4 Strengths-Based Tips for Starting A New Job

Starting a new job (or role) requires extra communication, intentionality, and energy. 

Whether you initiated your job transition or not, the first month is a pivotal time to get clear on expectations, learn about your leader/team, and initiate consistent communication.

While you can find endless tips on the first 90 days of a new job, we believe the most important tool for navigating a new job is your CliftonStrengths report®.  

Before starting your transition for the new job, STOP and first start with your CliftonStrengths®. By leaning into your CliftonStrengths®, you will increase your energy, productivity, and chances of succeeding in your new role quickly. 

When I transitioned from the corporate world to becoming a full-time entrepreneur, my first strategy was building a plan based on my CliftonStrengths®. While change is always messy, I reflected on that time and what really worked. I worked with clients on these strategies, and  now today— I’m sharing our collective wisdom with you, so you can navigate a new job successfully with your CliftonStrengths®. 

4 Tips for Starting A New Job With Your CliftonStrengths®

1. Get Curious—Observe. Ask Questions. Listen.
   
   While some CliftonStrengths® want to jump to action quickly (looking at my clients with Activator®, Command®, Self-Assurance®, and Achiever® on this one!), the best way to start a new role is with a posture of curiosity. Observe. Ask Questions. Listen.
   
   Rather than asking questions to respond with new ideas (common for those with high Ideation® or Strategic®), seek instead to understand the who, how, and why first. Ask others who have successfully done similar roles/work to gather further context.
   
   Even Einstein recognized the power of curiosity in his work:
   
   “I am neither clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious.” -Albert Einstein
   
   Look at your Top 5 CliftonStrengths®. How will each of your Top 5 help you observe, ask questions, and listen?
   
   
2. Strengthen Your Support System
   
   In the midst of career transitions, relationships are everything. To be successful, you need to strengthen both new and current relationships.
   
   You need to lean into your family, friends, previous colleagues, and network during times of change. They’re your sounding board and can provide encouragement when things feel new or confusing. 
   
   You also need to build strong relationships with your new leader, colleagues, direct reports, and/or people a few steps ahead of you on this new path. These people will provide practical advice and insight as you step into this new chapter of your career.
   
   These new and current relationships form your support system, and you’ll lean on it heavily throughout the next few months.
   
   To make the most of these relationships, lean into your CliftonStrengths®. Even if you don’t have Relationship Building themes in your Top 5 CliftonStrengths®, you can lean into what you do have to form meaningful connections during this time.
   
   If you have Learner®, learn as much as you can about the new people on your team or in your field.
   
   Are you high in Context®? Engage new colleagues with your passion for understanding the team’s history.
   
   Look at your Top 5 CliftonStrengths®. How can each of your Top 5 help you strengthen your support system?

1. Set Strengths-Based Goals
   
   New jobs bring the need for new goals.
   
   As you start the process of getting role clarity and setting goals, do this through the lens of your top CliftonStrengths®. If you’ve never set strengths-based goals before, GALLUP® has a (free) download template outlining their strengths-based process.
   
   In this template, GALLUP® guides you in identifying your goal, ensuring it is S.M.A.R.T., deciding which CliftonStrengths® you will use to achieve, and then determining the actions needed to get your desired outcome.
   
   The Strengths Journal™ can support you as you set and achieve strengths-based goals daily. It’s the only Gallup-Certified daily planner that accompanies the CliftonStrengths assessment® and guides you in aligning your daily tasks with your unique strengths.

 
When you approach your goals from your CliftonStrengths®, you will feel more confident, energized, and productive.

Look at your Top 5 CliftonStrengths®. How can you achieve your new goals with the strengths in your Top 5?

• Establish Your Morning Routine  
  
  When starting a new job or role, change is the only constant.
  
  You’re interacting with new people, tackling new work, and adjusting to the lifestyle that comes with your new job.
  
  As you approach these changes through the lens of your CliftonStrengths®, you also need consistency to thrive. Yep—even those with Adaptability® as their #1 CliftonStrength® benefit from a morning routine!
  
  Recent research shows that those who wake up at the same time every day and stick to a morning routine are more productive, sleep better, and stress less. 
  
  I started incorporating a morning routine a few years ago, and it changed everything. Rather than starting my day checking e-mails on my phone or hitting snooze, I now plan the day ahead in The Strengths Journal™, get some exercise, and usually walk my pup to our favorite local coffee shop.
  
  This consistent routine is what got me through the job transition from corporate to full-time business owner. 

If you’re new to this, The Strengths Journal™ can help you plan and stick to a morning routine that works for your CliftonStrengths®. The key is making the routine work for you.

Look at your Top 5 CliftonStrengths®. What morning routine would energize you? 

When going through a career transition, the best way to honor yourself and others is to live and work authentically through your unique CliftonStrengths®. Start by getting curious. Then build your support system, set strengths-based goals, and stick to a morning routine that works for you.

This is also a great time to partner with a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Working with a Coach during the first few months of a new role provides objective feedback, strategies for combatting limiting beliefs, and support while setting impactful strengths-based goals. I’d love to partner with you on this journey; let’s set up a call today.

As you embrace your job transition, remember to stay true to you in the process. You are your #1 asset, and your CliftonStrengths® are 1 in 33 million.