New Job Assimilation is often behind the failure of a new employee!
Assimilation - New job assimilation is often the biggest culprit in the failure of a new employee.
Job change is always a
stressful
risky, high-stakes undertaking for both employer and employee. Clearly, new employees don't take a new position intending to fail. Yet, according to search firm professionals in ExecuNet’s annual survey, nearly 16% of executives fail in their first year on the job. And The Center for Creative Leadership has reported that 40 percent of new leaders fail in the first 18 months.
Great emphasis has been placed on performance management and reward systems, and employers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in recruitment efforts. However, it is the thoroughness of the assimilation process that ultimately determines whether a new hire succeeds or fails.
Few companies have a formal process for new employee assimilation but cannot really afford the expense and disruption of leadership change at any time, much less in a period of turbulence.
On the other side of the equation, whether you’ve been promoted internally or hired in, taking a new job means leaving your comfort zone and facing demands seemingly from every direction.
First impressions are critical — and not just for those coming in from the outside. If you are being promoted from within, you have to deal with people’s preconceived ideas about you.
They may not be willing to cut you a break. If you’re in a senior position, you may have the board looking at you. If you’ve been promoted to your first leadership position, chances are you are a master of the job’s technical aspects and great at getting things done. You are finding that leadership is a learning process and there isn’t much time to figure things out. The honeymoon lasts 90 days at best.
It’s no surprise that even people who have strong reputations and track records feel some trepidation about making a job change. It might be the opportunity of a lifetime, but you’re asking yourself whether this is the right time to trade security for the unknown. Let’s face it, there’s no guarantee that a great opportunity will be there in a more settled time. The only constant you can count on is change.
So what can you do to give yourself the best chance of succeeding in a new role? It is important to realize that assimilation is a two-way process. Successful new hires take ownership of and responsibility for their assimilation into a new company and don’t merely leave it in the employer’s hands.
Focus on relationships
Critical to assimilation are the relationships developed at the beginning of your tenure. Look to build relationships inside and outside the company, and to develop coaches, mentors, and confidants. These individuals will have an interest in you and a vested interest in your success.
Joining a new organization should be an enriching experience – you have the opportunity to start afresh and avoid past mistakes. As part of your assimilation, demonstrate that you are trustworthy. If you say you’ll do something, do it. Volunteer to get involved and help others.
Recognize other people’s efforts. Don’t self promote, but keep people appropriately informed of your activity. Be a receptive listener, willing to accept feedback.
Rather than worrying about what you're going to say, focus on what others are saying. When your attention is on something or someone other than yourself, your self-consciousness will disappear and others will be more likely to remember and appreciate you.
Good conversationalists know the importance of listening. It conveys a natural interest in others and enables you to be more aware of what to say to keep the conversation and information flowing.
Pay attention as people introduce themselves. Addressing them by name during the current conversation will increase your chances of remembering their name at a later date.
Have a plan
Develop a plan to map your assimilation and progress toward targets. Identify thirty-, sixty-, and ninety-day plans. Plan to learn. Study the company history and learn the business. Get to know the market and your competition and link this knowledge to your role and responsibilities. Measure your progress against your plan and ask others for feedback.
Assimilating into Your New Position
- Understand the corporate culture
- Build alliances and influence others
- Determine and align expectations
- Focus on early impact projects
Maintaining Your Career Momentum
- Continuously survey your professional environment
- Occasionally redefine your professional objectives
- Always have a communications strategy
- Manage your professional reputation
It is important to realize, although your first 90 days will probably be the most formative, assimilation never really stops. Your plan should continue throughout your career.
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