New Job, New Culture: Do You Fit In?

It seemed like a good decision at the time. A 10-percent raise, an easier commute and a chance to move up the corporate ladder.

Now, six weeks into the new job you know in your gut and sleepless nights that maybe, just maybe, you've made the biggest mistake of your career. Your new company is a 180-degree change from your former one.

Are you finding any of the following? Your new company hardly holds meetings while your former company had constant meetings. You're now faced with status-quo thinking when you're accustomed to innovation and change. You're bored! Before, you were constantly challenged. There's an Old Boys Club going on, whereas you were once on an almost level playing field. Management has unreasonably high expectations and an autocratic style when you previously thrived with realistic expectations couched in consultative management. And here's a new expectation: golf on Friday afternoons.

So how are you going to fit in? Did you make the right choice? Should and can you leave?

If you are in this situation, start by:

*Asking a trusted friend to help you write down specifically what the differences are between your former company and new one, using the above as a guide;

*Determining how to bridge the differences and if it's worth it to you and your career to do so;

*Making three-month, six-month and one-year goals to benchmark your satisfaction and value within the company. For example, "In three months, I will be on two cross functional committees, leading one of them."

*Identifying the top 10 positive experiences you'd want to undergo if you had 24 hours to live. (Read "Choice Points," by Sidney Rice, and the Top 10 exercises from the PaperRoom Process.) Then, you ask yourself why you chose each and translate the items into your core needs ? that is, what do you need at work to bring out your best. The Top 10 fall into four categories ? challenge, recognition, social connections and achievement ? connected to your values. You can see what's missing and devise ways to fill the gap.

For example, if you are missing achievement and recognition because your change initiatives are nowhere near completion, give yourself several simpler projects to complete, even something at home.

If you are missing social connections, ask yourself, "What specifically does that mean to me?" You might realize that the location of your new company interferes with your ability to connect with industry contacts. Map a plan to network twice a month, drop a note to industry contacts periodically, and attend a new conference to increase your connections in your field.

When you change companies, you'll almost always encounter a change in culture, sometimes mild, sometimes severe. Before you make a move, check out the company's culture as well as its financial statements and the specifics of the job offer. If you've already made a move and you're not sure it's the right one, these suggestions may help you decide with greater confidence whether to stay or go.

You Are Welcome To Reprint This Article Please include the following text on your reprint:

Copied with permission of the author, Barbara Callan-Bogia. Source: www.Callanconsulting.com

Barbara Callan-Bogia, Leadership Catalyst is the founder and principal of Callan Consulting. She works with companies to bring out the best in their leaders and helps professionals bring out the best in themselves so people are contributing 110% of their talents with outstanding results. Barbara is also a licensed PaperRoom Process facilitator coach.

Contact Barbara at 508-788-9056 or http://CallanConsulting.com

Check out her blog at http://www.leadershiplady.blogspot.com

---

10 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant

Talk to as many consultants as you can before hiring... Read More

Management Team Section of Business Plans

Writing an award winning business plan is a great skill,... Read More

Dialogue: the Four Dialogic Principles For Successful Communication

"But you don't understand!" exclaimed the manager, "this new initiative... Read More

Multiple Channels, Multiple Times

I've just been reading about the frustrations of a Human... Read More

Have You Always Thought That The Best Ideas Come From Research Or Management? Think Again

Many entrepreneurs and chief executive officers are unaware that there... Read More

Where Businesses Fall Short

1. No vision. Successful businesses have a clear vision or... Read More

Is Your Company in Need of Family Therapy?

How Companies Are Like FamiliesLike a family, a company is... Read More

Negative Self-talk is Too Expensive

I'm always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights,... Read More

Change Behaviors, Change Performance

Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance... Read More

Hold Your Applause!

It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care... Read More

Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask

A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan... Read More

Knowledge Management - Capturing And Structuring Knowledge Into Reusable Assets

Many organizations have an approach for identifying and recording lessons... Read More

Crisis Management Tips

The term crisis management has different connotations. In this article,... Read More

Outsourcing Problem Analysis

As an HR professional, you have responsibilities in several broad... Read More

ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success

You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More

Muggers in Our Midst - When Rumour and Gossip Pay You a Visit

'I heard it on the grapevine' the old song goes.... Read More

Five Essential Hiring Practices

Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the... Read More

Whadda Jerk!

If one does not understand a person, one tends to... Read More

Setting Clearer Performance Expectations

The annual performance review.Stating this phrase guarantees some reaction for... Read More

Lack of Operations Manuals Stunting Your Growth?

Lack of Operations Manuals stunting your growth?CONTENTS:1. Do you lack... Read More

Change Management

"It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the... Read More

Managing Meetings

Plan/prepare - lack of purpose causes aimless meetings. Know why... Read More

Intercultural Management

The role of a manager is evolving in response to... Read More

Warning! Meeting In Progress; May Be Hazardous To Your Career

There ought to be a sign posted on every closed... Read More

Tap Employee Passion For Business Success

Meriwether Lewis set the stage for the Corps of Discovery's... Read More

Hiring Productive Employees: A Checklist for Assessing Their Appeal

The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on... Read More

Successful Managing Through Delegation

Managers should avoid the tendency to constantly delegate to the... Read More

Top Ten Tips About People Management

To get the best results you have to be very... Read More

Another Use for Meetings

Every meeting is a laboratory where you can observe and... Read More

Basic Management Skills

Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More

People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills

Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More

A Facilitators Guide to Running a Stakeholder Analysis Workshop

This facilitator's guide to running a stakeholder analysis workshop is... Read More

Cheat Sheet; Understanding The MSDS and Your Obligations In The Workplace To Employees

MSDS SHEETSMSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets. MSDS sheets... Read More