Making the right first impression is critical to every professional, especially for those new to an organization. When you’re new, everyone wants to understand your plans and your approach to achieving them. Your direct reports have an even keener interest in you—they will strive to understand how your goals will impact them. More importantly, your actions impact your reputation and your reputation influences everything from your effectiveness to that of your employees.

Consider the time, expertise and funding that’s involved in planning the launch of a new product. The target audiences are determined as well as the types of communication and messages that will be sent to help others understand the value that the new product offers. Communication channels, the frequency of messages and who will be involved are all established in advance. Each team member is the positioned to participate as defined and according to schedule to ensure the appropriate messages are delivered and that two-way communication and engagement occur as planned.

Now consider that many professionals approach a new role focused on what needs accomplished without spending adequate time planning for and taking deliberate action to communicate their value or influence others’ perceptions.

It’s easy to get so busy with daily activities that strategic communication efforts fail to get planned or set in motion.

Many professionals don’t acknowledge their importance until they need to address a challenge or miscommunication.

Professionals should approach their role with clarity about their goals and their approach to achieving them. They should also invest in planning for strategic communications—communications that will contribute to their effectiveness in their new role while positioning them for future opportunities. The process doesn’t need to be complicated or lengthy. Once the audiences are identified, the goals, strategies and objectives can be developed. Tactics and a work plan complete the communications plan by making it easy for professionals to monitor and adjust their performance at glance.

It’s never too late to begin with the end in mind. Personal branding can and will impact your career. Every professional, not just those in new positions, can benefit from using a clear communications strategy to complement their efforts and impact their future. Learn more>>