So You Got A New Job, Huh?

(Do you have trouble with names? I certainly do. It took me a couple of weeks before I was comfortable enough to address all the staff members by name.)

One of the good things about previously working with United Spinal was that I was able to hit the ground running, so to speak, since my desktop computer was all set up and I already had completed all the HR meetings and paperwork that is usually a big part of your first day.

My first task was organizing my office. Going through old files is tedious but gives you the opportunity to learn about what your predecessor was up to. In my opinion, it’s always better to build on what was done (and is being done) rather than start from scratch. You should be able to find some positive ideas or programs that you can use as a base from which you can grow your own program.

I had two bulletin boards put up so I could pin up all the direct-mail samples for the year on one and all the important e-mails and organization information on the other.

Next up was the creation of a strategic plan. Before you can start writing this plan it is imperative to know your new organization’s mission and the programs that support it. That’s why I waited two months before writing the new strategic plan. In this case, there was no written plan from my predecessor that I could edit.

Staff evaluation was next on the list and is critical. Are the individuals who are currently on staff worth keeping? In my case the answer was yes. The existing group was talented and dedicated. All that was needed was to add a little leadership and -- presto -- we had a good team to put the new plan in play.