Transition

I apologize to everyone for taking so long between posts. The last few weeks have been a time of transition for me as I moved to another position at my company. It occured to me there are a lot of business lessons to take away from periods of movement and the art of learning a new position. Here are the essentials:

Humble yourself. An ego has no place in a new job. You are making new friends and business contacts that need to respect you and your ability to function as part of a team. It takes time to earn the trust of those around you. Don't take that message as saying not to speak up and implement your ideas to make a process or product better. Simply use an extra amount of tact so you don't come off as a bull in someone else's china shop

Prepare to work on nights and weekends. You will naturally be slower than your predecessor at the new job, so understand that it will take extra time to finish a task. You need to use this time to prepare resources and study processes that will make you more efficient. Often, this will also be the time when you find problems with old systems and begin thinking of ways to optimize.

Ask questions. There is a certain understanding that goes along with being a beginner. Think of the breaks you allow a novice to a card game. The company hired or promoted you because they want to see you succeed. Understanding this basic thought should set your mind free to ask questions and seek help in excelling.

Don't loose your cool over a mistake. They are just going to happen and your focus needs to shift to correcting with minimal damage. It goes back to a general business principle: be proactive and not reactive. If there is a task you don't fully understand and no one around to ask than simply take steps to clot any damage that could occur. Your co-workers will understand, just be honest don't try to cover-up while digging yourself into a deeper hole.

Work as hard as you can. Most evaluators of future talent make a decision on the potential of new hires within weeks of starting. It is important to make that initial impression very positive and ensure that you are on the minds of the career-makers. It is certainly important to always work hard, but you first paycheck cycle could make a tremendous impact on your future.
Keep the ball moving forward and always put yourself in positions to succeed.