3 Steps to Successfully Move into a New Role

"Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." - Michael Corleone, The Godfather: Part III

If you've ever moved to a new role in your company, you've probably felt like Michael Corleone at some point. The folks from your old role keep sucking you back in, asking for help, asking you to continue doing your old job, and basically keeping you from moving into your new role.

Combine that pull with being a new role, new organization, and needing to demonstrate impact pretty quickly and you have a recipe for a very uncomfortable and difficult work experience.

In a recent SmartBrief on Leadership poll I asked what the most difficult part of moving to a new role was. The answers are not surprising:

So how can you quickly and effectively move out of your old role and into the new one?

Step 1: Cut the Cord

Be explicit about when your assistance ends. Put in place a good transition plan. Dedicate your time to helping your replacement get up to speed. If you ditch them and leave them in a lurch, they'll keep pestering you. Put all documents and resources in easy-to-find folders.

And let them know when your support ends. It's easy to be Michael Corleone and get pulled back in because you naturally want to help your old organization succeed. Unfortunately that comes at the price of your new organization not getting your full attention. Let your replacement know "after this date, I expect you to be running the show and i cannot dedicate any more time to coming back and doing your job for you." Sure, it's a little harsh but if you don't cut the cord, they won't.

Step 2: Cram

Learning the content of your new area is a challenge. Treat it like college exams and cram. Ask for any and all relevant documents that pertain to your area and hole up for a few days studying all of them. Immerse yourself in the new content. When you cram and read all of it around the same time, you're more likely to make connections between concepts in the new area than you are if you read things one-off over time.

The cramming will also give you a sense not just of the content but of the capabilities, biases, and skills of people in the organization. The way documents are written and stored says a lot about the person writing them. Start understanding the organizational lay of the land as you're doing your content cramming.

Step 3: Find a Mentor

Find someone in that new organization who has been around for a while and can help you understand the politics and relationship dynamics of your new organization. Have them make key introductions for you. Have them explain the agendas of all the players involved.

But be careful - you need to understand your mentor's biases and agenda too. Seek a second mentor who can help you objectively assess your mentor as well. If you don't you could be assuming the blind spots and politics of your mentor which could hurt you in the long run.

The Results

If you take these three steps, you'll be able to dedicate your focus to your new role. You'll have a good sense for the content from your cramming and you'll know how to get things done if your mentor does a good job of giving you the lay of the land.

The more actively you manage the transition process, the easier it is. Set clear transition expectations and don't let yourself get pulled into old work - cut the cord at some point. Find those two or three people in your new organization who can act as mentors, help you build relationships, and understand the new areas of knowledge. You'll get up to speed faster than doing that on your own. If you do these first few steps well, you'll have more impact faster because all your time will be focused on the new role which you'll understand better and more quickly than you otherwise would.

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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