Writing samples

Back to "Writing samples"

Congratulations On Your New Job—Now What?

This story was originally published in Vantage Point, a publication of Clinical Laboratory Management Association.

So, you’ve got a new job and you start, when, next week? Or maybe you’re being transferred to another department and will be reporting to someone else or supervising another group of individuals. Whatever your new position, congratulations!

You’re probably feeling a bit unsure of what your new role will be or whether you’re fully prepared for the challenges ahead. If it’s tips for survival you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. Meet Anne Daley, president of the Arizona chapter of CLMA and an expert in surviving job changes. Daley started her career as a laboratory supervisor, moved on to director of ancillary services, then laboratory manager, director of laboratory services, director of hospital operations and decision support services, and finally to her present position as executive director of Technical Operations for Laboratory Sciences of Arizona in Phoenix.

With six jobs in the last 10 years, Daley’s employment history fits the typical number of jobs a person has in his or her lifetime—4 to 9. Daley understands the trepidation commonly felt by people moving into a new position. "Many times when you end up in a new job," she explains, "you kind of go, ‘What’s going on here?’"

Knowing what’s going on ahead of time can help you avoid common pitfalls and hurdle obstacles with greater ease. Daley cites several key skills and behaviors that can lead to greater success during a job transition. For instance, she advises people going through a job transition to choose their opening moves carefully. "Some people come in and change everything right away. ‘It’s my way or the highway.’"

When you move too quickly on things that your staff feels highly emotional about, says Daley, "people look at you as being erratic and not able to think things through." Slow down, she says, and examine the "me" issues, the issues that have a direct impact on the lives of the people who work for you. Those issues include salary changes, alterations in job responsibilities, and how your decisions will affect your staff’s everyday work life. Then, says Daley, when you make a change involving a me issue, don’t do it in isolation. Talk to key members of your staff, gain their insight, and then explain your rationale for the changes to the entire staff.

Communicating with your staff, a fundamental management behavior, takes on increased importance during a job transition. "I remember one supervisor I had," says Daley, "who, during my first year, kept telling me, ‘You’re doing a good job, just go a little faster.’ Well, OK. Second year, ‘You’re doing a great job, just speed up a little bit.’ Third year, ‘You’ve really got this job down pat, but just speed up a little bit.’ I was really frustrated. I looked at her and said, ‘I can’t go any faster, and I don’t know what you mean by speeding up. I am going as fast as I possibly can.’ She looked at me and said, ‘Oh, I tell everybody that.’ I could have strangled her. For two years, every time I looked at her, I’m thinking, Faster, faster, faster. So it’s important to let people know exactly what you expect of them."

Explaining your goals is an important part of that strategy. "I share my yearly goals with everybody," says Daley, "and ask them to set their yearly goals based on my goals. If something they’re doing doesn’t fit into one of the stated goals, either they shouldn’t be doing it because it’s not important or the job description for that person is wrong and needs to be changed."

Whatever you do, urges Daley, don’t touch dress code or attendance policies for at least three months. "I’m sure many of us have changed something in a new position only to find out that the previous way of doing it was the staff’s pride and joy. They worked on it for years. They were so proud of that new dress code or attendance policy. I once tried to change an attendance policy within the first 3 months. I can tell you that it’s almost political suicide with the people."

Many managers moving into a new position may wonder how soon they can or should remove ineffective staff members. Some managers move quickly to fire or reassign poor performers. Others wait three or four months, until they feel more confident in their new position. Daley suggests waiting a month or two, but not longer. "Don’t keep the bad people too long," she says. "It’s a fine art—when to keep them, when not to. When you’re new, you want to give somebody at least a month or two."

She adds that the length of time you keep a poor performer depends on how blatant their errors are and whether they’re undermining your authority or the department’s goals. For instance, Daley doesn’t budge on safety issues. "For example, there will be gloves worn at all times," she says. "There are just certain things I’m nonnegotiable on. So let them know that."

Daley says that after you’ve been on the job about a month, it’s important to hold a formal conversation with a poor performer, to examine issues and clarify goals. Examine the worker’s job description. Explain what changes you expect to be made and what the consequences of inaction could be.

According to Daley, one of the most important mistakes in assuming a new position involves misunderstanding what needs to be learned. "Someone once said to me, ‘It’s important when you go into a new job that you apply the 20-80 rule,’" explains Daley. "‘Consider that you know 20% of what you need to know in your new position and that you don’t know 80%.’ And I looked at him—he was the chief information officer—and I said, ‘You mean to tell me that you know only 20% of your job? You’re a computer person; you should know a lot more.’ And he said, ‘No. In a leadership role, 80% of your job is people. You don’t know the people when you walk in that door.’"

Daley says that soon after a manager assumes a new position, he or she should identify the ten most important people in the organization and then meet with each one to discuss mutual goals. "What message are you sending to them?" she asks rhetorically. "You’re saying, ‘I care enough about who you are to try to find out what’s important to you.’ Find out what their me issues are. But be as noncommittal, nonopinionated as possible because as soon as you throw out an opinion, they’re going to clam up and you’re not going to get any information about them."

Above all, says Daley, when dealing with all the new people in your professional life, maintain a positive attitude, even including when their attitude is anything but positive. Daley relates a telling story about a memorable encounter with a subordinate. "My first day on the job," she says, "the pharmacist came up to me and said, ‘I’m pharmacist and you’re a med tech. I don’t report to med techs.’ And I looked at her and said, ‘You know, you’re right. I believe you report to yourself. All I’m here for is to be your liaison, to get whatever you need from wherever you need it, whenever you need it. Let me be there to help.’ Two months later, I came to work and there’s a big floral arrangement on my desk that said, ‘Thank you for your support.’ It was from the pharmacist."

Managers who assume a new position and who follow Daley’s job transition tips may one day find a big floral arrangement on their own desk, a sign that they’ve made a smooth, effective job transition. Welcome home.