to or not – almost always reflects well on yourself, because shows you’re listening, invested, paying attention, and that you care about what’s going on.

Communicate progress early and often. First, ask your boss how s/he likes to receive updates, and at what level of detail. Communicate what you are doing and your progress regularly. Start with a brief daily check-in with your boss for the first week or so, then go to 1x a week after that. Your organization may have different communication standards, where you may need to communicate progress as much as hourly or as little as once a month.

Produce something quickly. Getting a quick win or something produced quickly helps create massive goodwill for you. Remember, your boss wants to see you succeed, they are rooting for you, because if you don’t work out – it reflects badly on them and makes their job harder.

SPECIAL NOTE TO LEADERS: Have a 100-day plan to observe, talk with people in your organization, and begin thinking about how you can make the organization better. Initially, you will need to balance observation with active learning and participation in the organization you lead. My advice would be to [again] go for some “low hanging fruit” i.e. easy, quick accomplishments that win you goodwill from your superiors, peers, and your employees.

Bad New Employee

Many years ago, I worked with a company that hired George, a senior level consultant with a Ph.D. who wowed everyone in the interviews and immediately got hired. On his first-day orientation, where the CEO was actually present, he was arrogant, pompous, and long-winded everytime he spoke. On his second day, he was sent to a customer for a consulting engagement. Over the next couple of weeks it was clear, that despite his education and great overconfidence, the other consultants, and the customer could see that he did not live up to his resume. Instead of jumping right in, he waited to be told several times before responding to an assignment. He didn’t take any notes, he didn’t ask any questions, he didn’t initiate or offer help to anyone, he produced very little, and what he produced was far less than what might be expected from someone with a Ph.D. When he was asked to produce anything he’d hem, haw, stall, and after repeated reminders (by the customer no less) he would finally produce something of poor quality that needed another consultant to “clean it up” before it could be submitted to the customer. The worst part was despite getting coaching from other consultants and his boss that was intended to help him, he didn’t have the self-awareness to see how he was failing. And he didn’t have the humility to change his behavior. So it was no surprise that in his first presentation a month into his employment, he bombed and bombed badly. He was later removed from that customer engagement and eventually let go from the company. As a new employee, George had many opportunities to do right by his company and his customer, but he failed at every turn, due largely to his own self-opinion and arrogance, and was eventually let go for it.

After serving 300 client organizations, I’ve learned a thing or two about quick-successful-transitions that I’ve experienced personally and observed in others. So the advice above is personally tried and true. If you are already in or going to a new position, remember to aggressively jump in, ask questions, take notes, learn, get “dirty”, and produce something as quickly as you can. Do this and your new boss (or client) will say, “you were a great hire, we’re so glad you’re with us.” And ultimately if your client tells you that, you did it right.

Question: What advice would you give to a new employee to ensure they are successful in your company or business? You can leave a comment by clicking here.