7 Tips for Success in Your First 90 Days

Whether you're starting a new role, you've been promoted or are returning from a career break, there's no doubt that it can be both exciting yet daunting. It's easy for imposter syndrome to kick in and to suddenly feel out of your depth. Your performance over your first 90 days will be pivotal in ensuring you create a positive first impression. This in turn can help open up key opportunities to support your development further down the line. Here are our top tips for overcoming your nerves and securing success in this period.

1: Clarify Expectations, Roles & Responsibilities

Early on, you should clarify with your manager the expectations of the role, your responsibilities, key stakeholders and/or contacts as well as avenues for support. You should also confirm what the key performance indicators (KPIs) are for your role and what success looks like. This will ensure you’re on the same page and have a clear picture of what you need to do.

2: Set Goals

Work with your manager to set some SMART goals for yourself. This is important to ensure you focus your efforts, stay on track and have a meaningful way to measure your success.

3: Expand your Knowledge of the Organisation

Whether you're completely new to the organisation/business area/team or you're already familiar with it, undoubtedly there is always more to learn. Knowledge is power so the more information you can gather and apply in your role, the higher your impact and output.

4: Identify Priority Areas and Quick Wins

Look to understand the key pain points of your organisation, department and team. Are there any issues you can easily resolve by leveraging your network, prior experience or skillset? This allows you to quickly win some social capital as you settle in which you can capitalise on further down the line.

5: Build Strong Relationships

Connecting with key stakeholders, contacts and peer networks is a vital step in ensuring a successful start. It is said that your network is your net worth. Join internal groups/networks, attend socials and arrange 1-to-1s to introduce yourself and get to know people. This will allow you to better understand their needs, priorities etc. so you can better deliver value. It also allows people to get to know you so they are more likely to willingly support you in your role.

6: Get Feedback

To get an accurate sense of how you are doing, ensure you collate feedback from your key clients, stakeholders and/or team members on your strengths and development areas. This will give you a clear sense of direction in terms of focus areas while also allowing you to address concerns (if any) sooner rather than later.

7: Track Achievements & Learnings 

Keep a record of your key achievements and learnings during this time period. This will serve as a helpful confidence boost as well as a reminder of your progress and journey. It also serves as a reference to help you articulate the value you are delivering.

To get started on this, check out our 90-Day Starter Success Planner in our resources library. If you'd like further support on your journey, you can access 1:1 coaching and other tools from us here.

We'd like to close by reminding you: you've got this!!