Make a strong first impression in your new management job with Fast Start, our 90-Day Onboarding Program. It will help you avoid the 8 Fatal New Manager Mistakes.
People start new jobs everyday, and most are well aware of the first-impressions they are making upon others. When you start as a new leader, that scrutiny is amplified simply by virtue of being the boss. There are many cues as to the tone that a new manager sets, and leaders should take control of that messaging to ensure that the impressions they make upon people are what they intend.
As such, here are a few ideas on how to set the tone, when you join a new organization as a leader:
- Lock yourself in your office, and have someone start a contest to guess what you look like.
- Keep a low profile for a couple of days, and then unannounced, run through your new workplace screaming loudly, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel – to the tower!”
- Begin the first week on the job by hosting a series of 3-martini lunches, and ask people to confess as to what really goes on in the organization.
- Dress up as a different Disney character everyday for the first two weeks, and then hold a contest to see if people can guess which one is your favourite.
- Hire a string quartet to serenade you to your desk every morning.
These ideas would definitely give your people an indication of what to expect of you.
As ridiculous as it sounds, doing one or all of the above is probably a better course of action than simply showing up as a new leader and hoping that things go well. You can increase your odds of success as a new leader by doing just a little bit of planning prior to showing up.
It’s either that, or get out the Minnie Mouse suit.
Make a strong first impression in your new management job with Fast Start, our 90-Day Onboarding Program. It will help you avoid the 8 Fatal New Manager Mistakes.