A Job Done Well - Making Work Better

How to Flourish in a New Job – Start as You Mean to Go On

• Jimmy Barber and James Lawther • Season 2 • Episode 21

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Throughout our work lives, we change jobs - sometimes, we get a promotion, move to a new organisation, or move within a company. It happens all the time.

Often, the initial transition can be bumpy and influence your entire tenure in a role, so this week, we explore some ways that you can ensure a smooth transition and maximise the impact you have in a new job.

Preparing for new responsibilities goes beyond the usual inductions or initial training. We share a tried-and-tested (by Jimmy, at least) model from Michael D. Watkins, and we will also help you plan any transition so you can start in your new position as you mean to go on!

You'll also learn why James has a phobia of office furniture and question whether Donald Trump prepared appropriately for his new position.

The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter: Amazon.co.uk: Watkins, Michael D.: 9781422188613: Books

Hello, I'm James. Hi, I'm Jimmy and welcome to A Job Done Well, the podcast that helps you improve your performance enjoyment at work.

James:

Good afternoon. What we talking about today

Jimmy:

Afternoon James. Today we are talking about how you maximize the impact you have when you get a new job.

James:

I never maximize the impact I have when I get a new job mate. I just run around like a headless chicken wondering what the hell's going on.

Jimmy:

That's why we're going to talk about it today. whether it's internal moves, external moves, promotions, changes, shape of jobs, some of we do all the time. All of us, we're going to share some insights on how you can maximize the impact and not be a headless chicken.

James:

very good

Jimmy:

So what you've been up to James?

James:

Well, mostly I have been changing my camera angle I've had feedback on the videos that had and people have said you've got very nice forehead change It's a bit freaking big so I have changed the angle of my camera so that my forehead no longer looks quite so big So yeah, i'm full technicolor. I am I look gorgeous now.

Jimmy:

Well, you can believe that, but I'm not sure who's got the bigger forehead. You or me?

James:

Oh, there's a question. Yeah Yours keeps going

Jimmy:

did you used to watch do this won't mean anything to anyone under the age of about 40 or the old mash advert smash and the

James:

Oh yeah,

Jimmy:

now the teeth, our heads that were in the smash adverts.

James:

do

Jimmy:

big foreheads like us because they were So intelligent. That's it. So I keep saying that it's a sign of cleverness. I tell my daughters that who both inherited the big slaphead from me.

James:

I bet they're delighted.

Jimmy:

very delighted about that.,

James:

And what have you been doing?

Jimmy:

I've been catching up with a few people. It's very nice to just catch up with people, whether it's friends, colleagues, whatever, just, reconnecting with people. So it's a good thing to do.

James:

Very good.

Jimmy:

Some thanks that we owe to some audience. We've been a bit remiss. We've got a few people that we should recognize. There is a few people that have commented on our video clips. People like Kirk and Vic have both commented positively about the video clips My other half actually said that our ELC episode was the best one that she's listened to. And I don't think that was just cause she got a mention in it, We should also thank obviously Steve who appeared in the video, but also Vic Smith who suggested that as a subject. So that was a very, very much appreciated. We have also had, you know, a few coaching requests of recently, there's been people wanting to talk to us about some of the leadership challenges they have being made redundant. So. How do you deal with that? And we've done episodes on all of those sorts of things. And a special shout out on the feedback to our good friend, Ben Horton, who took great joy in pointing out your incorrect use of jump the shark

James:

how did he?

Jimmy:

episode. And, you know, You know, Ben is probably the most clever person that we know on all things grammar. he's like a Scrabble guru. You cannot beat him at Scrabble. So if he says our grammar is incorrect, then it's definitely incorrect. But in all seriousness, we should thank people for their engagement, whether it is giving us feedback on episodes and feedback sometimes is things that we could do better and things that people want us to change along with people who like and follow and subscribe to us we appreciate it.

James:

So new jobs then why are we talking about this? Go on explain it to me

Jimmy:

It's one of those things that we all go through and Invariably we are, successful often through hope rather than careful planning. There's not a lot of thought. You just get into it, excited about a new job, throw yourself into it, happy days. We've all experienced the in at the deep end. We've all experienced having mixed starts to jobs. Some things work well, some things don't. And so we thought we would do an episode to help people because when, when you do get this right, you can set yourself up for life in a job and when done badly, you can bounce out of a job pretty quickly. And actually I think we all underestimate how many times we change jobs because it's, this isn't just, I'm going to a new company, this can be. You know, an internal move between teams. It can be, internal promotions can be moving to different departments. It can be the shape of your job changes the stuff we'll talk about today would help with any of those scenarios.

James:

Cool. Do you know the worst thing that ever happened to me when I started a new job was?

Jimmy:

You met me?

James:

Now, well, along those lines, I'm sitting there and I'm surrounded by strangers and I'm trying to get the chair to work and I pulled the wrong button and all of a sudden I just disappeared that's a visual gag for the video there. But no, I did that and I'm thinking, Oh my God, how am I going to get this chair to work again? I was mortified.

Jimmy:

you, did you sit there like typing like that for like 10 minutes?

James:

Nobody's noticed. It's

Jimmy:

meant to do that, honestly.

James:

absolutely good from the back. No, I did do that. Yeah, but no it is quite

Jimmy:

So let's, let's start off a little bit more positively than that. In terms of, things that you can do. To help you when you start a new job, what, what are some of the things that you've done that helped you be successful and have as maximum impact as possible?

James:

So I think the, most important thing for me has actually been to not come in jumping up and down like the big I am thinking, you know, everything without a doubt. The most important thing has been to just shut up and listen. I would say that's, I think is the thing that's helped me most of all.

Jimmy:

And I think there's a few things we will come on to in a bit. We've got a, a model to share with people that is, you'll be pleased to know isn't our model, but it does really work

jimmy_3_01-29-2025_162937:

thanks to a former boss of mine, Bill Taylor, he gave it to me before I joined his team. And it really made a big difference. And I've been using it ever since. So hopefully people will find it helpful..

Jimmy:

And we know how James, you love a model. But

James:

I do like a good model. Yeah.

Jimmy:

some of the things that worked for me, I think actually planning ahead rather than just going into it and, cracking on, which I think you often do is actually planning how you're going to be successful. And to be honest, both James and I are, you know, the world's worst planet.

James:

Worst

Jimmy:

We hate it. We hate it. But actually this is one of those examples where a little bit of planning can help we will come back to that in as part of the model. the model gives a structure for thinking about and approaching that new job piece. I think to your point, James, being a bit kind to yourself and the people around you, in other words, don't expect that you're going to be perfect. And, show some humility and, and be excited about the opportunity to learn. And I think the other thing that I'd pull out is invest in the relationships and, and actually do that before, before, sometimes before you start, you know,

James:

Have you got the opportunity?

Jimmy:

often, you know, that you're starting in a company. And, you might meet people as part of your interview process, your induction processes while you're working your notice, use every possible opportunity to start building those relationships and the alliances that you'll need.

James:

Well, there was that story, a very true story of an organisation we work for and they they hired this new bloke into a very senior role. And he came in and he went on a sort of an away day. A month or so before it was due to start and he made himself so unpopular on that away day that everybody in the company was saying, why would we hire this person even before he'd started? So he really didn't set himself up

Jimmy:

Yes. So what we're recommending is do the complete opposite of

James:

opposite Yeah.

Jimmy:

part of that would have been that, when. you first meet the new team you're going to be working with is if you let your ego take control and you've got to prove why you're here, why they hired you, why you're going to add value, why you're going to change, that's, that's what really pisses people you off, because you're immediately the inferences. everything you're doing is wrong

James:

Yes.

Jimmy:

here to tell you what's right.

James:

Yeah.

Jimmy:

So back to your point, James, about your chair, what are some of the things that we've seen that don't work as well when you're starting a new job?

James:

Being aloof Yeah, setting yourself apart. And actually that's quite difficult because people want to meet you when you start a new job, especially if you're the boss. But if you are by nature quite reserved and introspective, then it's actually putting you outta your comfort zone. But people can see that the wrong way. So making the time to go out and see people rather than sitting there being nervous, I think is quite important.

Jimmy:

that reminds me of one good example, when I started. At Capital One and at the end of the first week we had to, we were doing something in the department I was working in and we had to dress up as school kids. I hadn't dressed up as a school kid since funny enough, I was at school So this was way out of my comfort zone, but it was quite clear that that's how the culture was going to be there. And you either got on and embraced it and enjoyed it and saw the positive in it. Or you can be really uncomfortable or you weren't going to last very long there. So I went for the embracing it and enjoyed it and got as part of it. But equally, I saw people who spent their whole lives at that company feeling deeply uncomfortable about some of those cultural norms

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Jimmy:

And another thing that I'd call out in terms of what doesn't work for people was Not ever adapting your approach. It's quite often people get, what made me successful previously will make me successful today. And so therefore you just do more of what you've always done. And sometimes that can work and sometimes it doesn't. But what I've seen is when it doesn't, people's plan B is do more of plan A. And I think that's sometimes the problem.

James:

It's a bit limiting.

Jimmy:

one, organization that we worked for together, we saw lots of people come in who had no plan B and they just did more, plan A and they didn't last very long, but sometimes if you, if you work out what has made you successful in the past, what helps, what maybe can be adapted, and actually there are sometimes things that have made you successful in the past, but in a new context will actually be damaging. Thank you. And you have to try and identify those

James:

Yes.

Jimmy:

They may be just good things, mightn't they?

James:

is there anything else you would avoid?

Jimmy:

So I guess one other thing I'd avoid is try and remember why you were hired. You were hired for a reason. And sometimes you can forget that. And it might be a capability you have, a skill you have. It might be to change and disrupt things. It might be to improve things, but there'll be a reason why you're hired. And sometimes you can lose sight of that, which means that you diminish the value that you add to your new organization if you do that.

James:

Yeah, and I think it's important you are very clear in your own mind what that is. I remember vividly when I started working, I worked for a bank for the first time before that and always worked in manufacturing. And I walked into this call centre and I'd only ever worked in factories. I've got no idea what was going on at all. But very quickly it became clear that, well actually the problems were the same. You know, you're not in enough capacity, nobody knew what was going on. And actually then it became very clear why I was hired because I understood all of these things. But it is quite easy to be overwhelmed and you don't want that to happen.

Jimmy:

Yes. Or you're never gonna have the impact that you're being hired for. So that's a couple of things from our experience in terms of some things that we've done good, good or bad. I guess the

James:

So go on though. You have got a model for me. You're going to go on a tour. Yeah, go on. Excellent. Go on. Talk me through the model because I need to

Jimmy:

Yes, knowing that you love a model, James, I funnily enough, have used this in the past. And it is, not only is it a model, it's a book.

James:

okay.

Jimmy:

not an audio book, it's a

James:

A proper book,

Jimmy:

it's a proper book.

James:

You read it.

Jimmy:

And I've read it!

James:

The model's on page four. Is that what you're telling

Jimmy:

Yes, something like that.

James:

Go on, so what's the book called, for those who didn't see

Jimmy:

Sorry, the book is called The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins. And the fact that he has a D in his name

James:

Cruise is American.

Jimmy:

Exactly.

James:

Yeah.

Jimmy:

So if you can just suspend your pro Trump attitudes for one, one second and and go with it,, the premise of the model overall is to help you, they describe it as reach break even as soon as possible. So that you're being hired into a team, into a new team, into a new organization, and it's, you return value to that organization. The team you're working with, everyone around you as, as early as possible.

James:

Okay, so the investment they are putting into you is repaid as quickly as possible, hence the break even point. Yeah, I've got it.

Jimmy:

That's the overall premise. And then they identify a number of areas that help you get yourself ready and the things that you need to think about and do in your first 90 days in a new job. And remember, this applies to new job, new organization. new job promotion move internally, whichever, same, the same structure applies. So just to have a quick run through some of those, the first one is to prepare yourself. So get yourself ready. And work out how you make a break from the old organization and move into the new organization.

James:

And that's quite important, actually, I think, because I, I mean, I have been, I'm hung up. But you leave one organization you go to another you're unlikely to go back to that old organization But when you still talk about we and it's the organization you were working for 10 years ago That's a bit of a problem psychologically. You have to get away from

Jimmy:

Yeah. You have to watch your, what's your language. I remember you spent the first six months at Capital One talking about at Mars, we used to,

James:

Yeah but no nobody's interested

Jimmy:

And they also talk, and this really worked for me on a number of occasions, do something symbolic. To note that you've left an organization, you're going somewhere else. And as an example, I when I left Capital One, the thing that I did there was I sold any shares I owned in that organization. I don't get them wrong. It is worth like a bowl of rice. But the point was. I was moving organization and I kept on looking at the Capital One share price. So I had one foot in the past. When I sold the shares, I was gone.

James:

Yeah.

Jimmy:

So how do you make that emotional break as you move to an organization? So that's the first one. Next one. Accelerate your learning is just be open to the fact that you've got to learn in a new organization. You don't know everything despite what you're being hired for. So be open to that learning and invest in that learning.

James:

And did they give you any does it give any examples of the things you should be doing then to accelerate that learning? Because Sorry, it's a lovely chew, as in what sort of things were they

Jimmy:

It depends. It depends on how you learn, and it depends on the context that you're in. So some of us learn by talking to people. Some of us learn by reading, so it really depends on your personal style of learning. But it is about, spending some time working out what are the things that you need to learn about in the new organization and then investing time in those things.

James:

Go on then, next one. Match strategy to situation, then. So what the hell is that

Jimmy:

So that's just really understand what are you getting into. So what's the situation that you're finding yourself into? And yeah, quite often that might be different from the situation you've been told you're going into. So are you going into a situation where the team you're going into is stable and you're going in just to maintain performance? Are you going into something that's broken Are you going in something that is growing each of those different situations? Requires different skillset and different mindset. If you haven't worked that out, you could find yourself in trouble.

James:

Well then, actually, as well, I mean, let's be brutal about it. When you're going to a new job, they'll give you a little flim flam about how great it is before you start. The situation is never going to be exactly as you thought it was. So yeah, taking the time to understand what the situation is, is all important.

Jimmy:

so you can match your strategy. What are you going to do when you get there to that situation? I'll give you a good example. Somebody who will remain lameless hired me to do a job once. And they told me it's all right. We've done three quarters of the work. We just need somebody to come in and crank the handle. Now, if that was the case. When I landed, I would be learning. I would be taking my time. I'd be, you know, cause the pressure isn't on. When I got there, it was an absolute shit show and I actually had to make a difference immediately. And so what I thought I was going into and what I was actually going into were two different things. But you can match your actions when I know that I'm going into something that needs to be fixed and I need to impact from day one. I know what I'm getting into. I'm more likely to be able to deal with that.

James:

Yeah. Okay. That makes

Jimmy:

Which kind of leads to the next one, which is negotiate success. So before you start, don't let it be implicit what success looks like. Have you really talked to your boss, your stakeholders about what good looks like for you in that first period of time, in that first few months, in that role as its entirety?

James:

Yeah, and this I think is really important because people might not be on the front foot telling you what success looks like from the get go, but they sure as hell be pretty vocal if you're not giving them it six months

Jimmy:

Yeah. And quite often they haven't told, told you success from the get go because they ain't thought about it themselves.

James:

which actually ties back to the whole point about Accelerate Your Learning. Have you actually gone out there and understood what your key stakeholders, who they are and what they

Jimmy:

Yeah. And I think one of the things, James, that's key about this is all of this is straightforward and obvious. So this isn't, some revelationary new stuff. It is just a helpful structure, but it is back to the point that we made earlier, spend some time thinking about this ahead of time. Spend some time planning. No, we hate it, but this structure helps you do it.

James:

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. So what's The next one

Jimmy:

one is Secure some early wins when you get in there, show that you are going to add value to get some momentum., as an example one organization I went into had massive problems with their systems. Everything wasn't working. So what I did to try and meet this was, I asked, What were the top two things that needed to be fixed? They had, they had a spreadsheet with 400 things on.

James:

Yeah,

Jimmy:

What were the top two things the people that were using the system wanted to have fixed? And on a daily basis, I obsessed about getting them fixed until they were sorted. And that helped people suddenly see, like, Oh, okay, things are going to change. We are going to improve things. And, however long later they didn't have a list of 400 things, but get those quick wins so that people can see what you're about, what you're trying to achieve and what the future is going to be like. So it isn't just picks and quick wins.

James:

Yeah, and there's a lovely quote. I wish I could remember who said it, but it wasn't me But it's something like success in business is all about getting your arms around a problem and knocking it off And actually being really clear, you know, early on, these are the things that I am going to fix and fixing them, yeah, and being clear that you have fixed them.

Jimmy:

Just to run through the next few. So achieve alignment is the next one, which is all about one of our favorite subjects, purpose. So being clear about what the purpose is, what the strategy is, and getting everything, the people, the systems, the culture aligned to deliver on that purpose and.

James:

Well, I'm on, is that aligning it to the organized, aligning yourself to the organization or is that creating alignment within your bit of the business? What do they mean by that?

Jimmy:

It can be either. It depends on the situation. So, in that example that I said where, I went into a shit show and had to, hit the ground running, one of the first things I did is get everyone aligned around what success looked like, but being clear about, right, we're here to deliver X. And then getting everyone obsessing about that, you know, in that instance, it wasn't about the organization's overall purpose. This particular problem would have impacted that, but this was about solving that particular problem. So get everyone aligned around that.

James:

Yeah.

Jimmy:

The next one is just around building your team. Assess and change your team as, as necessary. Because after 90 days, that team is your team. So if they aren't the right people, you need to either, the classic thing, either change the people or change the people. But you need to start thinking about that in the first 90 days, or are you giving them the capability or do you need to hire in the capability? You can blame someone else for certain things for a while, but not for very long because they become yours quite quickly. Your team, your problems, your issues. But

James:

Yeah. And I'm just trying to think that one through. So I am, I do remember one occasion I started a job and it was a reasonably big job and the team I inherited, I'm sitting there thinking, bloody hell, you are kidding me. But actually they were pretty good towards the end. And I think it was really a question of them not being given the opportunities Yeah. And being sat on rather than, than being amateur out, which is what I first thought. So it's a very difficult one to play through.

Jimmy:

but it depends. It does depend. I mean, I've had teams where similarly I thought straight away. No way. And actually, you're right. People can grow. People can change if they're given the opportunity. But you've got to make that assessment relatively quickly. You can't, you can't let things go. either you're going to invest and you're going to build that capability or you're going to change that capability.

James:

Okay. What's next

Jimmy:

I'm creating alliances. This is about building relationships the stakeholders that you have. And that's not just your boss that is looking a bit wider at the stakeholders that you have in the work that you're doing. Build those relationships early on and also understand the informal networks where you're working..

James:

So let me pile in on this one. I think understanding who wants to play. To play and who doesn't because you walk into some organizations and there will be some people who really want your help And there are others who just don't want you to go anywhere near what they're doing But understanding that early and actually it links back to the point about quick wins There is no point pushing water up hill with a rake with somebody who never wants to Getting to be involved in what it is. You're trying to achieve So finding those people who are keen and want to have a go and putting your effort in there Is really all important because otherwise you will not succeed

Jimmy:

No, exactly. The,

James:

And you need people, in the organization to say good things about you, not just your boss.

Jimmy:

often we think about it in a very linear fashion. I work for my boss. That's the key relationship and it is in one sense, but it's much more complex than that in terms of the people that you need to help you or to be saying good things about you.

James:

Yeah.

Jimmy:

The next one is managing yourself. So this is about taking a bit of time to think about what support do you need to be successful in a job? What mindset do you want to have? What habits do you want to have? What are the things that will help you? As you go into that new role, we don't often think about that. All we do is we rush into a role and, you know, I'm going to do the same things that always make me successful and I'm gonna work harder and harder and harder. This is about just being a bit more thoughtful about

James:

Yeah. Well, this one sounds a wee bit like self help to me, mate. So can you give an example of where you did this? cause I'm struggling a wee bit with this

Jimmy:

So I think a couple of things. So for example just thinking when I go into this job, what's the the training, the help, the resources that I might need to be successful in this and it's thinking up in advance rather than, six months down the line thinking, actually, I need a, I need a PA to help me or I need a team to do X, Y or Z is or I need some training. I need somebody to teach me something. It's up front. I will need this help and it's negotiating some of that help up front.

James:

Okay. Now that makes a lot of sense. And. There are things that you probably don't want to be admitting to when you're going through the interview process But which you know about yourself, so a good example of this would be I mean we joke about it But project management, oh my lord, not my my strong suit, but I've always managed very quickly To get somebody to help me when I'm into an organization.

Jimmy:

Exactly. But it's that sort of thing where, up front, just think about, actually I'm going to need some help to do this, this, and this and again, the mindset piece, it's, I'm going to approach this with a bit of humility. I'm going to approach this with a, I don't know, best mentality. It's what are the things that are going to help me be successful as opposed to, I'm going to solve everything. I'm going to fix this shit show in the first week

James:

Yeah,

Jimmy:

and go happen.

James:

All right.

Jimmy:

And then the

James:

And the last one then.

Jimmy:

one

James:

This is, this is bollocks, isn't it? God, so what's this God, tell me.

Jimmy:

I mean, being honest, so. I've I've used this, I think, three or four times the model overall works. And what we've discussed is my interpretation of the model. The last one less, less convinced about, which is accelerate everyone. Now, the way I thought about this.

James:

on, sorry. How do you accelerate someone? Do you give them a kick up the ass? Is that what, is that what this

Jimmy:

Now, I think the point, the point here is when you go into an organization, you are going for a transition, but so is everyone else. They've got a new boss, they've got a new colleague, they've got a new member of their team.

James:

Quite stressful for

Jimmy:

all a transition for everyone. So this is for me is about thinking about those people around you. How do you help them go through that transition? And an example of that would be. Yeah, I, if I'm in a new team, I would invest time to get to know my colleagues as well as my team and my boss. I'll get to know some of my peers. I'll invest my time in that. I will share a bit more about myself and be a bit open. to try and encourage them and realize that I'm here to help. I'm not very threatening and show a bit more about myself. So that helps them go through that transition of me entering their organization or their team a little bit quicker,

James:

Yeah. And I think there is something here about particularly the people in your team and around you, because you do not know what the agendas were before you joined the organization. So I remember one specific case I started to do a job and there was a guy in my team who had been promised the job that I had been given and understandably he was a bit, Yeah, miffed about that. Fortunately, I managed to get it out of him in reasonably short order that that was the issue and I didn't start loading it and we worked our way through it, but you have to. Yeah, understand that and get people through the change curve as quickly as possible.

Jimmy:

yes.

James:

Yeah, I'll buy

Jimmy:

So, like I say, that's, that's a model. And I, like I said, I used it a number of times when I've changed jobs. Internally, when I've gone in, as a temporary person, as a contractor, as a permanent, as a promotion, I've used it in lots of different situations. And it's partly the discipline of spending some time thinking about how you can be successful up front. Some of it is just invest in the time and some it is the structure does help.

James:

Right, and so before we move on, just go through those again. What are the headings so people can remember them?

Jimmy:

So prepare yourself, accelerate your learning, match your strategy to the situation you're going into. Negotiate success with your stakeholders secure some early wins, achieve alignment between purpose and everyone that you're working with, build your team, create alliances, manage yourself, and accelerate everyone through the transition of you joining.

James:

And for anybody who wants to buy this book, what's it called again? We'll put a link in the show

Jimmy:

First 90 days by Michael D. Watkins and to be honest, this was my interpretation of, of what he said it's, my version, how I've used it. So I'll apologize in advance to Michael D. Watkins if I'm misquoting. And if I have, please feel free to tell us when you've read the book.

James:

Do you think Donald Trump bought a copy of this before he started his new job?

Jimmy:

Well if we went back, we could have a look has he done any of these things? If you was going for a quick win, would you change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the

James:

Well, I think that's the the Gulf of America? is definitely that's a quick way. Invading greenland. That'll be another quick way because there's not many of them to stand back just to

Jimmy:

He'll be accelerating everyone's transition to being the 51st state there.

James:

Yeah, right then. So a summary before I get myself in

Jimmy:

in summary, Changing jobs, new jobs. It's something that we all do multiple times throughout our career. We've talked today about some of the things that you can do that help you when you start a new job and some of the things that, In our experience don't work. And we shared Michael D Watkins model with you. Hopefully that's been a useful session for those you not just who's changing jobs in the short term, but yeah, this will be something that you'll do at some point in the future. what's your takeaways from this James?

James:

I think actually having a Structure that you'll work if you I mean there are some of the things on there, which you've said and I think yeah Well, obviously but working your way through it, the things that I've done You Implicitly, but making it a wee bit explicit, I think is really quite a powerful thing to do. Yeah, I think the one thing which isn't so much in the model, but I think is really important is just don't go in and be arrogant. Yeah, sitting down and listening to people and learning because it will be different from where you've come from is all

Jimmy:

Yeah. And I think one of the key points is People just go into a job and just hope their natural brilliance is going to get them through. You're leaving a chance a little bit. And like you say, some of the things are implicit. They're happening in the back of your head, make them explicit, invest the time, and I guarantee you your performance in that first 90 days and beyond, because that's the key is the first 90 days set you up for the long term in that job, it will help you be more successful.

James:

I've got one other key bit of advice.

Jimmy:

on then.

James:

Don't bugger about with the levers on the chair until the office is empty.

Jimmy:

And on that note,

James:

we'll leave it there. All right, I'll speak to you next week.

Jimmy:

thanks everyone.

James:

Cheers now.

We cover a whole host of topics on this podcast from purpose to corporate jargon, but always focused on one thing, getting the job done well. Easier said than done. So if you've got. Unhappy customers or employees, bosses or regulators breathing down your neck, if your backlogs are out of control and your costs are spiraling and that big IT transformation project that you've been promised just keeps failing to deliver, we can help. If you need to improve your performance, your team's performance or your organization's, get in touch at jimmy at jobdonewell. com or james at jobdonewell. com.

People on this episode

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James Lawther

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Jimmy Barber

Co-host