Are you heading in the right direction?

A few months into a new role and you’ve started to get to know people, some things are beginning to feel familiar.

The way meetings work (or perhaps don’t work).

The way people approach you, react to various situations.

The workload.

Other people’s expectations.

This can feel like you’ve made good progress, you’re here in your role making things happen. It can also feel you’re being submerged and fighting to keep on top of everything.

Either way, it’s a good time to take a step back and assess where you are. Are you heading in the direction you wanted to go? What’s going well and worth doing more of? What could you do differently?

1.     Time to reflect on how far you’ve come

The excitement, discomfort and unfamiliarity of first starting a new role can dissipate or remain as more and more challenges, issues, opportunities come your way.

Reflecting on your progress enables you to take a different perspective on how much you’re dealt with and your directions of travel.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, note the positive outcomes you’ve created. Find a way to remind yourself of these when you question whether you’re making a difference or not.

And take time to assess what you could have done differently, and how you would have done it differently.

What have you learnt so far?

2.     Who’s in your circle of influence?

As you build relationships with the people around you, it’s worth considering who is influencing you and who are you influencing?

Are there people who are important to help you in your role, and how strong is your relationship with them?

Understanding what motivates someone, can help you understand where they are coming from, what’s important to them. It will help you build common ground and consensus on issues that may at first be divisive.

Begin by building up trust with the people around you, getting to know them enough that you develop mutual respect for each other.

3.     What’s eating your time?

Meetings with no outcomes?

Meetings someone else could attend instead?

Overload of work that you simply can’t delegate?

Issues that rumble on without getting sorted out?

If you’re finding yourself stretched for time, then wat is it that you really need to be involved in and what can you delegate? If there is something stopping you delegating, take a look here on some tips to do that.

Delegation is built on trust, which may take time. Starting to develop and understanding of the people you work with and your trust in their abilities now, creates the opportunities for you to delegate and empower the people around you.

Hone your skills at giving feedback so it becomes easier and feels more natural to give everyone feedback, whether they are members of your team or your colleagues. It can help you realise and manage some underlying tensions before they become bigger issues.

Be open to feedback, actively seeking it and receiving it positively in return. It’ll help you as you learn on the role. Ask at an appropriate moment, and with specific questions on what you want to know, and accept the comments graciously even though it may be tough to hear.

So do you feel you’re heading in the right direction? And what can you do so you’re focused on the things where you can have the greatest impact, and where you’ve got the support from others to deliver on all your responsibilities?