You’re in your new job and hit the deck running. You noted many areas of improvement and want to make your mark. You have the knowledge and enthusiasm to make the necessary changes. However, you find the people around you are reluctant and the changes you’ve effected are not causing the intended effects had hoped. What happened?
When a leader in a new position derails, a failure to learn is almost always a factor. Many leaders on their new job fail to take the time to do their due diligence. That is study the company, operations, and history of their new employer. According to Michael Watkins, author of the First 90 Days, there are a host of reasons why leaders fail to learn that range from innate learning disabilities to poor learning skills to, worse yet, unwillingness and/or not planning to learn.
The learning process begins with a genuine ability to listen. This begins to establish credibility and influence according to Watkins. Watkins then calls learning an investment discussing effective and efficient learning methods. Effective learning identifies what is important and the areas where learning should occur. Efficient learning relates to extracting the maximum knowledge with the least effort in terms of time.
Early questions should center on why things are the way they are. In a brief assessment, one should question beginning with the past then move into the emergent and then focus on the future. The learning process typically involves hard data but also includes soft knowledge. Soft system analysis involves questioning and listening sage people within and external to the organization. In doing so, the leader must distinguish between perceptions and realities. Once this brief assessment is made the leader should have idea on where to focus learning efforts.
The next step is to adopt a systematic structured learning method in order to delve into the focus areas vetted during the brief assessment. Structured learning is not locked into a specific method but is generalized usually involving a set of carefully crafted questions and a structured investigation that discovers the answers. The process begins with the carefully crafted questions and a learning plan. Watkins offers a template for this learning plan which involves learning about the culture and assessing the best approach to instituting workplace reforms. Should your changes being an adaptation, alteration, or assimilation?
In the end, listening and learning are the key complimentary efforts to each other. These will be important in the early assessment which will be used to develop prudent and salient questions to be investigated. The result of the learning process should be to determine the tolerance levels for changes that need to be made and the approach to implementing those changes.
References:
Watkins, M. (2003) The first 90 days: Critical success strategies for new leaders at all levels. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Ma.
When a leader in a new position derails, a failure to learn is almost always a factor. Many leaders on their new job fail to take the time to do their due diligence. That is study the company, operations, and history of their new employer. According to Michael Watkins, author of the First 90 Days, there are a host of reasons why leaders fail to learn that range from innate learning disabilities to poor learning skills to, worse yet, unwillingness and/or not planning to learn.
The learning process begins with a genuine ability to listen. This begins to establish credibility and influence according to Watkins. Watkins then calls learning an investment discussing effective and efficient learning methods. Effective learning identifies what is important and the areas where learning should occur. Efficient learning relates to extracting the maximum knowledge with the least effort in terms of time.
Early questions should center on why things are the way they are. In a brief assessment, one should question beginning with the past then move into the emergent and then focus on the future. The learning process typically involves hard data but also includes soft knowledge. Soft system analysis involves questioning and listening sage people within and external to the organization. In doing so, the leader must distinguish between perceptions and realities. Once this brief assessment is made the leader should have idea on where to focus learning efforts.
The next step is to adopt a systematic structured learning method in order to delve into the focus areas vetted during the brief assessment. Structured learning is not locked into a specific method but is generalized usually involving a set of carefully crafted questions and a structured investigation that discovers the answers. The process begins with the carefully crafted questions and a learning plan. Watkins offers a template for this learning plan which involves learning about the culture and assessing the best approach to instituting workplace reforms. Should your changes being an adaptation, alteration, or assimilation?
In the end, listening and learning are the key complimentary efforts to each other. These will be important in the early assessment which will be used to develop prudent and salient questions to be investigated. The result of the learning process should be to determine the tolerance levels for changes that need to be made and the approach to implementing those changes.
I will explore in the next several blogs postings, Proving Yourself on Your New Job. The steps are:
01. Promote Yourself
02. Accelerate Your Learning
03. Match Strategy to Situation
04. Securing Early Wins
05. Negotiate Success
06. Achieve Alignment
07. Build Your Team
08. Create Coalitions
09. Keep Your Balance
10. Expedite Everyone
Should you have any comments or questions please feel free to post or email me; james.bogden@gmail.com.
01. Promote Yourself
02. Accelerate Your Learning
03. Match Strategy to Situation
04. Securing Early Wins
05. Negotiate Success
06. Achieve Alignment
07. Build Your Team
08. Create Coalitions
09. Keep Your Balance
10. Expedite Everyone
Should you have any comments or questions please feel free to post or email me; james.bogden@gmail.com.
References:
Watkins, M. (2003) The first 90 days: Critical success strategies for new leaders at all levels. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Ma.
No comments:
Post a Comment