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Managing the move from role to another is exciting, stressful, and challenging. These tips will help you make a smooth transition. 

Congratulations! You got a new job. 🎉

To come through any hiring process is a real achievement.  It takes courage to put yourself forward, not to mention hard work and talent to make it through assessments and interviews. 

Navigating change

Every transition to a new role is different. One may involve moving locations, the other moving down the corridor. But they all involve ending one set of working relationships and starting another, which is exciting, stressful, and challenging. 

Naturally you’ll want to hit the ground running, to demonstrate to your new leader they made the right decision appointing you. But rather than charging headfirst into the work, take your first steps with care and thoughtfulness. 

While most organisations have a shared culture and ethos, every team has different influences, ways of operating, and taking on responsibilities. 

Even if you’re enthusiastic, disregarding established work processes could lead to friction even if that’s not your intention. Change may be needed but take the time to collaborate with your new colleagues to bring about change together. 

Make those early days and weeks successful with these tips: 

Understand the new environment. Take time to understand how the team operates, observe how things get done, and decisions are made. Then ask questions. 

Identify the key people. Which relationships are most important to your role? Some might be in your new team, but with increased connectivity and dispersed workforces others could be spread across the business. 

Build trust with your new leader. As we’ve mentioned you’ll need to spend time getting to know your team and clients. Your leader can provide guidance on how to become a valuable member of the team. When you get a moment ask them questions such as:

• What is the most important objective in the first three weeks/months?
• How can I be of most value to you and the team quickly?
• What is most important for me to learn and master?

Starting a new role is an exciting time. If you take a measured approach to your early transition, you’ll set yourself up for success. 

The early days of a new job can feel a little overwhelming no matter how confident you are. You’ll be meeting lots of new people and learning lots about your role. It’ll be fun but also a bit of a whirlwind. 

To help you get the most out of these early days, here are three things to really focus on: 

   1. Listen actively  

Active listening is a key, and often overlooked, skill. It’s not just about absorbing information; it’s about building trusting relationships. 

When you listen actively, you are fully engaged with what is being said, rather than passively hearing someone’s message and not responding to it. If that sounds a little vague, imagine you are talking to someone who is distracted, either by something physical such as their phone or by other thoughts and concerns.

They may hear the words you say, but they are unlikely to remember them or understand exactly what you mean. This leads to crossed wires and a sense that you aren’t being valued.

So how can you practice active listening? Whether you are face-to-face with someone or in a virtual setting, try these tips: 

• Focus on who is speaking. Obvious perhaps, but as we’ve already noted it’s so easy to be distracted in today’s world. If your attention drifts, you’ll miss important verbal and physical cues that will shape the best way to respond to them. Maintain eye contact and get into the habit of noticing when your mind wanders and bringing it back on track. 
• Be empathetic. Show you are engaged with their point of view, even if you disagree with it. This can be as simple as nodding or responding with phrases such as “I understand”, as they talk. 
• Be aware of your biases. We all have them; the key is to recognise when they are impacting how you react to a person or situation so that you can put them aside and listen to what they are saying in an even-handed way.

   2. Get to know the business

You’ll have gathered quite a bit of knowledge about your new organisation already, but it’s only when you start working that you’ll develop a deeper understanding of what really makes them tick. 

Make it your mission to build your understanding of your new team, what their values are and how they deliver value and commercial return through the services they offer. This will help you focus your work on the right priorities and carry it out in a way that meets expectations. 

They want your fresh thinking, experience, and ideas; this will simply give you the know how to mould them to their business goals in the most effective way.     

Active listening has a role to play here, it will help you pinpoint the most valuable information when you are talking to people from across the business. But try to combine that listening with curiosity. 

If you are not clear how something works, or simply want to find out more, please ask. That might mean putting your hand up in a meeting to clarify a point or asking a colleague for a longer chat about how a certain part of the business works. 

Either way, they want to hear your questions so don’t be afraid to come forward with them.

   3. Manage yourself

It’s going to be an intense and busy period and it’ll be tiring both emotionally and physically. 

Consciously managing your approach to work and the time you spend recharging outside the office will help you get the most from it.  

There are lots of ways to do this, but here are some steps to consider:

• Clarify what’s expected. What do your managers want you to achieve in your first weeks and months? It may just be to settle in, it may be a specific target. Once you know what you’re working towards you can plot your way there. 
• Set goals for yourself to achieve along the way. These could be small daily goals or larger weekly or monthly ones. As you tick them off, they’ll give you a reassuring sense you are making progress.
• Have an emotional workout. Each day, perhaps on your way home, spend ten minutes reflecting on how you feel. For example, if you are low on confidence, think about why. Did you make a mistake? Stand back and view that mistake objectively, was it really that bad? Probably not. And don’t forget, mistakes are part of the learning process.
• Make time for what you enjoy. Sounds simple, but it’s easy to get swept up in a new role and let other parts of your life slide. If you love to exercise, carve out time to go for a run, if visiting a certain friend or relative is important, schedule it in. 

Hopefully, these tips will help you navigate your first few days and weeks with us and set yourself up for success.   

Throughout your career you are likely to experience a number of important or challenging conversations and, with each one, gain a greater understanding of how to approach them. 

Every conversation will require courage and honest reflection, and some are likely to have gone better than others. Undoubtedly you will learn from each one and can improve how you manage these conversations in future.   

Most of the conversations you have in a work environment will not be difficult.  The tips below are helpful to take to any conversation with colleagues and managers.  

And if the subject or theme feels more emotive or challenging then by preparing for them carefully, you’re much more likely to get a positive outcome for everyone.   

What we get wrong:

In a recent Harvard Business Review article Joseph Grenny, a social scientist who specialises in business performance, says there is a recurring theme in these moments: when it matters most, we do our worst, ‘we cower or coerce, obfuscate or exaggerate, contend or defend’. 

But success, he says, ‘has less to do with how you use your mouth, and much more to do with what you do before you open it.’

This comes down to knowing the facts, having clarity around the key messages you want to convey, arming yourself with answers to questions in all scenarios and being conscious of heightened emotions. 

How to prepare for an important career discussion:

Even though our individual reasons for engaging in a significant conversation will be different, there are things we can all do to get ourselves in a better position to have one:

• Understand your motives. Why am I having this conversation and what do I want to get out of it? For me. For the other person. For other stakeholders. Clarity around these things will give you an anchor to return to and stop you becoming distracted by things that are less important. It will also give you a sense of focus, determination and calm. Think through what you want to achieve before having a conversation, these aren’t questions that will be answered well in the heat of the moment.
• Get your facts right. Ensure what you have to say is accurate and based on fact by checking it ahead of time. Nothing will unravel your position faster than incorrect information.
• Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Chances are the person you’re having the conversation with will have a different perspective to you, may challenge your assumptions or want to give you feedback. So as much as you want to be heard and respected, you need to be prepared to do the same for the other person, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Also don’t feel the need to fill awkward silences. Say what you have to say (keep to the facts), and then stop. Unnecessary explanation weakens your position.
• Bring humility to the conversation. Following on from the point above, while it is important to have confidence in your own view, it’s just as important to listen to, and have a genuine interest in, what the other person has to say. Not only is it respectful, it will help you reach a more informed conclusion and plays an important persuasive role too. If someone feels you are listening and engaging with them, they’ll feel less need to contest what you have to say.
• Don’t let your emotions run the show. Our emotions are often less about other people’s actions and more about the story we create in our own heads about their actions. Be sure to recognise the stories you tell yourself, and the emotions they generate, for what they are and challenge them. 

Communication skills have never been more important and never more so than when you’re starting a new role.

In the modern diverse workplace we communicate in numerous ways, both virtually and face to face, with a variety of people. That means we need to navigate a greater mix of expectations, approaches and styles. 

An ability to read the room and create authentic and effective connections will positively influence the impact you make. 

Here are some tips to help you develop this valuable lifelong skill. 

Good communication starts with understanding

Awareness is the first step to building effective relationships, communicating clearly, and limiting unnecessary tension triggered by misunderstandings.

By reflecting on your communication style and how it interacts with others, you can adjust your responses to create better conversations. If someone’s reaction to you has ever caught you off guard, think about why:

• Perhaps you’ve simply caught them at a bad time. 
• Maybe your communication style was too casual or emotive when they prefer straight facts and recommendations. 
• Maybe you approached them informally when they prefer to use traditional or structured channels. 
• Some people and cultures prefer an emotional connection before getting down to business. Others are less comfortable sharing their personal life through small talk.

How someone likes to communicate depends on many factors, from their role and personality to cultural and social influences. The key to communicating with impact is understanding how to shape your approach to fit their style. 

Four common communication styles to consider:

Humans communicate in a vast number of wonderful ways. But leadership coach Mark Murphy has pinpointed four communication personalities that we think are particularly applicable to the workplace. Take a look and see if any apply to you. 

📌 The analytical communicator

They love hard data and tend to be suspicious of people who aren’t in command of the facts and information. Typically, they prefer specific language and dislike vagueness.

• Pros – Able to look at issues logically and dispassionately. 
• Cons – Could come across as being cold.

📌 The intuitive communicator

They like the big picture and avoid getting stuck in details. They don’t need to hear things in perfect linear order, they want a broad overview so they can skip to the key point. 

• Pros – Communication is quick and to the point. 
• Cons – Could lack patience in a situation requiring specific detail. 

📌 The functional communicator

They’re fans of process, detail, timelines, and well-thought-out plans. They like to communicate things in a step-by-step fashion, so nothing gets missed. 

• Pros – They’re good with details and can be relied on to implement projects.
• Cons – Their love of information and process might disengage audiences.

📌 The personal communicator

They value emotional language and making connections, to discover what others are really thinking. They like to assess how people feel as well as how they think. 

• Pros – Tend to have strong personal relationships and are often the glue that holds groups together.
• Cons – Could be perceived as too friendly and emotive. 

Does any style jump out to you? 

You’re likely to gravitate towards people that engage in a similar way. But throughout your career you’ll also need to work effectively with people who don’t share your style.  

Once you understand your style and can identify differing approaches, you’ll be able to consciously adjust to interact more effectively with others. 

You’ll also have a better insight into why some conversations go awry, which will help you avoid unnecessarily overthinking them.

Applying understanding to your new role

When you join a new team, try to pinpoint the preferred communication style of its leader. 

You can do this during initial meetings by paying close attention to things like: 

• Do they prefer to gather information by listening or reading?   
• Do they like facts and figures, or a broader context and human stories?   
• Is their focus on the big picture or milestones, responsibilities, and process?

If it’s not obvious don’t be afraid to ask your manager: what’s the best way I can communicate and share updates with you? 

They won’t mind, in fact they’ll probably be glad of the opportunity to give you clarity since it’ll improve your working relationship and ensure the team runs smoothly.

Having read all the four communication styles above, you may be wondering which the best one is. But relax. 

No one style is inherently better. 

The key is to understand what will keep your specific audience engaged and tweak your style to match. 

For example, if you’re naturally a personal communicator some audiences may need you to augment that with an analytical side too.

Learning to build flexibility around your preferred style, enables others to hear more clearly the important things you want to communicate.