The day I start a new job I turn off the engine of my car in the parking lot and I sit there for a minute and say to myself "I beat out hundreds for this role and today I'm going to show them why."
The first ninety days are all about learning and growing for the company that hired me. I've always felt I needed to prove my salary and become a contributing member of a team as fast as possible.
But then I get my feet under me and the tables turn. I no longer go to work for the company but instead the company becomes my science lab for new ideas and theories. I'm classically trained in supply chain; not science, but how I've grown is more of an experiment.
I build my lab by asking what if.
What if we changed up this report?
What if I went to that meeting instead of this one?
What if we added members to this team?
What if I spoke frankly with our clients?
What if I don't know everything about this landscape?
Then I begin asking my questions to my team, my boss and across departments. I've been known to ask the same question to several of these groups to see how the answers differ.
You'll also notice I ask before I do. Please don't confuse this with asking for permission because that's the last thing I've ever done (ask my parents, poor souls). Instead the questions are tests in my theory and existing knowledge.
Maybe I don't understand the process properly or maybe I found a plausible hole.
The key to this step is listening to the answers to the questions. There could be a dramatic turn in my thought process.
This week go down this path and see what happens.