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veraasim's review
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Did a quick read of this. Some parts were helpful but others less so, coming very much across as “duh”. Lots of prescriptive advice (along the lines of “here is exactly what you can ask / do / say”), which I’m ambivalent about. Practical insights but very commonsensical, so much so I got through this in a day. Nothing truly impactful that had me mulling over in introspection. Overall, it wasn’t for me since I’ve been exposed to other books in the genre that were more impactful. As an early career professional, I’d say it’s helpful if you are totally clueless about navigating the workplace, otherwise it packs less of a punch.
zoemsuth3's review
4.0
I’ll be honest I don’t know how to rate nonfiction/business books because I rarely (and by rarely I mean never) read them. This was an entertaining read in terms of the style it was written in and the stories it told. Nothing included in the book felt too profound. In general I would say this book expands well on workplace common sense, but might feel like a huge “duh” if you’re more than 5 years into your career.
nabraha1's review
5.0
Read this for a mentorship book study at work.
Excellent book for individual contributors and those early in their careers.
Excellent book for individual contributors and those early in their careers.
buehler37's review
4.0
Pretty accurate book about workplace politics and culture. Reinforces what I’ve learned in the first decade of my career. I would recommend to people entering or are in their first couple years of the workforce.
mqreads's review
3.0
- when taking on a new assignment, understand the broader objective, what success looks like, and how your work fits into the bigger picture
- Found all your questions and ask your coworker first, sure what do you have done, say what you know, and what you don't know
- Think like an owner. Imagine that you own the entire project and don't have anyone to go to for help, what would do you do to solve the problem.
- Before the meeting, think about what might be asked, and have answers ready.
- If the worst-case scenario is that the other person says no, your fear is really a fear of judgment, not a fear of danger. Leave it to other people to tell you no . Don't limit yourself before you given yourself a chance
- The future self would always have an answer. Work backward from the end goal, imagine how you will look back at your work experience on your last day what will you want to have done?
- See the big picture. Behind every task is a goal, if you ask to buy a cake, the task may be buy a cake, but the goal is broader than that. maybe the cake is for a coworker's birthday… to understand the broader goal, consider asking questions like, what is this for? What is the broader objective? What does success look like? Or who is the audience?
- If you see something failed twice, don't make it fail the third time. To identify the root cause, ask "why is this happening?" Then, keep asking why? until you uncover the underlying cause.
- About the 'perfect' work, the combination of interesting work, good people, good lifestyle won't be achieved in every job, it's to figure out which is more important to you at diff stage of your life
- School versus work. The difference between school and work: school is a conveyor belt, if you keep passing your classes, you keep going forward. Work is a wild expectation, where are you go and how quickly you get there it's up to you.
- Found all your questions and ask your coworker first, sure what do you have done, say what you know, and what you don't know
- Think like an owner. Imagine that you own the entire project and don't have anyone to go to for help, what would do you do to solve the problem.
- Before the meeting, think about what might be asked, and have answers ready.
- If the worst-case scenario is that the other person says no, your fear is really a fear of judgment, not a fear of danger. Leave it to other people to tell you no . Don't limit yourself before you given yourself a chance
- The future self would always have an answer. Work backward from the end goal, imagine how you will look back at your work experience on your last day what will you want to have done?
- See the big picture. Behind every task is a goal, if you ask to buy a cake, the task may be buy a cake, but the goal is broader than that. maybe the cake is for a coworker's birthday… to understand the broader goal, consider asking questions like, what is this for? What is the broader objective? What does success look like? Or who is the audience?
- If you see something failed twice, don't make it fail the third time. To identify the root cause, ask "why is this happening?" Then, keep asking why? until you uncover the underlying cause.
- About the 'perfect' work, the combination of interesting work, good people, good lifestyle won't be achieved in every job, it's to figure out which is more important to you at diff stage of your life
- School versus work. The difference between school and work: school is a conveyor belt, if you keep passing your classes, you keep going forward. Work is a wild expectation, where are you go and how quickly you get there it's up to you.
architr's review
5.0
Our conversations revolved around threekey questions:What are the most common mistakes people make at work?What would you do differently if you could redo the first years ofyour career?What separates top performers from mediocre ones?
Seeing the big picture:
When joining a new team, research what the team does, what its objectives
are, whom it serves, what it’s been up to recently, who its competitors are,
who the most important people are, and how your role will help the team
and organization achieve their goals. When taking on a new assignment,
understand the broader objective, what success looks like, and how your
work fits into the big picture. Stay up to date with what’s happening in your
team, company, and industry.
DO and show your homework: When you have a question, avoid immediately pulling others aside. Look
through your emails and files and search online first. If you can’t find the
answer, bundle and escalate: bundle your questions and then ask a
coworker at your level for help, followed by the next most junior or
relevant person, and so forth.
Know your internal and external narrative:
Know why you do what you do. When introducing yourself, talk about
your past, present, and future: share what you’ve done, what you’re
working on, and, if relevant, what you’re trying to achieve. Consider
framing your personal story as a Hero’s Journey: what
Mirror others: Mirror the urgency and seriousness of the people you are working with.
Show more urgency and seriousness when interacting with someone who
has leverage over you. When in doubt, let others go first.
Send the right signals: Be intentional about what others can see, hear, smell, and feel from you. Be
mindful of cultural norms around eye contact, smiling, responding
promptly, and single-tasking. When others give you instructions or advice,
take notes in front of them. Do what you say you will do (or proactively
explain yourself). Be mindful of when and how you arrive, speak up, send
emails, and ask for help. When in doubt, show up early.
Read between people- Be mindful of invisible chains of command, swimlanes (who does what and
when), comfort zones, and loyalties. Know who reports to whom, who is
responsible for what, and who has leverage (power) over whom. Identify
who the influencers are. Be aware of behavior that people find acceptable
and unacceptable. Keep people consulted and informed.
Engage, ask, repeat: Engage with what others have to
say—listen, absorb, think. Then make a comment or ask an open-ended
question. Let people ànish speaking. Balance your speaking time. Once
you’ve interacted with someone, greet them when you encounter them
again. Send thank you emails. Ask how things are going. Offer to help.
Share relevant news. Broker introductions. Look for and call out
commonalities between you and other people.
Own up -Ask for feedback if you aren’t sure how well you are doing. Try asking,
“What should I start doing, stop doing, and keep doing?” Or, “Am I on
track?” Be mindful of when you should apologize and admit that you were
wrong and when you should defend yourself. If you make a mistake, be
prepared to apologize, explain what happened, offer a plan to mitigate the
impact or àx the problem, and explain how you will avoid making the same
mistake again.
Push gently- When asking for help, frame it as a request, not a command. Give others a
chance to decline. When you disagree with someone, use “I wonder …,”
“What if …,” or “Pushing back …” to frame it as constructive feedback
rather than as criticism. Before proposing an idea, try to understand
whether a similar idea has been proposed before and, if so, why it failed.
When you’re new and have little leverage, frame ideas as questions like
“Have we considered …?”
Show performance and potential - Know that you are being evaluated based on both your performance (how
effective you are in your current role) and your potential (how effective you
might be in your next role). To show your potential, claim an unclaimed
swimlane: do what hasn’t been done, àx what hasn’t been àxed, bridge
what hasn’t been bridged, know what others don’t know, and share what
hasn’t been shared. Don’t let potential go unrecognized. Ask for what you
want—and deserve.
3cs: Competence, Commitment and Capability
“Can you do the job well?” (Are you competent?)
“Are you excited to be here?” (Are you committed?)
“Do you get along with us?” (Are you compatible?)
True competence can be difàcult to measure. It’s easy if you’re a baker or
coder; one simply has to taste your cake or test your code. But for many jobs
—where much of your day is spent interacting with people—measuring
competence isn’t easy at all.
In the absence of clearly measurable outputs, managers often rely on
inputs—like how much progress it looks like you are making on a project,
how conàdently you speak in meetings, and how well you promote
yourself. It’s no surprise, then, that the people who get promoted or who get
the highest-proàle assignments aren’t always the most competent—even
within organizations that claim to be meritocracies
Commitment- Commitment means you are fully present and eager to help your team
achieve its goals—but not so eager that you put others on the defensive.
This means not undershooting to the point of looking apathetic and not
overshooting to the point of looking threatening.
Just because you are
committed doesn’t mean people perceive you to be committed. Sometimes,
little actions like showing up late, looking away on video chat, not
volunteering for tasks, not speaking up enough, or not replying to emails as
quickly as your coworkers do can be enough to cast doubt on how
committed you are.
Don’t let the fact that you have less experience than others on a project
deter you from volunteering for it. Don’t let the fact that someone doesn’t
know you deter you from introducing yourself. Don’t let the fact that
something isn’t the “usual process” deter you from trying it. When you join
a company, you have the beneàt of being that eager new hire who is still
learning. Expectations of you will never be lower, so you might as well set
expectations on your terms. Know the rules. Then bend them.
But a warning: Curiosity and entitlement are not the same thing. Asking
for something genuinely without expecting it is always allowed. But
expecting something—or demanding something or being overly
disappointed if the answer is “no”—can be dangerous for your
compatibility. If your reaction to “no” can be “No worries—just thought I’d
ask” and not “How come?! That’s ridiculous!” then give it a shot. As
So, instead of just asking your question, try going with
the structure of “Here’s my question, and here’s why I’m asking this
question.” Or, “Here’s what I know, and here’s what I don’t know,” as
If you have multiple supervisors and will be juggling projects for them
simultaneously, it’s a good idea to ask, “How would you suggest I allocate
my time between you and [my other manager]? Fifty-àfty? Sixty-forty?”
And if you have a desk job, ask, “What’s the best way to keep you all in the
loop? Would it be helpful for me to CC you on emails or share regular
updates?”
Have I clarified expectations for my role ?
Here are àve questions to consider asking:
“Which tasks and deliverables are top priorities in my role? Which
ones are secondary?”
“What should I be able to do by the end of the àrst three months? Six
months?”
“What does success look like in my role? Are there any metrics I
should keep in mind?”
“Is there anyone else you’d suggest I introduce myself to?”
“What should day-to-day and week-to-week collaboration look like
between us? When should I be proactive and when should I be
reactive?”
If your manager doesn’t mention one-on-one meetings, consider asking,
“Would it be helpful for us to have some sort of regular check-in?”
followed by “What’s most convenient: weekly, biweekly, monthly?”
Have I introduced myself to my coworkers?
If you are working in person, consider walking around and saying, “Hi, I
don’t think we’ve met. I’m _________. I’m the new _________” to those
near you, on your team, and on any other teams you work with.
If you are working remotely, consider sending your teammates a short
email or instant message (depending on your team’s cultural norms)
introducing yourself.
Have I learned my team’s priorities ? As you meet your teammates, consider asking, “What are you currently
working on?” or “What are your and the team’s top priorities these days?”
If you are taking over for someone and haven’t been given access to their
àles, consider asking your manager, “Did my predecessor leave behind any
àles that I should go through?” If your team uses a shared drive and no one
has invited you, ask a coworker at your level, “Would you please be able to
grant me access?,” “Are there particular folders that I should familiarize
myself with?,” and “Are there any templates you all use that I should keep
handy?” While you are at it, make sure to ask, “Are there any upcoming
meetings I should be looped in on?”
Pay attention to what your manager and teammates are up to, and if you
don’t already have an assignment, try asking, “Would it be helpful for me
to join this meeting?” or “Mind if I observe how you do this?”
Starting a new role is stressful enough as it is. Managers who leave you
to get set up yourself—what should be their responsibility—don’t make life
any easier. But herein lies a key difference between school and work: school
is about keeping up; work is about stepping up.
Your external narrative, on the other hand, is the story you tailor to your
audience to convince others that you are competent, committed, and
compatible. Your external narrative might sound like, “The company’s
work in Alzheimer’s disease is especially interesting to me because
neuroscience was one of my favorite classes in college. I also volunteered at
an eldercare facility and saw the effects of Alzheimer’s on my grandfather,
so I have a personal connection to it.”
If you don’t have much (or any) experience, that’s OK—focus on
telling people what you want to learn. Resist the urge to remind people of
any shortcomings: talking about how you’ve never handled numbers before
makes it easy for people to question your competence. No one has to know.
Focus on the positive.
What if others ask a forward-looking question like “What kind of work are
you interested in?” Do your homework, then show your homework. And
don’t just use ingredients from your fridge—include details from the online
research you did
If others ask a backward-looking question like “What brought you to our
company?” then consider framing your story using the structure of past,
present, future. This past, present, future arc to storytelling is inspired by
what’s called the Hero’s Journey
Make it clear that you have something to offer and are doing important
work—without coming across as if you either know what’s best or have no
idea what’s going on. This means saying “I’d like to think my experience
with _________ translates to _________” or “I will be working on
_________” and not “I’m an expert at this” or “I have no clue.
Demonstrate that you are eager to learn, help, and grow without coming
across as power-hungry, trying to take anyone’s job, or looking to make
anyone look bad. This means saying “I’m exploring a potential career in this
area” or “I am curious about _________” and not “I will become CEO” or
“I expect to get promoted.”
Intent is what you mean. Impact is how you come across to other people
Here are some questions to consider:
When and how do you arrive at and leave work—and what does it
say about your time management abilities and commitment?
What do you leave on your desk, in your trash can, and in the printer
—and what does it say about your priorities?
How are your table manners when eating meals with others—and
what does it say about how respectful you are of the culture you are in?
How visible are you at work—and what does it say about how hard
you are working?
How loudly do you discuss conàdential information—and what does
it say about your ability to keep secrets?
To understand the broader goal, consider asking questions like, “What
is this for?” “What’s the broader objective?” “What does success look like?”
or “Who is the audience?” Once you start working, keep reminding
yourself of the broader goal.
Whenever you are assigned a task, there are three questions you need to
answer with your manager: What do I need to do? How should I do it?
And by when do I need to get it done? If you don’t have answers to all
three questions, try to clarify immediately; otherwise, you will do the
wrong work, do it the wrong way, or do it too late—and tarnish your image
of competence.
If your manager isn’t clear on what or how, try asking them or a
colleague what’s been tried before. Or look through internal àles or the
internet to ànd templates or examples. Compare the options, pick the one
you like best, and then show the options to your manager with a comment
like, “We could try some version of _________, _________, or
_________. I suggest we go with _________, but change _________
because of _________. Do you agree?” (
If your manager isn’t clear on by when, try assessing how polychronic or
monochronic your coworkers are (see chapter 7 for what this is about) and
mirroring their urgency, gauging how urgent and important the task is
compared to other tasks that you’ve been assigned, identifying when
colleagues will need to use your work
Behind every assignment is a hidden acronym that the professional world
calls RACI (pronounced “racy”). Each letter stands for how someone relates
to a project: responsible for doing the work, accountable for the success of the
work, needs to be consulted on the work, and needs to be informed on the
status of the work.
The key to using RACI is to clarify what each letter in the acronym
refers to in your project before you start. To clarify who’s responsible, try
asking, “Is there anyone else I should be working with?” and “Who is
responsible for what?” To clarify who’s accountable, try asking, “Who
needs to sign off on this work?” To clarify who needs to be consulted, try
asking, “Is there anyone else whose perspective I should get?” To clarify
who needs to be informed, try asking, “Is there anyone else I should keep
up to date?”
What you think you heard may not always reáect what others said—or
thought they said. To minimize the odds of misunderstanding, consider
repeating back what you think you heard and giving others the chance to
correct you. Here are a few options:
“Just to play back what I think I heard: _________. Is that correct?”
“In terms of next steps, I will _________, right?”
“I will do _________ by _________ time and use _________
method. How does that sound?”
“OK, I will _________ and then _________. Let me know if I am
missing anything.”
“I was thinking I would _________. Would that work?”
To boost your compatibility, it can be helpful to explain why you think
someone is the most appropriate person for your question, so they don’t
think you’re wasting their time. It could be as simple as saying, “I heard
you’re the supply chain expert” or “I saw your name in the àle, so I thought
I’d ask you àrst.” And to boost your competence, watch your patterns and
don’t let history repeat itself: If others tell you something, repeat it back,
repeat it to yourself, take notes—do whatever you need to do to remember
what they said. Try not to make someone need to tell you the same thing
twice—and try not to have to ask the same question twice. If you have to
ask again (or if you keep relying on the same person), consider trying a
different person. You can also offer an acknowledgment like, “Sorry, I
know we talked about this, but I can’t seem to ànd it in my notes” or “I
know I’ve been asking a lot of questions, but I have a few more if you
wouldn’t mind.”
If you have any “What should I do next?” questions, resist the urge to ask
for help immediately unless it is urgent. You want to send the right signal
—that you can àgure it out and won’t stop what you’re doing in the face of
ambiguity. Ask yourself, What would I do next if I “owned” this situation fully
and didn’t have someone else to go to for help? Then, try taking these steps:
1. Look for examples of how others have approached similar issues or
questions.
2. Brainstorm some solutions using prior examples as a starting point.
3. Compare the pros and cons of each option.
4. If you can’t decide between two options, try both (if doing so is quick
and easy).
5. Bundle any other questions you may have.
6. Ask for help from your coworker or manager (or ask over email/IM).
7. Show your homework by framing your question as, “I’m not sure
what to do next, but I was thinking of _________ or _________. I
suggest _________ because _________. Do you feel differently?”
Whenever possible, avoid open-ended questions like “What do you
think?” because they can be time-consuming to answer. Instead, try a
multiple-choice question (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A, B, or C?”), a
yes-or-no question (e.g., “May I move ahead with this plan?”), a
default (e.g., “I plan to do _________; let me know if you’d prefer a
different approach”), a combination (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A,
B, or C? I will do C unless you say otherwise”), or a combination with a deadline (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A, B, or C? I will plan to
do C unless I hear from you before Monday, 8/23, at 12 p.m.”).
IF you see a problem, be proactive and flag it:
If you spot an error in someone’s work, tell that person privately (when in
doubt, praise publicly, but correct privately, unless it is not the culture of
your team). It can be as simple as IMing your coworker and saying, “Hey,
this might already be on your radar, but I noticed an issue with _________.
Just wanted to let you know.”
If you ànd a problem with your own work, correct it. The more
signiàcant the problem is, the more hierarchical your team is, and the more
standard operating procedures (typical ways of doing things) you have in
your role, the more you’ll want to bring options to your manager and ask
for their opinion, rather than make decisions on your own. For example,
you could say, “I wanted to let you know that I noticed an issue with
_________. After investigating, I discovered _________. Would it make
sense for me to do _________ or _________? I’m leaning toward
_________, but I wanted to check first.”
Seeing the big picture:
When joining a new team, research what the team does, what its objectives
are, whom it serves, what it’s been up to recently, who its competitors are,
who the most important people are, and how your role will help the team
and organization achieve their goals. When taking on a new assignment,
understand the broader objective, what success looks like, and how your
work fits into the big picture. Stay up to date with what’s happening in your
team, company, and industry.
DO and show your homework: When you have a question, avoid immediately pulling others aside. Look
through your emails and files and search online first. If you can’t find the
answer, bundle and escalate: bundle your questions and then ask a
coworker at your level for help, followed by the next most junior or
relevant person, and so forth.
Know your internal and external narrative:
Know why you do what you do. When introducing yourself, talk about
your past, present, and future: share what you’ve done, what you’re
working on, and, if relevant, what you’re trying to achieve. Consider
framing your personal story as a Hero’s Journey: what
Mirror others: Mirror the urgency and seriousness of the people you are working with.
Show more urgency and seriousness when interacting with someone who
has leverage over you. When in doubt, let others go first.
Send the right signals: Be intentional about what others can see, hear, smell, and feel from you. Be
mindful of cultural norms around eye contact, smiling, responding
promptly, and single-tasking. When others give you instructions or advice,
take notes in front of them. Do what you say you will do (or proactively
explain yourself). Be mindful of when and how you arrive, speak up, send
emails, and ask for help. When in doubt, show up early.
Read between people- Be mindful of invisible chains of command, swimlanes (who does what and
when), comfort zones, and loyalties. Know who reports to whom, who is
responsible for what, and who has leverage (power) over whom. Identify
who the influencers are. Be aware of behavior that people find acceptable
and unacceptable. Keep people consulted and informed.
Engage, ask, repeat: Engage with what others have to
say—listen, absorb, think. Then make a comment or ask an open-ended
question. Let people ànish speaking. Balance your speaking time. Once
you’ve interacted with someone, greet them when you encounter them
again. Send thank you emails. Ask how things are going. Offer to help.
Share relevant news. Broker introductions. Look for and call out
commonalities between you and other people.
Own up -Ask for feedback if you aren’t sure how well you are doing. Try asking,
“What should I start doing, stop doing, and keep doing?” Or, “Am I on
track?” Be mindful of when you should apologize and admit that you were
wrong and when you should defend yourself. If you make a mistake, be
prepared to apologize, explain what happened, offer a plan to mitigate the
impact or àx the problem, and explain how you will avoid making the same
mistake again.
Push gently- When asking for help, frame it as a request, not a command. Give others a
chance to decline. When you disagree with someone, use “I wonder …,”
“What if …,” or “Pushing back …” to frame it as constructive feedback
rather than as criticism. Before proposing an idea, try to understand
whether a similar idea has been proposed before and, if so, why it failed.
When you’re new and have little leverage, frame ideas as questions like
“Have we considered …?”
Show performance and potential - Know that you are being evaluated based on both your performance (how
effective you are in your current role) and your potential (how effective you
might be in your next role). To show your potential, claim an unclaimed
swimlane: do what hasn’t been done, àx what hasn’t been àxed, bridge
what hasn’t been bridged, know what others don’t know, and share what
hasn’t been shared. Don’t let potential go unrecognized. Ask for what you
want—and deserve.
3cs: Competence, Commitment and Capability
“Can you do the job well?” (Are you competent?)
“Are you excited to be here?” (Are you committed?)
“Do you get along with us?” (Are you compatible?)
True competence can be difàcult to measure. It’s easy if you’re a baker or
coder; one simply has to taste your cake or test your code. But for many jobs
—where much of your day is spent interacting with people—measuring
competence isn’t easy at all.
In the absence of clearly measurable outputs, managers often rely on
inputs—like how much progress it looks like you are making on a project,
how conàdently you speak in meetings, and how well you promote
yourself. It’s no surprise, then, that the people who get promoted or who get
the highest-proàle assignments aren’t always the most competent—even
within organizations that claim to be meritocracies
Commitment- Commitment means you are fully present and eager to help your team
achieve its goals—but not so eager that you put others on the defensive.
This means not undershooting to the point of looking apathetic and not
overshooting to the point of looking threatening.
Just because you are
committed doesn’t mean people perceive you to be committed. Sometimes,
little actions like showing up late, looking away on video chat, not
volunteering for tasks, not speaking up enough, or not replying to emails as
quickly as your coworkers do can be enough to cast doubt on how
committed you are.
Don’t let the fact that you have less experience than others on a project
deter you from volunteering for it. Don’t let the fact that someone doesn’t
know you deter you from introducing yourself. Don’t let the fact that
something isn’t the “usual process” deter you from trying it. When you join
a company, you have the beneàt of being that eager new hire who is still
learning. Expectations of you will never be lower, so you might as well set
expectations on your terms. Know the rules. Then bend them.
But a warning: Curiosity and entitlement are not the same thing. Asking
for something genuinely without expecting it is always allowed. But
expecting something—or demanding something or being overly
disappointed if the answer is “no”—can be dangerous for your
compatibility. If your reaction to “no” can be “No worries—just thought I’d
ask” and not “How come?! That’s ridiculous!” then give it a shot. As
So, instead of just asking your question, try going with
the structure of “Here’s my question, and here’s why I’m asking this
question.” Or, “Here’s what I know, and here’s what I don’t know,” as
If you have multiple supervisors and will be juggling projects for them
simultaneously, it’s a good idea to ask, “How would you suggest I allocate
my time between you and [my other manager]? Fifty-àfty? Sixty-forty?”
And if you have a desk job, ask, “What’s the best way to keep you all in the
loop? Would it be helpful for me to CC you on emails or share regular
updates?”
Have I clarified expectations for my role ?
Here are àve questions to consider asking:
“Which tasks and deliverables are top priorities in my role? Which
ones are secondary?”
“What should I be able to do by the end of the àrst three months? Six
months?”
“What does success look like in my role? Are there any metrics I
should keep in mind?”
“Is there anyone else you’d suggest I introduce myself to?”
“What should day-to-day and week-to-week collaboration look like
between us? When should I be proactive and when should I be
reactive?”
If your manager doesn’t mention one-on-one meetings, consider asking,
“Would it be helpful for us to have some sort of regular check-in?”
followed by “What’s most convenient: weekly, biweekly, monthly?”
Have I introduced myself to my coworkers?
If you are working in person, consider walking around and saying, “Hi, I
don’t think we’ve met. I’m _________. I’m the new _________” to those
near you, on your team, and on any other teams you work with.
If you are working remotely, consider sending your teammates a short
email or instant message (depending on your team’s cultural norms)
introducing yourself.
Have I learned my team’s priorities ? As you meet your teammates, consider asking, “What are you currently
working on?” or “What are your and the team’s top priorities these days?”
If you are taking over for someone and haven’t been given access to their
àles, consider asking your manager, “Did my predecessor leave behind any
àles that I should go through?” If your team uses a shared drive and no one
has invited you, ask a coworker at your level, “Would you please be able to
grant me access?,” “Are there particular folders that I should familiarize
myself with?,” and “Are there any templates you all use that I should keep
handy?” While you are at it, make sure to ask, “Are there any upcoming
meetings I should be looped in on?”
Pay attention to what your manager and teammates are up to, and if you
don’t already have an assignment, try asking, “Would it be helpful for me
to join this meeting?” or “Mind if I observe how you do this?”
Starting a new role is stressful enough as it is. Managers who leave you
to get set up yourself—what should be their responsibility—don’t make life
any easier. But herein lies a key difference between school and work: school
is about keeping up; work is about stepping up.
Your external narrative, on the other hand, is the story you tailor to your
audience to convince others that you are competent, committed, and
compatible. Your external narrative might sound like, “The company’s
work in Alzheimer’s disease is especially interesting to me because
neuroscience was one of my favorite classes in college. I also volunteered at
an eldercare facility and saw the effects of Alzheimer’s on my grandfather,
so I have a personal connection to it.”
If you don’t have much (or any) experience, that’s OK—focus on
telling people what you want to learn. Resist the urge to remind people of
any shortcomings: talking about how you’ve never handled numbers before
makes it easy for people to question your competence. No one has to know.
Focus on the positive.
What if others ask a forward-looking question like “What kind of work are
you interested in?” Do your homework, then show your homework. And
don’t just use ingredients from your fridge—include details from the online
research you did
If others ask a backward-looking question like “What brought you to our
company?” then consider framing your story using the structure of past,
present, future. This past, present, future arc to storytelling is inspired by
what’s called the Hero’s Journey
Make it clear that you have something to offer and are doing important
work—without coming across as if you either know what’s best or have no
idea what’s going on. This means saying “I’d like to think my experience
with _________ translates to _________” or “I will be working on
_________” and not “I’m an expert at this” or “I have no clue.
Demonstrate that you are eager to learn, help, and grow without coming
across as power-hungry, trying to take anyone’s job, or looking to make
anyone look bad. This means saying “I’m exploring a potential career in this
area” or “I am curious about _________” and not “I will become CEO” or
“I expect to get promoted.”
Intent is what you mean. Impact is how you come across to other people
Here are some questions to consider:
When and how do you arrive at and leave work—and what does it
say about your time management abilities and commitment?
What do you leave on your desk, in your trash can, and in the printer
—and what does it say about your priorities?
How are your table manners when eating meals with others—and
what does it say about how respectful you are of the culture you are in?
How visible are you at work—and what does it say about how hard
you are working?
How loudly do you discuss conàdential information—and what does
it say about your ability to keep secrets?
To understand the broader goal, consider asking questions like, “What
is this for?” “What’s the broader objective?” “What does success look like?”
or “Who is the audience?” Once you start working, keep reminding
yourself of the broader goal.
Whenever you are assigned a task, there are three questions you need to
answer with your manager: What do I need to do? How should I do it?
And by when do I need to get it done? If you don’t have answers to all
three questions, try to clarify immediately; otherwise, you will do the
wrong work, do it the wrong way, or do it too late—and tarnish your image
of competence.
If your manager isn’t clear on what or how, try asking them or a
colleague what’s been tried before. Or look through internal àles or the
internet to ànd templates or examples. Compare the options, pick the one
you like best, and then show the options to your manager with a comment
like, “We could try some version of _________, _________, or
_________. I suggest we go with _________, but change _________
because of _________. Do you agree?” (
If your manager isn’t clear on by when, try assessing how polychronic or
monochronic your coworkers are (see chapter 7 for what this is about) and
mirroring their urgency, gauging how urgent and important the task is
compared to other tasks that you’ve been assigned, identifying when
colleagues will need to use your work
Behind every assignment is a hidden acronym that the professional world
calls RACI (pronounced “racy”). Each letter stands for how someone relates
to a project: responsible for doing the work, accountable for the success of the
work, needs to be consulted on the work, and needs to be informed on the
status of the work.
The key to using RACI is to clarify what each letter in the acronym
refers to in your project before you start. To clarify who’s responsible, try
asking, “Is there anyone else I should be working with?” and “Who is
responsible for what?” To clarify who’s accountable, try asking, “Who
needs to sign off on this work?” To clarify who needs to be consulted, try
asking, “Is there anyone else whose perspective I should get?” To clarify
who needs to be informed, try asking, “Is there anyone else I should keep
up to date?”
What you think you heard may not always reáect what others said—or
thought they said. To minimize the odds of misunderstanding, consider
repeating back what you think you heard and giving others the chance to
correct you. Here are a few options:
“Just to play back what I think I heard: _________. Is that correct?”
“In terms of next steps, I will _________, right?”
“I will do _________ by _________ time and use _________
method. How does that sound?”
“OK, I will _________ and then _________. Let me know if I am
missing anything.”
“I was thinking I would _________. Would that work?”
To boost your compatibility, it can be helpful to explain why you think
someone is the most appropriate person for your question, so they don’t
think you’re wasting their time. It could be as simple as saying, “I heard
you’re the supply chain expert” or “I saw your name in the àle, so I thought
I’d ask you àrst.” And to boost your competence, watch your patterns and
don’t let history repeat itself: If others tell you something, repeat it back,
repeat it to yourself, take notes—do whatever you need to do to remember
what they said. Try not to make someone need to tell you the same thing
twice—and try not to have to ask the same question twice. If you have to
ask again (or if you keep relying on the same person), consider trying a
different person. You can also offer an acknowledgment like, “Sorry, I
know we talked about this, but I can’t seem to ànd it in my notes” or “I
know I’ve been asking a lot of questions, but I have a few more if you
wouldn’t mind.”
If you have any “What should I do next?” questions, resist the urge to ask
for help immediately unless it is urgent. You want to send the right signal
—that you can àgure it out and won’t stop what you’re doing in the face of
ambiguity. Ask yourself, What would I do next if I “owned” this situation fully
and didn’t have someone else to go to for help? Then, try taking these steps:
1. Look for examples of how others have approached similar issues or
questions.
2. Brainstorm some solutions using prior examples as a starting point.
3. Compare the pros and cons of each option.
4. If you can’t decide between two options, try both (if doing so is quick
and easy).
5. Bundle any other questions you may have.
6. Ask for help from your coworker or manager (or ask over email/IM).
7. Show your homework by framing your question as, “I’m not sure
what to do next, but I was thinking of _________ or _________. I
suggest _________ because _________. Do you feel differently?”
Whenever possible, avoid open-ended questions like “What do you
think?” because they can be time-consuming to answer. Instead, try a
multiple-choice question (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A, B, or C?”), a
yes-or-no question (e.g., “May I move ahead with this plan?”), a
default (e.g., “I plan to do _________; let me know if you’d prefer a
different approach”), a combination (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A,
B, or C? I will do C unless you say otherwise”), or a combination with a deadline (e.g., “Which do you prefer: A, B, or C? I will plan to
do C unless I hear from you before Monday, 8/23, at 12 p.m.”).
IF you see a problem, be proactive and flag it:
If you spot an error in someone’s work, tell that person privately (when in
doubt, praise publicly, but correct privately, unless it is not the culture of
your team). It can be as simple as IMing your coworker and saying, “Hey,
this might already be on your radar, but I noticed an issue with _________.
Just wanted to let you know.”
If you ànd a problem with your own work, correct it. The more
signiàcant the problem is, the more hierarchical your team is, and the more
standard operating procedures (typical ways of doing things) you have in
your role, the more you’ll want to bring options to your manager and ask
for their opinion, rather than make decisions on your own. For example,
you could say, “I wanted to let you know that I noticed an issue with
_________. After investigating, I discovered _________. Would it make
sense for me to do _________ or _________? I’m leaning toward
_________, but I wanted to check first.”