04/20/2022

How to Set Healthy Boundaries When Starting a New Job

Identify what’s driving you

After a long and arduous job search, Anna was overjoyed to receive an offer from a top marketing agency. She eagerly accepted, excited by the prospect of expanding her career by working on bigger accounts. Anna went to great lengths to ensure she left her previous job on a positive note, after which, she dove headfirst into preparing for her new role. A lifelong high achiever, she spent her three weeks between jobs studying the agency’s clients, strategizing goals and brushing up her skills in social media advertising — a skill her new role would require.

By the end of her first week on the job, Anna realized her well-laid plans weren’t going to unfold as she expected. She had come from a corporate marketing background with a traditional hierarchy and established procedures. Anna’s new company, on the other hand, operated like a startup. It was a fast-moving, matrixed environment with few processes and less-defined responsibilities.

During our next coaching session, Anna confessed that she was struggling. “I’m too much of a people pleaser,” she said. “I’m saying ‘yes’ to everything and I’m not putting my ideas out there. I stress about each conversation with a colleague, worried I’ll step on someone’s toes.” 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.