Wes Kao - How To On-Board Yourself When You Join A New Team

8/31/23, 10:38 AM Wes Kao — How to on-board yourself when you join a new team
WES KAO
How to on-board
yourself when you join
a new team
November 28, 2019
Many companies don’t have a formal

on-boarding process. It’s rare to get 3-4
weeks to just absorb and meet your
cross-functional team members.
You might have time for that at a bigger

company. But at a growing company or
smaller organization, there’s no such
luxury. If you wait to have information
handed to you on a silver platter, it
won’t happen.
The reason you were brought on in the

first place is because the team is
stretched for bandwidth with their
existing responsibilities. They probably
couldn’t wait any longer to bring
someone on, which is why they hired
you.
You’ll be expected to contribute

starting your first week. So how do you
set yourself up for success?
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. We use cookies to provide you with a great
experience and to help our website run effectively. ×
https://www.weskao.com/blog/how-to-on-board-yourself-when-you-join-a-new-team 1/7
1. Take charge of
your own on-
boarding process.
No one else is as invested in your
success as you are. Everyone else is
busy with their existing job, so embrace
that you’ll need to take the reins. This is
an opportunity to show you are
proactive and self-directed—something
every boss appreciates.
• What information do you need to

start contributing?
• What platforms, folders, and
logins do you need access to?
• Which specific people do you
need to keep in the loop about
your decisions?
• What kind of decisions does your
boss want to be involved with?
What do they want you to decide
on your own?
• What questions do you have?
• What hunches do you want to

validate?
2. Review
information with an
active stance.
Your new team might send you a ton of
documents, resources, and links. As you
review the docs, take an active stance.
The great thing about high-performing
environments
By using this website, you agree is regardless
to our use of cookies. of who
We use cookies you you with a great
to provide
experience and to help our website run effectively.
are, the team expects you to drive

projects forward with accountability.
There’s no time to just set up meetings

with cross-functional team members for
the sake of it. If you do these meetings,
you should go in thinking about how to
make the best use of everyone’s time.
Come prepared with specific questions

and an idea of what you want to get out
of the meeting.
Become an
end-to-end
marketer
Get my newsletter 1x/week to
sharpen your marketing
fundamentals.
Email Address
SIGN UP
We respect your privacy.
3. Gather what you

need to make
recommendations
and suggest next
steps.
So as you review, don’t just review for

background info. Instead, assume you’ll
be taking over those responsibilities.
Think about what you want to do.

Consider the following:
• What resources you’ll need
• What you want to

start/stop/continue
• How you want to lead in the next

phase
• The sequence of what you want to
do
• What you want to prioritize given
finite resources/bandwidth
4. Make note of areas

of opportunity.
Write down what you agree with and
disagree with, or anything that
provokes a strong reaction.
A recap that describes what happened

in the past isn’t useful. A recap with
your analysis and forward-looking
recommendations is much better.
Form a point of view about what’s

happening. This fresh perspective is
one of the most valuable things you
bring. It’s a big reason you were
brought on in the first place.
So don’t shy away from sharing what

you’re noticing. You can always do a gut
check and ask for context to validate
your hypotheses.
5. Assume you’ll lead

the meeting.
You behave differently when you’re a
participant versus the meeting leader. If
you’re the meeting leader, what would
you need to know to get what you
need?
I’ve been in situations when I was told

I’d be sitting in on the meeting, but
when the time came, the boss/client
wanted me to lead the meeting.
You might be in situations where your

new team asks you to jump into the
deep end of the pool from day one.
When you join a new team, it’s better to
arrive more prepared. Then if you really
will be listening in, you can still do that.
And if you’re unexpectedly asked to
lead, you can rise to the occasion easily.
6. Identify the types

of decisions you’ll
make.
Knowing the type of decisions you have
to make soon is a great way to focus
your efforts. An upcoming decision
means not all information is equal.
All of a sudden, things go from being

hypothetical and abstract...to tangible,
concrete, real, and time-based.
You have to triage knowing you want to

make a smart, well-informed decision
you can stand by. Understanding the
types of decisions you’re expected to
make will help you organize and
prioritize what you need to know

during your on-boarding.
Previous
How to give the right amount of
context
December 6, 2019
Next
The question behind the question
November 22, 2019
SUBSCRIBE
I share practical ideas
for high-performers
on how to get what
you need from
others, frame your
ideas, and be a more
effective operator.
Email Address
SIGN UP
I respect your privacy.

Unsubscribe anytime.
© Wes Kao. All rights reserved.

Wes Kao - How To On-Board Yourself When You Join A New Team

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wes Kao - How To On-Board Yourself When You Join A New Team

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

8/31/23, 10:38 AM Wes Kao — How to on-board yourself when you join a new team

Many companies don’t have a formal

You might have time for that at a bigger

The reason you were brought on in the

You’ll be expected to contribute

• What information do you need to

• What hunches do you want to

are, the team expects you to drive

There’s no time to just set up meetings

Come prepared with specific questions

We respect your privacy.

3. Gather what you

So as you review, don’t just review for

Think about what you want to do.

• What resources you’ll need

• What you want to

• How you want to lead in the next

4. Make note of areas

A recap that describes what happened

Form a point of view about what’s

So don’t shy away from sharing what

5. Assume you’ll lead

I’ve been in situations when I was told

You might be in situations where your

6. Identify the types

All of a sudden, things go from being

You have to triage knowing you want to

prioritize what you need to know

I respect your privacy.

© Wes Kao. All rights reserved.

You might also like