Positive Minds | Positive Stories | Edition 035

I have just finished 3 weeks in my new role as Global Programs Director at Oxfam International. Even for a seasoned senior leader like me, career transitions are tricky moments that must be carefully navigated to succeed and add value as early as possible. Here I share 5 tips that can help you achieve just that.

On 1 May 2023, I started my new role as Global Programs Director at Oxfam International. I did everything I could to be ready and equipped for this role. But like the sports teams that train hard before the big game day, I realise you can never predict the game scenarios. And trying to do so is a complete waste of time.

In my career, which spans almost 30 years, I have changed organisations 5 times and positions more than a dozen times, half of which were senior leadership positions. These transitions have not been smooth ones; it is quite the opposite. They have often been turbulent, unpredictable, and a few times quite traumatic. The good news is that there are things you can do to make your job and career transition smoother and more rewarding. Here are five of them that I learned the hard way. 

First, always take a break before taking on your new role, whether in your current organisation or a new one.

Moving from one job to the next without taking a proper break is the best recipe for failure. Even machines take breaks to start up fresh and full of energy, and human beings are even more so. Quitting your current job on the 30th of a month and starting the next one on the 1st of the following month is neither a sign of commitment nor a demonstration of loyalty; it's putting your well-being second and setting yourself up for failure.

Tip #1: Plan at least 2-week break, ideally 1 month, between your old and new jobs. It's not time wasted; it's time invested.

Second, there is not a time for induction and a time for work; they overlap.

 When you start a new job in a new organisation, there is an induction time of up to 2 weeks or more. This is your grace period. But the practice has no grace period, especially for Senior Leaders positions. On day 1 in the job, you start solving problems. The fact that you are new does not change this. You are expected to be operational right away. In other words, "build the plane by flying it"; a very perilous exercise. 

Tip #2: use your break time (refer to tip #1) to learn as much as possible about your new job and organisation before you start. This time investment will significantly reduce your learning curve.

Third, set healthy boundaries early or pay a stiff price later.

Avoid having your initial enthusiasm turn into liabilities in the future. Many new employees, especially senior leaders, want to make their mark right from the start. This initial enthusiasm leads them to create expectations and make commitments they will have difficulty meeting later. As a result, they lose the social capital they built at the beginning and will find it hard to rebuild. Avoid falling into the trap of "early enthusiasm". 

Tip 3: Always take the time to understand the future implications of your initial decisions before making them. This will ensure you retain the social capital you built initially.

Fourth, resist the urge to change the existing.

When you start with a new Senior Leader position, all eyes turn to you. People want you to change everything with a wave of your magic wand. The conversations often focus on what is not working and needs to change. A few conversations are about what works and needs to be continued and strengthened. And if you are not careful, you risk destroying the foundation in place, built with the blood and sweat of so many committed and dedicated past and current colleagues. 

Tip #4: Take the time to listen and ask questions, especially about what works, and then build on that.

Finally, prioritise external engagement from the start, or you risk getting stuck internally.

If organisations were cars, the destination would be the vision, and the mission would be the journey to get there. Common sense would be for the organisation's leaders to spend more time on the journey to the destination and less on the mechanics of the car. The sad reality is quite the opposite, particularly in large organisations. Leaders spend the bulk of their time, often up to 80%, making sure that the different elements of the internal mechanics of the car are running smoothly. And when they raise their heads, the car has gone off track and, worse, is no longer fit for the journey. 

To avoid being overwhelmed by internal demands, you must prioritise external engagement from the very beginning. To do this, however, you must let go of control and trust your colleagues to manage the internal mechanics.  

Tip #5: Avoid being the centre of power and decision-making by empowering your senior colleagues to take responsibility for their actions.

You are a senior leader, and you have recently or in the past changed careers. What advice do you have for aspiring leaders to get them off to a good start?

Leave your reflections in the comment section below.