HOW TO START

I’ve started many things

New jobs, new friendships, new companies, new relationships, this newsletter

Each time, often without knowing it, my perspective has shifted

I wasn’t always prepared for that shift, but sometimes I was

When I’ve started new jobs, I’ve done so with gusto

I was always excited about the brand and opportunity

But was I always prepared? Often, no

I recently read something made me realize that I was never completely ready

The First 90 Days is a book that was written to help your transition into a new job

It does much more than that

Here’s are 5 things I learned, big knowledge nuggets, each different from the standard onboarding advice 👇

1- WHERE

The type of company you join is more important to your success than anything else

Each type requires a drastically different approach- startups, turnarounds, high-growth, realignments, and success-sustaining. You need a different approach for each one

If you go from a startup to a success-sustaining company and try the same methods, you will fail

2- PROMOTE YOU

Mentally promote yourself

When you receive a promotion, you’re usually quite aware that you’ll have new responsibilities and will have to level-up your leadership. When you join a new company, it’s the same, even if it’s a lateral move.

Take a moment, congratulate yourself. Now, shift your mindset. What made you successful at your old place isn’t going to get you wins in your new place. It’s going to take something more, and different

3- LEARN

Your chances of success go up drastically if you become a learning machine

As you start, it’s important to listen and learn more than you speak and teach. If you think you have all of the answers already and act accordingly, you will alienate yourself from your team, peers, and ultimately your boss

This is one of the most common causes of career implosion

4- SUCCESS

Negotiate success before you start

Align with your boss on what the expectations are, what success/failure look like, and define what is and isn’t in the scope of your role. Document everything and share it back to them.

Use all of this during your regular progress check-ins with your boss. Adjust according to feedback

TBH, it doesn’t matter how senior you are- this is important

5- MANAGE YOURSELF

You will go all out to prove to yourself (and them) that they made the right decision in hiring you.

This may consume all of your energy

Do not shift your life’s priorities just because you scored a new job

You’ll need the support of your family, your friends, your network, and your health. If you neglect these things, you will be alone, lonely, and possibly unhealthy

💎These are the top lessons from the book. It’s worth a read- use the advice and you’ll increase your odds of success in your current and future roles

This book is the mentor I wish I had when I was starting out

CHAD’S ROUND-UP

📚 What I read: Cities and Ambition by Paul Graham- How important is where you live to achieving your goals? This post from the tech visionary argues that finding the city that has the vibe, type of people, and ambition that matches yours is the key that unlocks a door we didn’t know existed. Having spent the majority of the last year traveling and trying to find that match myself, this hit home for me.

🎞️ What I watched: Jamie Dimon on the economy- I rarely watch the news, but I’m always interested in hearing from business leaders. This interview with Jamie Dimon gave me more insight into the current economic environment, tariff situation, and reasons to be optimistic about American businesses. As the leader of one of the world’s biggest banks, he has more business and consumer data than most, the man has inside info

🕵🏻‍♂️ An interesting discovery: AI in action- Walmart’s new trend tool. With the hype around AI, we’ve been wondering around here how it would become useful for fashion. Now here’s this from the world’s largest retailer. Walmart has developed a proprietary AI-powered trend tool to speed up design development and hone in on the product trends that are most relevant. I expect we’ll see more things like this

That’s all for today

I’m rooting for you!

Chad