I need to up my game at work. How to impress?

[Peppapigsucks]

Hi there! I'm starting a new job in two months time in what will be my first senior management role. And frankly I'm bricking it just a little bit...

I have been in my current job for 5 years and have become a bit demotivated and complacent of late as nothing I seemed to do makes a difference (partly reason for leaving). Having my first baby (now nearly 2), working full time with a daunting commute and general tiredness have also probably played a role.

The new job will be throwing myself in at the deep end and whilst I'm looking forward to the challenge, I know I need to up my game.

Does anyone have any tips for how to excel and impress in a new job? I will be dealing direct with clients, building existing and new client relationships, managing projects and providing technical expertise. I'm worried my lack of confidence will show and they won't have faith in me. I've always had a bit of imposter syndrome!

Any help gratefully received, I've got two months notice during which to lick myself into shape!

Make sure you follow through on things you say you will do (so keep a good to-do list!)

Be proactive, but not overbearing!

As trinity said, for the love of god, do what you said you will

Think about your stakeholders internally and externally - are you delivering what they need, are they up to date with what’s going on, has it been a while since you spoke to any of them?

Listen to understand, not necessarily to respond

How will your success be measured? Prioritise that!

Integrity - know yourself, know your own values, and live them. As others have said, deliver what you promise, and at the beginning of building relationships check in a lot until you know what level of communication people want. If you are not sure of an answer or if something's achievable, say so "I just want to make really sure I'm giving you the best answer on that, so I'm going to come back to you at X time when I should have a fuller picture" (then obviously do follow up). I've coached a number of people with imposter syndrome, all developed their own unique solutions. A common thread was often having good systems to track tasks and achievements - it gave them reassurance they were on top of things and doing well.

If you are client-facing, attention to detail, following up on every little thing in a timely manner, good note taking/sharing/reporting and good humour.
Don’t try to impress, concentrate on doing a good job instead.

My Dad always says to focus on doing the first 3 pieces of work AMAZINGLY. Then you get a reputation for being awesome and everyone cuts you slack afterwards. 😀

If you've got two months, are there courses you can take to brush up on the latest IT stuff? Or an overhaul of your image so you stride into your new job at least looking like a badass, even if you don't yet feel like one?

You know you don't need to worry, though - the new place clearly sees brilliance in you, or they wouldn't have given you this job. They haven't done it as a favour. 😀

You'll be awesome!

And buy yourself a few new outfits that are comfortable and suitable for your new position. This will help you feel more confident.

Take a solutions approach.

It's really important to be aware of, highlight and track any risks or issues so that they can be addressed, but don't be that person who just highlights lots of negatives and then let them float away for someone else to sort out.

Be realistic about what you can do, don't just say yes if your then going to end up letting people down because you committed yourself to an impossible task.

Delegate and build your team to support you, that way your team develop their skills, you build a succession plan and you have greater capacity to deliver to your clients.

Oh and when managing projects make sure everyone on the project is held accountable.

Get a project plan documented, make sure every action has a named owne r and due date and that every person on the project knows where the interdependancies are . That way if A isn't done on time then everyone knows that B will be late because of person 2 and what impact that will have on the project.