The first thing you should do in a new role
Also: A few things you should definitely not do
How do we feel when we join a new role?
We are full of energy and enthusiasm. We want to be seen as a good hire. We want to work hard and show a quick win. We want to be seen as part of the team, and hope to be given the respect and decision-making ability we think we deserve.
And so we go in, and start moving fast, making decisions, lobbying for initiatives. We are confident from earlier successes, know what needs to be done, and we start trying to do them, quickly.
All of which is exactly what we should not do.
In the last few months, I’ve seen a bunch of my former colleagues join new companies. With the Indian startup scene booming, there are dozens of great marketing roles available. Talented people with experience are in great demand, especially in leadership roles.
When I was thinking about these movements, I remembered a learning that is central to my marketing philosophy, but which I haven’t seen talked about much.
It’s simple, as most important things are.
When you join a new role, spend time trying to figure out what’s working, and make sure that it keeps working.
Remember that marketing in this new company did not start after you arrived. It has been going on for a while, and brilliant people are already employed here. They have done good things and made money, which is why they could hire you in the first place.
So don’t go in and start shaking things up, asking rude questions without understanding.
Spend time with the team, figure out the good stuff: the processes that are working, the team dynamics that are helping everything scale, the SEO pages that are holding up the entire organic engine, and the SEM campaigns that aren’t as slick as you want but are delivering the leads.
Make sure you know what the team considers important, make sure you recognise the relationships.
Then, and only then, should you allow yourself to get in and get your hands dirty.
Far too much damage is done when a fully functional, successful team gets a new manager or teammate who does not make an effort to understand what the team has already done, or worse, thinks that what’s been done is not up to their lofty standards.
Invariably, this results in great teams disbanding, and so much intangible learning is immediately lost, making the company worse off.
So if you are a new marketing hire, don’t move fast and break things. Please.
Move slow to move fast. Your new team will appreciate it. So will your career.