Assuming a New Job – How to Succeed in Your Initial Years

E. Peter Jacobs

© Leader Quest Inc. and E. Peter Jacobs, CAE

We all relish that promotion, the chance to have more responsibility, to really have an impact. Often, the “uninvited guest” has some anxiety: “I’ve got the job, now what?” I’d like to offer you some tips right now on how to skate the course. Some of these are going to be power strokes and some of these are going to avoid thin ice. These are my 15 points for how you can succeed when you first take on an assignment, whether it’s a job as the chief staff executive or a staff specialist.

1 Change everything, change nothing. The late Larry Ecroyd said, in an article that he wrote for a Canadian Association Magazine, “make haste slowly”. The challenge you have here is that everybody is going to be watching you. They will be very cognizant that you are the “new kid on the block” in an assignment and they’re going to be looking for change. But, they’re NOT going to be looking for disruption. Do things that are visible but of less consequence. Change your graphics; change the flavor of the newsletter. Look at the basics of your association: getting things out on time; communicating; announcing meetings; distributing minutes promptly; getting out detailed agendas. Look at those basics and tune them up.  Those are the things that everybody’s going to be in agreement with you doing, and they’ll be looking to measure you.

Another little trick you might put into place at that time is to start to survey your members. Survey some things that are not controversial, for example NOT asking business conditions, NOT asking for private statistics that they want to keep confidential, but perhaps surveying opinions about where they want their meetings held. Use this technique to get in touch with some of the members.

2 Concentrate on the possible. Really resist the urge to take on too much. This is one of my failings. I come in and I see all these great things that can be done and then I make this l..o..n..g list. I tell the Executive Committee and the Board about all these wonderful things that are going to happen. Then I find out that the list is about 90 percent too long and I’ve over-committed. So, concentrate on the possible. Pick the things you can do and do them well.

3 With your Executive Committee, your Board of Directors and your other committees, foster an environment in which you can fail. I know that sounds a little bizarre but one of the things they’re going to be looking for - whether it’s a chief staff position or whether it’s a department function - is some innovation, some new approaches. And, if you’re going to do that, you need some degree of elbowroom. Make sure you have that kind of support from them, and ensure there is some understanding that there’s going to be some risk-taking on some of the things you want to try.  Get their endorsement, get their input but foster that environment in which you can fail.

4 Get a written plan or set of priorities very quickly and early. It’s great to say “let’s do strategic planning” and you should be doing that. However, in the short term you can develop an immediate action list based on your knowledge and observations. Set a time line of, say, six to 12 months. Include an item to start a formal planning process. Get agreement, and stay focused on these items.

5 Communicate to death. Tell them what’s going on. Write e-mail updates, write your reports and copy the influence leaders (e.g., the Board).  Let them know what’s going on, don’t leave them out of the picture.

6 Quash the rumors. There will often be some rumours when you move into a situation because there are going to be people who are less than satisfied at the change. Deal with these quickly, and use all your resources.  Best techniques: use the facts, and use your supporters to spread the real story.

7 Come face to face with your ghosts. Every time you move into an assignment (unless it’s a newly created position), there are going to be some “ghosts”. Whether it’s the ghost of an exemplary predecessor who’s really done a great job, or the ghost of an industry practice or an association tradition where people take the view that ‘we’ve always done it that way’, you must know what these are. Know what hidden agendas exist that you’re being measured up to. People aren’t thinking of these consciously but they’ve often got them in the back of their minds. Know them, be conscious of them.  Don’t necessarily change your style, but know what’s going on out there.

8 Find and get to know who has influence. Every association has an inner-circle of power brokers but it probably also has a group of self-appointed critics. The critics may be people who have been involved in the Board of Directors or committee structure, or maybe not. They may be among the “eminence grise” of the association. They may simply be the hail-fellows-well-met or the nay-sayers.  This is the gang who always plays golf, the gang who always go somewhere together, the gang who always has an opinion about what’s going on. They belong to the association, they pay their dues every year but they don’t necessarily get involved formally. Get to know who they are. Tell them what’s going on, ask for their opinion every once in a while.  Don’t socialize with them unnecessarily and don’t patronize them but get to know them. They will be among those who will start or quell rumours and you want them to think you are listening.

9 This is a little different. Find and get to know the thought-leaders. Again, they may or may not be on your Board of Directors. They may be people who are simply very significant in your profession or significant in the industry and people listen to or respect their course of action and follow them. Find them out, seek them out, get to know them, and ask for their input.

10 Listen to all advice but heed your own. When I first took on my first chief staff assignment, I went into it with a whole cartload of advice from others. And, I’ve got to be honest, I took most of that advice at face value and I did not use my own good judgment to try and adapt it to the environment that I faced.

Here’s an example from the beginning of my career: A colleague, whom I respected a great deal, and still respect a great deal, counseled that I should have staff deal with me formally as their boss. I went in with that idea and adopted it without even really thinking about it. The result was kind of an instant retaliation from the staff: they closed off; they were very upset with me. It took me a year to recover from that basic tactical mistake. It just set the wrong tone about being a team. So, listen to all advice but heed your own. Use your judgment.

11 Respond quickly. Be quick on telephone inquiries and e-mails, be quick on follow up, even if you don’t have the answers, tell people you’re going to do something and do something promptly. Respond quickly even if it is only a commitment to be back with an answer in a day or two. That’s one of the evaluations that will be made of you whether you realize it or not: is this a person who is accessible, focused on getting answers for people, and one who stands by a commitment?

12 Deal with a sense of urgency but not panic. Sometimes we get the two confused. Deal with a sense of urgency, show that you can recognize those things that have to be done. One of my greatest Chief Elected Officers counseled me to act. Collect information, make a decision and act. There are very few decisions you can take, especially when you’re acting early, that you cannot correct or modify a course of action as you’re going along. The Chief Elected Officer also said, to counter that, ‘if you feel you don’t have enough information and your gut tells you it’s wrong, don’t do it”. Things seldom turn into a crisis without warning.

And panic? Well, panic usually happens when you’re backed into a corner, and you’re usually backed into a corner when you’ve procrastinated. The consequence of panic is stress and anxiety on you and those around you, and often bad decisions with far reaching consequences. Start by acting.

13 Grab some tough problems and deal with them.  Don’t delegate them, grab them.  Especially look for something that maybe hasn’t been resolved at your board level for some time, or that’s been sitting on a to-do list for that Board of Directors for a long time. Grab it, deal with it, show that you can handle those kinds of things.  Make a very good first impression.

14 Be everywhere. Get yourself into circulation. That doesn’t mean you call members and say ‘I’d like an invitation to your golf tournament that’s coming up’ but you do want to be physically present when industry events are going on; when the profession is meeting and evaluating issues. Attend major conferences, trade shows, government meetings, forums with other associations you may have to work with and who also have some members-in-common with you. Be visible. Say yes to the invitations to speak, or to visit or to be a guest.

15 Deal with your staff as people, don’t let it go to your head. That’s the mistake I think I made when I took on that first chief staff job, I was going to save the world and I let it go to my head a little bit.  These people are all human; they can all make great contributions regardless of their age, regardless of their station in life, regardless of their responsibilities.  The person who’s on the front line, the receptionist, is perhaps going to give you the best assessment of how your organization is really serving people.

Step confidently into your new assignment, and keep your eyes and ears open. Above all, be proactive and invite feedback. That way you can keep adjusting to the situation and move towards your goals and the organization’s goals. Have fun!

Peter Jacobs calls himself a life and work “guide.”  Through his company, BALANCE, Inc., he serves as a personal coach, a speaker, a workshop leader, a poet, a photographer, a computer “doctor”, a business process specialist, a bookkeeper and a writer.  He has more than 30-years experience working with businesses and trade & professional associations.  Peter can be reached at 416-604-1077 or peter@balance-inc.com