5 tips for moving into a new role

Are you embarking on a new role or have you recently made a professional move and you feel a little out of your depth? These five tips might help you think practically about making the most of the fresh opportunity in front of you.

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“There may be some of you reading this who have responded and have followed the Lord into new things and you’re right at the beginning of that next chapter of the journey with him.”

Over the last couple of years, I have been convinced that many people have had a fresh opportunity to respond to God’s direction in their life. The change of pace through lockdown. The natural reviewing of priorities that came with a change of rhythm but also the stark and frightening events that reminded us of our fragility. All of this have created an environment where we have turned our attention to God afresh. 

Through various images and statements in the bible God promises to lead us and guide us. What a relief. We’re not on our own. We don’t have to make it up as we go along. God’s unfolding purposes in our life are both beautiful and stretching. They will take you to the end of yourself so that you can find more of him. 

There may be some of you reading this who have responded and have followed the Lord into new things and you’re right at the beginning of that next chapter of the journey with him.

For some, you may have moved roles within the same company, for others you have had a complete review of direction and changed industry altogether. Perhaps you left full time employment altogether and you’re branching out into a new passion project. Maybe you have stepped out into a new job in a new city and you’re just finding your feet? 

“Are you clear for example about how your goals and targets fit into the broader picture? Not only does this help motivate you and see how your work feeds into the overall movement”

We made a similar transition in the last year. Actually, it had been something we had been praying about and thinking about for a number of years. We planted a church in west London in 2010 and we said to ourselves that we would lead it for 10 years and review at that point where God was calling us. We were very open to recommitting to the same place or to being led into a new thing and the more we reflected on it the more we sensed that God was leading us into new pastures. 

It has been a joy to discover new opportunities and new challenges after moving into a new role. I have had to trust Jesus in new ways. I am aware of my limitations in a way that I haven’t been for a while. The last 10 or so months have caused me to do a lot of reflecting and along the way I picked up a few things that might be useful to you in your own role change, or the new chapter of God’s story in your life. Here are five tips that might help you as you move into that new place or role:

1.Listen, watch, observe 

One of the things that I have found necessary when moving to a new organisation is listening, watching and observing. Each organisation has its own culture and way of doing things and that is part of what you need to absorb as you come onboard. There are different ways of doing that, but one way that might really help you on a number of levels is understanding the background and stories that are important to the organisation. Not only does finding out about these accounts help you appreciate some of the back story, but it helps you see you role in the light of that journey, and it also gives you an opportunity to create conversation with colleagues who may have been around a lot longer than you. 

2.Find out what’s expected 

I hadn’t quite appreciated how important it is to know what is expected of you as an employee. I’ve led teams over years now, but since moving to my new role and my own line manager highlighting the need to have a conversation about expectations I have seen it in a new light. Understanding what is expected of you can come in various forms. You have a job description and targets. But then there are expectations in how we approach that work. How we listen, how we treat others, how we have healthy communication. These touch on what is valued. If you are on someone’s team it’s important that you know what they expect of you. Equally they need to know what you expect of them and the organisation. This kind of conversation leads to a healthy and happy team. Both if you’re leading the team or if you’re on the team.

3.Big picture 

As with point one, understanding the history, the stories that are celebrated and the organisational priorities are all key things to help you see where your role fits into the bigger picture. Perhaps this is something to do with the way I am wired (I am an ENFP on the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator), but I need to have some ‘hooks’ to hang things from, otherwise I find that my gaze is taken up with the immediate priorities right in front of me without really appreciating how it all fits together. Are you clear for example about how your goals and targets fit into the broader picture? Not only does this help motivate you and see how your work feeds into the overall movement. Where has the organisation been over the last 10 years? Where is it going in the next 10 years?

4. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

The role is a new role which means it will be unfamiliar which will likely feel uncomfortable. We like to be in control. Depending on where you’ve come from, you’ve likely spent more time working on that than this new role. I was leading a parish church for 11 years and I knew how to do it (broadly), but my new role has certainly led me to feel uncomfortable because it has been unfamiliar. This is just part of the territory with stepping into new things. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and treat it as another opportunity to trust God. This is a fresh reminder that ultimately, He is in control.

5. Invite God in 

And that leads me to the final tip as you get established in your new role or job or new project that you’re working on. God provided the role in the first place, you believe that you followed him there, so talk to him shout it, share your needs, share your thanks, your requests, and prayers. He hasn’t led you there and left you there, he is right there. Invite him in to the emails, the meetings, the admin, the project development. Ask him to bless the work of your hands (Ps 90) for his names sake. Ask him to anoint you with creativity, with energy and to pour his blessing out as you seek to bring the presence of God in that place.

So five things that might be able to help you in this new season that you’re in. Let’s here from others, what else would people add to the list? Comment below 👇👇