5 THINGS TO AVOID DOING AT YOUR NEW JOB (part 1)

Did you know that the first 90 days at your new job are the most critical to your success? According to Harvard Business Review contributor, Michael Watson, while the POTUS has 100 days to prove himself (or herself), you have 90 days. That’s it.

In fact, professionals who achieve success in their first 90 days have a significant advantage over those who experience setbacks their first quarter.

You want to make each day work for you!

You want each day to boost your chances of long-term success!

You want to experience positive momentum!

Here are 5 things you can avoid doing at work to increase the odds of keeping your job:

1. THINKING YOUR HARDEST WORK IS BEHIND YOU

Let’s face it. You worked really hard at landing your new job. You made cold calls. You networked. You interviewed. And you even negotiated your salary like a pro. The bottomline is that your job-search was successful - you landed your dream job! Congratulations!

In fact, you probably went out with friends and family to celebrate this auspicious moment. We hope you did, because you are awesome!

Enter your first day of work.

As the confetti hits the floor from your celebration the night before, you wheel your chair up to your desk, take a sip of your latte, and dive in.

Relief sets in. “Thank goodness”, you think, “the job search is finally behind me and all of the weirdness associated with it.” Fear of rejection. Shaken confidence. And perhaps a bit of discouragement.

The tension in your neck and shoulders subsides. You breathe a little bit easier. Your cash-flow is actually flowing with cash again!

But before you breathe too easily, understand one thing - starting a new job is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

You have a lot to learn. You have a lot of people to build relationships with. You have 90 days to prove yourself to be a good hire - someone that your employers still wants to keep on the payroll on day 91.

Here are some of the things you get to learn: 

• What does your new company place a premium on?
  • Team-players who lead by building consensus and using political power?
  • Or superstar performers who lead with their superior performance, charisma, and expertise?
• What is the purpose of most meetings?
  • To have tough conversations and address challenging issues?
  • Or to simply pitch decisions that have been made behind closed doors by a select few?
• What expectations do your direct reports, boss, and peers have of you in your new role?

Your hardest work is still ahead of you!

What about you? What have you learned in your first 90 days on the job? 

Click here to read part two of the 5 Things You Can Avoid Doing At Your New Job. 

HOW TO NEGOTIATE YOUR SALARY (part 3)

DOES YOUR PAYCHECK STILL MAKE CENTS?

In previous articles, we’ve talked about being a giver v. taker, solving your own problems, solving your boss’ problems, and knowing your bottom-line value.

This week, you’ll get two more strategies that you can use as you negotiate your salary.

Have fun with this!

BUILD A CONVERSATION

Asking for a raise is not a one-time deal. Rather, it is a series of conversations built on a strong relationship you have with your boss and other decision-makers.

If you’ve had success using the one-time salary negotiation conversation in the past, good for you. I assure you, you are part of the minority.

For the vast majority of us, getting a raise requires patience and persistence. It requires building a conversation. It requires actually being worth the salary that you’re asking for and building the trust necessary to ask for it.

In fact, depending on what type of bump in pay you’re looking for it could take weeks, months, or even years to ask for more green without appearing mean or demanding.

One of my favorite books on how to build an effective job promotion plan is 30 Day Job Promotion by expert career coach Susan Whitcomb. Also, there are some great tips found in this Harvard Business Review article.

Remember, it’s not a one-and-done, it’s an authentic and strategic conversation.

STAY OUT OF CRAZY MODE

Negotiating your salary requires you to be awesome at work by delivering bottom-line value and building an authentic conversation with your boss.

As you both discuss salary, understand that money is a touchy subject for the majority of people. There can be a lot of emotion attached to it. This may be  true for you and likely is true for your boss.

So, as you broach the subject of money, be aware of your emotions around it.  And help your boss stay calm in the process too. Tread carefully.

How can you do this?

First, it’s helpful to know what triggers someone’s fight - flight - freeze response or “crazy” mode.

David Rock published an article in the NeuroLeadership Journal that outlines the five threats that cause others to go into “crazy” mode. The threats relate to a person’s perceived status, autonomy, certainty, relatedness, and fairness. You can read more about the threats here.

As you negotiate your salary, you’ll want to manage your own threat responses and help manage those of your supervisor’s. If you accidentally trigger a threat response in your boss, responding with calmness can do much to deflate the situation.

Remember, the threat is not real!

Second, focus on gratitude and the long-term relationship you’re building with your boss.

Let’s say that you get told “no” to your raise request. After all, “no” is one of the options in salary negotiation.

Prepare yourself ahead of time by painting a picture of how you want to respond to that answer.

Remind yourself of the long-term, big-picture partnership that you want to have with your boss. Remind yourself about how grateful you are for the job you have. Remind yourself that this is not a life and death situation - you are okay!

ACCESS MORE JOB-SEARCH TIPS

If you’ve found this salary negotiation series helpful, please leave a comment below. And, if you’d like other career-building strategies and tips, sign up for your free course here. Make it a great day!