I was having a conversation with one of my team the other day about my thoughts on how to take up a new role or position. With the last couple of years being what they have been, the global pandemic enforced remote work, which has then been a catalyst for change in how we all look at work generally.
In the US, millions of people resigned from their roles to move on to better/different things, and general attrition rates in technology have been as high as 25%. The “Great Resignation” they have called.
If you find yourself in such a situation, moving to a new company or a new role, you may find the following useful.
Observation
My general rule is to set aside the first 30 days to observe, this is especially important if you are in leadership and have started at a new company. One of the mistakes I have made in the past is just assuming that what worked before will be able to be cookie cutter in a new environment, this is not only a flawed assumption, but it can also do much more damage than good.
Understanding the context through which you need to affect change is crucial. Understanding what had come before, what (if any) institutional trauma was inflicted and where the current team’s headspace is.
Get a general read of the room before you look to make too many changes; this is an exercise in understanding and building contextual awareness.
Identify good “lieutenants”
In my case, one of the most important things I look to do is identify the doers, the influences and the leaders (or those with potential). As a technology leader, I can’t keep across all the detail all the time, so identifying and positioning good leadership and trusted executioners is vital to success.
I look to carve up my area’s responsibilities and position people to own the operational side of those domains. Developer Experience, Platform, Security, Corporate Services and Professional Services are a few of the most recent areas I have worked to position leadership.
The most important part is to help empower and support those you position in those roles.
The basic expectations I set are:
- They don’t need my permission; simply state their intentions for any actions, and I will give feedback (something I learn from “Turn the ship around” by L. David Marquet)
- I need to be able to “talk to” the areas they are responsible for, so I look to refine and tune the telemetry that comes up to me.
- We often schedule weekly syncs to ensure we are aligned in what outcomes we are looking for
Beware absolute autonomy
One of the recent learnings I have gained through this strategy is to be careful not to “let go of the wheel” too soon. Like companies and working environments, context and awareness of the people you are positioning are crucial for success. Don’t assume that people can “swim”; some may need a firmer hand of support or clarity/guidance than others, a lesson I learnt from one of my latest leaders (you know who you are 😉 ). Regular check-ins and syncs are essential to ensure they feel as supported as they need to be.
Build bridges
Once you feel you have a good handle on your role/team/department, the next step is to become organisationally aware. No one team/department can be solely successful. There are common challenges, especially in tech companies, where there is tension between departments. In my case, it often starts with the dynamic between Product and Engineering.
Product Managers are trying to deliver customer outcomes while Engineers are working to raise the level of technical excellence.
One of the core facets of my role as a technology leader is to work to balance Technical Excellence and Business Reality/Outcomes. Product and Engineering need to be brought on the same journey. Ensuring they both feel they have a voice and have influence in the outcome. Reaching a state of “disagree and commit anyway” is where you want to end up; everyone agreeing on the outcome is more important than the individual or functional opinions (or egos).
Next are departments like Customer Success, Sales and Marketing. One of the key challenges with these departments is that they look through different length lenses.
Customer Support/Success looks through a short lens; they are at the cold face, often directly in the firing line of the customer, so it makes sense they are after very short-term impact, bugs, usability issues etc.
Next, Sales and Marketing often look through the medium lens; their main focus is “what is the next feature/option I can sell?” a very valid question from their context.
These last two areas need special attention; this is why I always set up regular meetings with the heads of departments to get across what they deal with in their domains quickly. The first step to positively impacting other areas is understanding their pain points and what information/action they need. Again it is an exercise in understanding so that you can “walk a mile in their shoes”.
So, the first 30 days of a new role/position should be to build understanding and relationships. Once that foundation is set, anything is then possible. You can enact fewer actions in the first 30 days that will have a more positive impact than creating rapport and trust between people and departments.
Yours in learning.
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