The Secret to Succeeding at Your New Job Isn't What You Think It's easy to sacrifice your freedom and work-life balance in your first 90 days to make a good impression. However, setting boundaries from the get-go will ensure longevity and success at your new company.
By Mark Klekas Edited by Mark Klekas
Key Takeaways
- Work-life balance starts on your first day
- Put your needs over the needs of the organization
- How you get to the finish line shouldn't matter to leadership.
Don't try to be superwoman or superman early in a new job.
We all know it's best to make a good first impression in your first 90 days. But Brian Tracy, author of Million Dollar Habits, argues the secret to any new job is not to overcommit yourself.
Tracy explains in his book it's easier than you think to burn out in your first 90 days — especially with today's quitting trends. So the question Tracy tackles is this: How do you make a great impression at your new job without putting in extra hours or saying yes to every project?
Here are five lessons Tracy wants you to know so you can use to make sure you don't burn out at a new job or over-commit. And on the flip side, if you are a manager, make sure you use these tips to set your new team member up with success.
1. Set the pace
You are in the driver's seat, so don't be afraid to set your work pace in the first 90 days. Like dating someone, you learn much about your new employer in the first three to four months. During this stage, you should evaluate what you like and dislike about them as you learn the people, the culture and your responsibilities.
You might be asked to start taking on a lot of responsibilities and duties. Use your first 90 days to observe the culture of your new organization. Don't be afraid to ask for more time before you take the lead on any project. It's always better to express that you need time to get situated to ensure you are fully prepared for what you are up against.
Related: 3 Tips to Hit the Ground Running at Your New Job
Additionally, clearly understand the expectations of your role. Try to shadow your teammates and management team before you are fully thrown to the wolves on a specific project.
2. Don't make assumptions; ask questions
It's essential for organizations to clearly explain what they want you to do when you start a new job, but it's also your responsibility to ask within the first couple of weeks. Many professionals start new roles without knowing how much time they will need to devote to a particular task or how flexible their work schedule can be if they want to work from home. To set the expectations and boundaries for your work-life balance, address the following three issues with your direct supervisor:
- Clearly communicate your work schedule.
- Find out the actual percentage of time you will be spending on specific tasks or projects.
- Find out how your manager and supervisor will be rating your performance.
Don't make the mistake of not addressing these issues early on because once you have created lousy working habits, you might start to think a good work-life balance doesn't exist.
3. Work-life balance starts on your first day
The concept of work-life balance creates a boundary between your job and your personal life. This boundary line is your responsibility to set, because if you wait for your organization to do it it might never get done.
From the moment you start, assume that you will have a good work-life balance and take active steps to ensure it's happening.
Tracy explains in his book how he reflects on his decisions to work late at the cost of his work-life balance. He writes:
I had brainwashed myself to believe that the harder I worked, the more reward I would get. That is true in most cases, but the extra hours per day don't mean you will always be promoted or recognized for your hard work. Your quality of work is the important thing. How you get to the finish line should never really matter to leadership.
Related: Experiencing Burnout? Here's How to Fix It.
4. Put your needs over the needs of the organization
Your organization knows what it expects of you for eight hours a day. What do you expect from yourself while you are at work?
It's easy to become a people pleaser or a "yes man" in your early days. But Tracy explains you need to focus on yourself and what you need to make your new job successful. So make a conscious decision to put your wants and needs before the job.
To have a healthy relationship with your job, you first have to have a healthy relationship with yourself.
Related: What Makes a Great Company Culture (and Why It Matters)
5. Accept every day will not always go well
It's easy to think you should achieve more and more every day in your first 90 days. Of course, tasks and conversations will become easier as you build a rapport with your work, but you need to accept failure is part of the process.
Take small wins to keep your work life manageable even when things are going wrong. Go for the small wins some days, and on days when you have more time or flexibility, go for the big wins. Either way, you are winning because some progress is better than none. We overcomplicate the idea of getting things done, which then leads to us becoming stressed and burnt out.
This story was excerpted from Brian Tracy's book Million Dollar Habits. Buy it now from Entrepreneur | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | IndieBound
