How To Win At Your First 90 Days In A New PM Role

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Galen Low: Hey folks, thanks for tuning in. My name is Galen Low with The Digital Project Manager. We are a community of digital professionals on a mission to help each other get skilled, get confident, and get connected so that we can amplify the value of project management in a digital world. If you want to hear more about that, head on over to thedigitalprojectmanager.com/membership.

All right, today we are diving into an optimistic but also intimidating topic — starting a new job as a project manager. Specifically, we are going to be discussing what project managers should do and what they should not do to set themselves up for success during their first 90 days in a new job.

With me today is Mukhtar Kadiri, Program Director, Career Coach, and PM Recruiter at WorkTipsPro — and someone who is known for helping project managers land roles that pay in the $100-300k range.

Mukhtar, thanks so much for being here today.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Thanks for having me, Galen. How are you doing?

Galen Low: Not too bad.

Mukhtar and I are both in Toronto and it is like the first windstorm of winter. Now it's not even winter yet, but like the first winter windstorm. It's gusting out there. So anyways, apologies for the audio. If you're listening and what sounds like a big whoosh and a tree falling over, yeah that's probably either outside my or Mukhtar's studio.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, I had to do some shoveling today outside, and I didn't have gloves, so it was not great. Yeah.

Galen Low: Yeah, we gotta plan a vacation to more tropical climes.

Mukhtar Kadiri: I know.

Galen Low: I mean, okay. I mean, I gave it away. It's winter when we're speaking right now at time of recording. We're at the beginning of December 2024. 2024 has been a tough year in the job market for project managers and other roles in almost every industry. We're seeing layoffs, we're seeing job insecurity, and a lot of people, it's a tough time and much of when you and I, we were talking before this conversation, we're like, you know what?

Like 2025 could be different, right? I think that there could be could be famous last words. There could be a trend towards organizations, more open to hiring in the new year. And all of those, jobs that people are applying for now on this side of the calendar year, if you're listening in 2025, you might start getting those interviews.

You might start getting those offers. And I'm hopeful that this will become useful because you're going to land that new role. And then what? So onboarding I don't know, in my community, it's an intimidating topic. I think, people are like, oh gosh okay, I got the job, but like now onto the next mission.

How do I not suck at it? How do I not step in it when I, walk through the door? So I thought maybe I'd lead with that question, actually. I'm just wondering, what's the biggest thing that you see project managers maybe do a bit wrong during their first 90 days that might actually end up like limiting their success or maybe even like negatively impact their reputation, like right from the get go?

Mukhtar Kadiri: I just want to really acknowledge that first of all it's very normal to feel that uncertainty.

I think this is something that. Many of us go through, there are reasons for that. Maybe we can talk about that later on to your question as to what do people tend to get wrong? I think that there's several, right? Cause I've been coaching PMs, helping PMs land jobs for a while. And that's usually, so, one part is actually getting the job, right?

And that in and of itself is tough and challenging, when you get the job, now what, right? So let's take a few. So. One thing that I see people get wrong is they want to come in and they want to prove their value right away and they start shaking things up. So I remember those, one time.

We had this person join our team, and this person came from a brand name company. So that was probably one of the reasons why the person was hired. But whenever this person will be in a meeting with us, this person would always name drop that, this is how we did this at, plug in your name, and it became so annoying whenever the name will be dropped, I roll, you can see people just started rolling their eyes. So I think, and I'm not suggesting don't name drop, but I just want to say, you should be sensitive and you should always read the room because you might need to name drop to establish your credibility.

But you also don't want to, if you do that, there's a way that you can do that. And then it will actually put people off. One of the reactions that you hear is, okay, why don't you go back to X, Y, Z, where you were, and what worked there will not work here. So I think that's one thing that you should be careful of.

It's really just having that awareness. So I think that's one thing that I see. People do wrong. Another thing is, and this is slightly related, is just really trying to shake things up right away without understanding why things are the way they are, because it's very easy to come and just, shake things up and just put together your planet.

But I think you would be more successful and you would actually be more effective. If you're able to articulate why things are the way they are, it's respecting history, respecting tradition and okay, maybe this was the best decision then. And I can see that, but you know, now we need to pivot.

I think when you do that and when you can articulate that and let people know that you get it, you will be more successful in terms of effecting change. So that's another thing. And another thing that I see people get wrong, and I've made this mistake myself is that. People don't necessarily understand who really has power, because it's easy.

You come in and you're like, okay, let me see the org chart. And you see all the, Oh, the pyramid goes all the way. All right. This is the person I need to. So one example was I was brought in to lead this project and, I was like in a consulting capacity. So I came in and. There was this person who actually is the person's name that was on the contract.

So I was introduced to this person on the client side. All right, you need to keep this person happy. So I went, met with him and we mapped out the strategy and, I started to meet other stakeholders and, to try to build credibility on us. And then I met this one stakeholder and, oh my goodness, she like, let me have it.

I don't remember ever getting that kind of dressing down in my career since then. Before that, I've never it actually felt like I was back in grade school and I was really being, so it was really bad. And apparently she was the most powerful stakeholder. Her name was never on the contract.

It was almost like she didn't even have a title. And, so when I now understood that so now I had a very difficult task ahead of me because this is apparently the most powerful stakeholder and I'm already on her bad side. So I restrategized, put together a plan started doing one on one meetings with her, like just really listening, what are our main challenges and all of that, emails, reports, workshops, who does she think I should talk to and all of that.

So I ended up doing all of that. And she went from critic. To ally, I did a post about it. Remember from kissing to ally, from ally to champion and from champion to mentor. And for this kind of people, because she's the kind of person that is very loud. If she's dissatisfied, like you'll hear about it.

And for those kinds of people, those kinds of people also make a lot of enemies, because it was like, why this drama? Just, why can't you just be. But one of the best things that you can do is to actually win those people over. And when I succeeded in doing that, like my job was so easy because she was such a force and she ended up becoming a mentor for me.

Even because of my relationship with her, like my company just really respected me and they wanted to always keep me happy because she was a powerful ally. So you like, you just had this. virtual cycle all around. And, like with that project, it put me on the map, like I ended up getting a lot of promotions and all of that.

So going back to your question, what's the one mistake that many people make? It's not really knowing who has power, right? So I made that mistake. I paid for it, but I ended up turning it around and it ended up being a blessing for me, and you don't just rely on just looking at. Like the org chart on all of that.

So I would say, yeah, these are a few things that come to mind.

Galen Low: I love that. I mean, from your first point, the thing I love was, that may have worked where you came from, but it might not work here or it won't work here or whatever the answer is, it really captures the fact that, yeah, sometimes like you might get brought into a role and maybe even like during the hiring process, they're like, we need someone to shake things up or bring what you did at Bain or whatever, and you're like, okay, that's how I have to prove myself like every time. And I have to make an impression to every new stakeholder. So I'll name drop and I'll be like, this is how we did it. Where I worked before, but that whole thing about like respecting history. I think it's that's so massive just to be able to come in and like observe doesn't mean you're not adding value.

I mean, you might still get underestimated, but you've got plenty of time to prove yourself. But that last bit, the other thing I like about it is and maybe this is true of project management in general, but don't shy away from building a relationship with someone who looks like, they're a bit intimidating.

They're scary. They're loud. Don't necessarily ignore them. Sometimes it's because they really care about something. And there's a lot to be learned from those people as well.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How about you, Galen? From your perspective, What do you think people tend to do wrong?

Galen Low: Man, I think some of the same, but like definitely folks who are like very rigid in their approach to projects.

I think, I'm a very firm believer in the fact that every project needs to be approached a little bit differently and especially folks who get brought in. I've seen some folks that come in because, I come from the agency world. We were all trying to be agile, whatever that meant.

And in client services, that ended up being quite difficult. But what it meant as well is that we would hire some project managers who, were more agile in their background, they have scrum training, maybe the scrum masters certification have run projects using, scrum or, maybe the Kanban people, but they would just be like, this is how projects go.

You have to do it this way. Which I appreciate, and there's a lot of like agile coaches that I really respect. Even those folks, you have to integrate it into the process rather than just come in, slam people over the head with something and be really like rigid about it. I think it ties back into what you said about, respecting history and understanding the organization.

And the advice I always give to folks is Go in listening. Yeah, you have to have that little bit that like gives you credibility. Maybe it's not name dropping every other sentence, but maybe there's a thing, they're, it helps people understand and not underestimate you as much.

But I think still the most important thing is to be observing, paying attention, listening, there's so much value in that versus coming in swinging.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, definitely.

Galen Low: I wonder if we could zoom out a bit, because you mentioned something earlier that I wanted to dig into just to give it a bit of a preamble.

And for our listeners, you mentioned it, but I know you as someone who helps project managers land great roles. And you do that by helping them understand their value and helping them advocate themselves throughout the job seeking process. But you do provide a lot of guidance and coaching as folks land that new role and start like that onboarding process.

And I mentioned it at the top, like in my community, those first 90 days are like very scary, very intimidating. Laden with imposter syndrome and overall, like just emotionally intense and you touched on it earlier, but what is it that makes starting a new PM job so intimidating? Are people justified in having nerves and having this imposter syndrome when they're entering a new organization or a new role?

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. Yeah. I like to think it's normal because I've seen this with pretty much all my clients. Or most of my clients, I should say, it's like I help them land a role. Now they're, there's a different type of forget. So you're excited, but now it's like, all right, what's going to happen next? Because what's happened in the hiring process, interview process is that you perform, you made a sale, you sold them on something and they bought it.

So now they want to see what they bought, right? So I think that's where a lot of the, a lot of that anxiety comes from is okay, because the interview is very short. It's 30 minutes you've practiced and prepared. And for, like I had this one client and she's she's normally very shy.

But when you put her in an interview situation, like she feels so comfortable there, you put her on stage so she's normally shy introverted, but I don't, there's just something about like that, because it's a performance and all of that. So she can just put on this new personality and all of that.

And then, but outside of that, like she feels uncomfortable. So I think, there's an element of that, like the interview is a performance, like you've practiced. You talked about your career highlights, right? Now they're going to see the real you, so to speak. So I think maybe that's where some of that anxiety comes from.

A couple of things I want to share. So when it comes to imposter syndrome, one of my favorite stories that I've shared this before on my, YouTube channel. So I don't know if do you know Neil Gaiman?

Galen Low: I do not.

Mukhtar Kadiri: So Neil Gaiman is like this prolific author. He's done a lot of shows that you've probably watched.

I don't remember the names that are coming to me right now, but he's done a lot of like good shows, on, I think Netflix and Amazon Prime. So he was at this party and this party had the who's who in different industries, like actors, singers, authors, top names. And, he was feeling a bit out of place and intimidated.

And then he met this gentleman called Neil, cause they're both Neil. So I guess they started just chatting. And this Neil, this other Neil was like, I feel so intimidated. Look at all these people. And then Neil Gaiman was like, are you kidding me? You feel intimidated. You're the first man to walk on the moon.

It was Neil Armstrong, so Neil Armstrong was feeling out of place. How are you feeling out of place? I'd be like, you are, so even Neil Armstrong was feeling like an imposter syndrome, Neil Gaiman. So this is something that really come on. And I think. If all these people feel that way, and I think I studied somewhere that said that about 70 percent of people would feel like this, at least.

Once in their life, so this is something that's very common. Yeah. So just wanted to mention that off the bat. Now, another story that, that comes to mind is there was this client I was working with and she was looking for a job for eight months, like she's a mother and she was really on that.

Imagine looking for a job for eight months, no success. A mother with a kid, and she really wanted to provide for her kid. So she ended up reaching out to me and we ended up working together, just really preparing strategy, preparing for an interview. In two weeks, she landed the role. What was really interesting.

So she was searching, frustrated for eight months in two weeks, she landed the role. But what was really interesting was she actually shared with me the email that her new employer sent to her. And the email was like. Hey, I'm just going to use the name Jane. Hey, Jane, we've actually canceled all the other interviews that we've had.

And we want to just move forward with you. They're interviewing a lot of people, other people, but they canceled all their interviews. And then when she got this email, she started freaking out, because it's I've been looking and I performed well on interview. Now they actually are so excited.

I want to go with me and they are canceled. So that pressure, it's oh my goodness, I don't know if I'm going to be able to perform. So all of this to say the interview is a very different experience. Actually, there are a lot of people that are good at their jobs, but very bad at interviewing.

So I think in interview it's a different skill set. And then when you actually end up doing well in the interview, it might not necessarily mean that you will be good at your job. So I think maybe that's where some of these, like the tension or the anxiety comes from. I don't know if I answered you.

I hope I answered you.

Galen Low: No yeah. Absolutely. No. And I love that because I I think of that in a lot of like exam situations, like I'm like thinking of whatever I wrote my PMP, it was probably a decade ago, but I'm like, okay, great. Like I worked hard to like, be able to pass this exam.

I passed it. And it's okay, now everything after that is not an exam, it's not that format. And I know, there's a lot of other things behind that. I don't think the PMP is the thing that prepares you for the job. I think it's just, it's a very nice credential to have. But You use a whole different set of skills during the interview process, the job seeking process in general, that is not the job.

And then I was thinking about that and I was like, well, also you could flip the script on that, right? You could flip the script and say, I did use actually a lot of the skills that I would use as a project manager during the job seeking process, I advocated for my value. I built relationships, I communicated effectively, I prepared, hopefully, maybe, I don't know.

I'm the kind of person who prepares, right? I prepared for what's fundamentally a meeting with someone important to try and be persuasive or at least help them find the best solution. So you do get a flavor, I guess, in some way, shape or form, but I totally agree that I don't know.

I wonder, I was going to ask you, I was going to ask Is it just something, right? We were just like, if Neil Armstrong feels out of place, at a cocktail party, then you will feel a little bit of imposter syndrome going into a new role and just accept it. Or is it something that's you could maybe just quell a little bit and be like, okay, I can silence this imposter syndrome because it's not productive.

I guess maybe yeah, that's a whole episode in and of itself. But is imposter syndrome productive? And if it's not, I mean, I guess if it is, then should we just let it be?

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, I know that's such a good question. So I think maybe it will differ from individual to individual. Maybe before we go to individual level, I think Anything that's too much is a problem too much anxiety.

So if it becomes crippling, then yes, but like for me, I've noticed that. So I've done I've been a program manager for over a decade. I've led cross functional teams. I've managed like really large, complex programs in different industries. And I mean, I think I'm very good at my job, and I've gotten a lot of like feedback, like the market says that, but if you give me a 50, 000 project today, right now, I'll still feel anxious about that project. There's something, a project by definition is something that hasn't been done before. It's new. There's an aspect of it and it's temporary and you don't know the future. There's still, that project might not be successful.

That's where some of that anxiety comes from. And for me, I think that uncertainty, that anxiety keeps me sharp, right? Where I cannot be overconfident, right? And, I'll be honest, sometimes that anxiety for me, sometimes I need to slow down and manage it. But I think for the most part, it helps me to be productive.

And to be a good project manager, I think.

Galen Low: No, honestly, that resonates. I remember early in my career, nothing to do with project management, but you know, I got a new job in a new industry and I had I was very intimidated by it, but it did get to that point where it was the crippling. Like I knew it was paralysis.

I knew it was I was getting to that point where I'm like, Maybe I don't want this job at all. Maybe I'll just say no thank you. But if it's not crippling, I was watching Inside Out 2 with my family the other day, and anxiety is a character. Spoiler alert, but it's it's not an evil force, it's just a mechanism to think about what could happen, right?

You're planning in a way, right? Yes, you're anxious because you don't know what's going to happen. And then you start going, what could happen and am I prepared for that? So I'm with you on that whole yeah, it's about coming in prepared. And then it can get a bit extreme, right? Where there is an infinite number of possibilities of things that could happen, and if you're trying to account for all of them, it could be very stressful.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, for sure. Sure.

Galen Low: I wonder if we lean that in, I wonder if we lean that into from that point where, you get that email that says, Hey, listen, we canceled all the other interviews, you got the job, you feel imposter syndrome, you feel nervous, you feel anxious. Maybe we can look at that first 30 days, because regardless, time passes and you're going to hit that first day.

What are some of the advice that you give to your successful clients once they've secured that role and are approaching their start date? What should a project manager in a new job be doing or thinking or feeling during the first 30 days on the job?

Mukhtar Kadiri: I think one of the best antidotes to anxiety is really preparation.

And of course, I'm not speaking as a mental health therapist. I'm not speaking about chronic anxiety, right? Just before you go for an interview preparation, before you do anything of importance preparation. So that's where I'm coming from. So I think just preparation is very important, right?

And I think there are a couple of things that I advise people to do in that first Thursday. So, first of all, it is really. Understanding what success looks like, right? And of course, you have to keep in mind that for some people, they might not have even thought about what success looks like. So you might have to ask again and again, and then see common themes.

So just really understanding what success, and don't just take what people say at face value, because people might say one thing, but then when you dig a bit deeper, you actually figure out, okay, maybe that's not, What they really want, or in your doing that, you would actually help people think through and articulate what success looks like.

So the point I'm trying to make is don't just ask for what, what's successful and then you just, whatever they throw at you, that's it. And you are, exactly. Yeah. So you want to really, dig deep and really ensure that you understand what that is. So I think understand what success is because.

And sometimes when you would throw that question what a success is going to do for 30 days, a legitimate answer that you might get is, I don't know, or it could just be like, just. Learn, even that, like even learning, I guarantee you that your boss has some sort of picture as to whether you are doing well or not.

They might not articulate it, but they will be able to like, okay, like 30 days has this been a waste of my money or not? There's something there, right? So you can even just peel. Okay. So learning. All right. So what would you like me to have covered, in the first 30 days? Or who would you like me to have met?

So there are all these things that are important to do in the first 30 days because there will be a point in time where it's okay, you can't hide under the guise of I'm new. So I can ask all these dumb questions, right? So you need to now actually now be productive, right? So at the beginning, you are consuming, but then there will be a point in time where you actually have to now be producing more than you're consuming.

So I think understanding what success looks like. The first 30 days, that's one now meeting with key people, right? So of course, understanding what your boss's expectations are, understanding who your boss respects, maybe your boss's boss, the payers. So now understanding the politics, because.

It doesn't matter where you are, as long as you have human beings together, there's always politics, so understanding politics, who has influence, and you just have to understand it so that you don't, you know how to best position your project for success, right? I know I was reading somewhere that actually politics plays a very important role in your project success.

Even if we don't like to, we like to think, Oh yeah, it's really meritocracy. You come in your skills and all of that, but actually politics decide where limited resources flow. What gets prioritized. Because that's really probably policy is really how people are, interacting, making decisions with who they listen and all of that, it's not necessarily nefarious. It's just, who gets listened to, how are things prioritized and where do resources flow? So if your prayer is not on the receiving end of all of that, it's doomed for failure. So you need to understand that. And, so you can position your project, to be recipients of those things.

So I think understanding politics is also something that's very important. Yeah.

Galen Low: I definitely agree. I, you raise a good point about the like, The other side of the coin, right? You start a new role and you're like, okay, like half of me is okay, my first 30 days, like that's such a short period of time.

All I can do is learn and listen. The other half of you is going, but I need to prove myself and I need to jockey, to demonstrate that my hiring manager hasn't made a mistake. But I like the sort of flip side of it of, has this hire been valuable? Are they on track after the first 30?

And it gets me thinking about that, like quite often, not always, but quite often there'll be that 30 day check in and it's meant to be informal. And it probably in your calendar is like check in right. And it's 30 minutes, 15 minutes on a Thursday or whatever. But if you work backwards from there, actually, like that's the point to work backwards from.

And that 30 day period to be like, what am I going to say? Like I met with two people and I think I learned some stuff. Probably isn't the strongest answer, but I love what you said about the meeting key people and also paying attention to who your boss respects, because. You become part of the fabric of the politics as well, your reflection of, your bosses or your team's capabilities as they're jockeying for resources and, in favor and priority.

And even just having had conversations with key people and understanding, what they do and where they're coming from, what their motivations are. I think, that is valuable in my books. If it was my hire, I'd be like, great. I'm glad you sat down and talked to those people. I'm glad you learned about the business because.

Now we've got a really strong foundation to grow from, and you've already it means you're already established. You're not invisible and hopefully you're not pissing everyone off that you meet, but that you are connected with these people. They know you exist. They know what you're working on.

And now you can navigate your projects or steer your projects in a thoughtful way.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah no, definitely. And just as you're speaking, one thing that came to mind is I'm a big fan of one on ones with my boss, right? And I think it's also very possible. And, sometimes come on that when you get in, your boss barely has a time and you have to take ownership of that.

Like you have to own that relationship with your boss, right? Because that is the most important relationship. It could even be one of the most important relationships in your life, because if you don't have a good relationship with your boss, it spills over it's like you dread work, you spend most of your life at work, and then everything outside work gets affected.

And because, your work is your main source of livelihood, if that's not going right, like you're not at peace, so I would actually. Take advantage of that because there are some bosses that they're so busy, they can't even mentor and all of that. So you have to put the one on ones on their calendar.

Okay, I'm going to be meeting with you every week just to check that I'm on track. Our expectations are aligned and all of that. And it's not a matter of babysitting. It's you just coming in with an agenda and saying, okay, this is what I'm thinking. Do you agree or not, or, this is the help that I need and all of that.

So I think when I've done that, many bosses have appreciated that. So that, when it comes 30 days or when it comes 60 days or 90 days, there are no surprises. And also what that helps with those one on ones, just FaceTime, just really builds that. You're building trust and you're building that foundation, because what will happen is that there will be naysayers, right?

Especially when you're coming to change things up, because a lot of times, like you will be part of a project, maybe to bring in a new tool to transform something, there will be naysayers. And when things come to your boss from the grapevine, okay, like that credibility that you build with your boss would help.

To withstand and to even fight all that negativity. So, so I'm a big fan of really just being in lockstep with my boss and that includes a regular one on ones.

Galen Low: That's so interesting that yeah, that relationship is like resilience and like defense.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Exactly.

Galen Low: Yeah. Through trust. Yeah. It's not like just combative thing, but.

Yeah. And being in front of that ties back to your first point, about like understanding what success looks like. Sometimes it won't be that clear. And sometimes your boss will be too busy to even tell you. But yeah, I agree with you in the sense that I know a lot of folks who are like the best thing I can do in the first 30 days is like spare my boss's time because their time is precious.

Not always the right answer, because I think you raise a good point about interfacing with them. That's going to help.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, no, for sure. Yeah, sorry, just before you move on, you just reminded me of, somebody, because I'd given somebody this advice and the boss never did one on ones. But this was in a healthcare setting, and this was in a mental health setting.

So the boss is like a therapist, but she is in a project management space. So it's fascinating because the boss is a practicing therapist and they have one on ones with their patient and all, and, when it comes to outside of their practice administration, the boss was almost like, yeah, I mean, they never do one on ones.

What's the point? But then I advised this person, I just put the one on ones on the calendar, just have it recurring. And then after two meetings, the boss was like, actually, this was a good idea. And the boss will be looking forward to the one on ones because things will come up. And she knew that she had this avenue to now discuss the things that are top of mind.

So, because you can't just rely on a team meeting and all of that, because there are things that you can't necessarily say. But the fact that the boss knew that there was this one on one time the boss would all start looking forward to that time to actually discuss important topics.

So, Yeah. I just thought I should mention that, so I'm a big believer in one on ones. Yeah.

Galen Low: No, I love that. Yeah. And you're right. Because a team meeting situation won't let everything rise to the surface. And I also like the sort of the flip side of the coin again, which is there are bosses out there who are like, Oh, I'm going to be that annoying boss that wants to like check in with them every week.

I don't, maybe I don't want to be that person. Maybe I'll just leave them alone. It could all get lost in translation.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. For sure.

Galen Low: I wonder if we could look beyond that first 30 and talk into the 60 and into the 90 day period. We'll blend both together because I imagine that some of them won't necessarily have this sort of clean break after two months or whatever.

Yeah. Once the PM has gotten their feet wet in the first 30 days, what should they be shifting their focus to from, days 31 onward.

Mukhtar Kadiri: So at the end of the day, you have brought in. To solve a problem or to solve some problems, right? So there's pain a lot of times, which led to the company fortune money to actually get you on board.

So I think you really need to keep that at the back of your mind. So, and basically it is, how do I ease pain? So what I would recommend is how can you start taking things off people's plates? So more than likely when you come in, maybe your boss is doing your work, right? How can I start taking things off?

Your boss has played, or maybe somebody else like a peer, or someone. So I would say just looking for some of those quick early wins. I think that will go a long way because just going back, like you are establishing your credibility. And I think if you can do that would really make people start to see you as a good investment.

Galen Low: Oh, I love that. I think that easing pain. And also like a, just a good mobility move overall. Yeah, sure. Not taking like suddenly trying to take over everything and take over your boss's job or other people's jobs, but you know, contributing, it's like a great, I did 30 days of learning and talking to people.

And now I understand what success looks like. You should have a pretty clear idea of the pain you're meant to solve and then start solving it, whether or not that is like in your job description, I guess. I don't know, I guess I have to be careful about saying that, but what I mean is not just Oh yeah, you're here so that someone runs the project and and because there was no one to run it before and now there is.

So that's good. As long as you're doing that's fine. But also what's your team contribution, what are you contributing? And honestly, sometimes that, is like contribution to culture as well, just like getting to the point where, yeah, you're proving the value of your work and that people enjoy working with you and that you're building respect.

But yeah, also like in a way that's. I think saving people time and energy is never too bad of a play, I guess.

Mukhtar Kadiri: When it comes to quick wins, sometimes you don't need to overthink it, right? Cause sometimes there's that pressure to really prove your value. And of course, listen, understand what the main pain points are and all of that.

But sometimes Like you're just, you're having a one on one, asking thoughtful questions, trying to understand people's challenges, that exercise, some people have never done that before, for some people that you might even just, it would be a catharsis just for them, just letting things off their chest and then you just become associated with that very pleasurable feeling, right?

I mean, I'm not just saying just go there and listen. And then, because also there's also the thing of, Oh yeah, the traditional listening tour, you come in and you listen and listen, but people know that nothing is going to get done. So you want to really listen, let people get things off their chest.

Take notes, what are some recurring themes and see how you can just help ease some of this. And right now, like with AI tools, like ChatGPT and all that, that you can gather all of these things and then just, ask ChatGPT to come up with recurring themes and maybe even suggestions on what are some of the things that you can do to just, quick wins, right?

So yeah, I just wanted to say it doesn't necessarily need to be a big thing. It could just be listening, maybe even helping them articulate their thoughts, being a sounding board. Yeah. So, so these are some things. Another thing that I think is very important as well. And, I didn't mention this off.

It's just really understanding what priorities are. Like I usually say, CEO priorities, department priorities, team priorities, your boss's priorities. And then, your priorities. And, you might not necessarily see a connection all the way through, but you want to keep that in mind and try to form a connection if you can, but try to see if you can make a connection all the way through.

And the better you can, Articulate that connection. The better it is for you to be able to, get resources and, have things go your way.

Galen Low: I love that. It's like this like thread of steel or like in my head, I'm like reverse OKR, but it's not exactly what I mean. But in other words, see how all the things are connected.

It might not have been deliberate, but there is this sort of connectedness to everyone's motivations and goals and priorities that can really be your North star so that it guides like all of your actions and all of your actions will then have impact.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. And sometimes you would go in and you would not see a connection.

You would see the OKRs and then when you're actually talking to people, they're actually doing something else. That happens on that. I, Oh, these are the OKRs, but what are they actually focusing on? They're focusing on all the things. And that is a signal, and that is a signal that you can, okay what's really going on here, and then, that can lead to conversations.

Okay. Maybe our OKRs are wrong or maybe we need to repivot or maybe we need more resources. We need to make a case for more resources because. We keep on saying this, but we are doing this, right? So, but I think, you, you want to start with understanding what the priorities are and then seeing whether the actions on the ground are actually measuring up.

Galen Low: I love that because like goal setting is political in and of itself, right? You see it written in all the goals and the vision and all the like KPIs what have you, it's all. A bit of a political dance, but yeah, I was in a similar role in the past where how I was measured versus what I was asked about were very different.

And it took me a while to figure out that what I'm getting asked about is probably the priority. Whatever it says on that piece of paper, is not necessarily how my performance is being measured or how I'm being measured in terms of my success. It was probably helping me to keep my job. I'm sure that that exists because, if on paper I'm underperforming, then that's a thing, but I was being asked about a different thing every time.

And I was like, Oh, okay. Maybe that's what's important. And it was.

Mukhtar Kadiri: And that can be, yeah, like we can just spend forever talking about this. And that can be a problem because. When it outcomes time for, because a lot of times what I see happen is that you are asked about fires. There's this fire.

Oh yeah. Did you, and that's so important right there and there, but then when you've solved the fire, they now bring up the KPIs. I was reaching as I, Oh my goodness, you actually haven't. And then you get in trouble and you will forget Oh my goodness. Well, you've been busy, like you've been busy and.

Your boss has been happy and people have been happy patting you on the back. All of a sudden it's time for them to look at the OKRs and it's Oh, what's been going on? People have short memories. So yeah, it's very important to always keep that in mind. Okay, this is what we are saying we're targeting, but this is what I'm doing.

So let's reconcile this. And let's do it right away. You make this firefighting should be my KPI or remove me from firefighting and let me focus on my KPIs.

Galen Low: Cool. I love that.

And I think maybe a good segue into I get asked a lot about roles with a probation period that are a 90 day probation period. So you're, you're coming up in your 90 days. It's not just your first three months on the job. It's also, there's that moment in time. That you need to prepare for of are we going to keep you or not? And I guess on the other hand, am I going to stay or not? And I think that ties into some of this measurement of success.

And I wonder, do you have any tips for anyone who's like preparing for that probation meeting or trying to pave like a really clear path so that when that meeting happens, you're on your 90th day. All right, let's sit down and see how you're doing. In a way, all of what you said paves that path, but is there anything specifically that you have in terms of tips or guidance on preparing for that conversation?

Mukhtar Kadiri: I think I would just go back to one point that I mentioned, like just really having that regular touch point with your boss so that 90 day meeting, if you have that will be a non event. And I think I've usually in my career, like after I realized the importance of one on ones, a lot of times when it comes time for my performance reviews, the annual performance reviews, like it's a non event because nothing is a surprise.

If your performance review, if that meeting is a surprise, then it's, Either that your boss wasn't doing a good job or you were not doing a good job, but let me, I know there's a lot there to unpack, but maybe we should just put your not doing a good job aside. Let me talk about the boss as a boss.

If you are going to let your employee know for the very first time at the end of the year that they're not doing a good job, then you have failed in your job as a boss, right? That should not be the time you should have coached, mentored, even try to rectify the world before getting there. So which goes back to the point of just having regular touch with your boss so that you're always aligned on expectations and then you can always recalibrate. So the 90 day checkpoint is a non event the one year checkpoints is a non event.

Galen Low: I like that. It's actually a good mantra. Even just spend this 90 days. Making sure that nothing is a surprise.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. Yeah. No, I was just going to say, just to add to that, I know, a lot of your viewers and listeners are familiar with retros. One thing that I've liked to do is also a self retro. I think, we can be good at doing regular retros, lessons learned with the team, but also just maybe even spending a few minutes just to do a self retro just.

What have I done well, what could I improve on and what should I do differently going forward? So I think just asking yourself those three questions could go a long way. Just doing that regularly. Cause a lot of times I forget to do that. Because you're always so outward focused, the team, the project.

And all of that, but you forget to,

Galen Low: to make sure I'm getting it like as a personal thing, not to bring into a meeting with your boss to be like, Hey, I did a retro here's some things that I did terribly.

Mukhtar Kadiri: Please don't do that. Yeah, this is just for you. And because this profession that we're in, I mean, it's a craft, and that's why I love it. It's I did a post the other day about career paths for PMs and somebody just left a beautiful comment saying. I just love being a PM, it's just about, give me a more challenging project and some people would just love that. It's a craft we can.

You can't quite reach the pinnacle. You can continue to polish and refine the craft. And, for some people they're happy with, for some people, like they want to go into leadership positions and all of that, so there's always room to polish and hone your craft. So I think, those three questions can help you do that.

Galen Low: I thought I'd round out with this. Some folks are listening and they're like, ah, these are great tips, but I am like six months into my job. I didn't do any of those things. If somebody is listening and they're like past that period, they're not new anymore, has the ship sailed or do you have some examples of how you can maybe circle back even after your first year and still benefit, even though you're not new anymore?

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah, no, I think that the ship has not sailed. And I think that all of us benefit from having 90, like the 90 days keeps on repeating because it's very difficult for you to have a one year plan. Like things change. Things are very dynamic, right? So after this night, your first 90 days are over.

Your 90 days in a way reset in that, okay, you have the next 90 days for you to achieve something, right? So I think every quarter you should be recalibrating and trying to decide, okay, what are the main things that I'm going to try to achieve? So I would say that if you've been at a role for five years, for five months, yeah, you should get into the practice of having.

A 90 day plan or one quarter planet companies do this, right? There's, okay, this quarter planning and all of that. So there's no reason why you shouldn't have that for yourself. At the individual level.

Galen Low: I love that. I had never really thought about it that way because the first 90 is always so focused on like, how can I make a good impression and stay in this role?

I hadn't really connected it to like personally, like quarterly planning, which I'm a huge fan of because I just think it's a good measure of time to be able to do something and measure results. Man, that's cool. I love that.

Mukhtar, thanks so much for spending the time with me today. It's been a lot of fun. Where can people find you online if they're not already following you?

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. So on LinkedIn, use my name, Mukhtar Kadiri, and yeah, you can find me there. Follow me. I usually post, I post posts every day, five times, five to six times a week. And I talk about, yeah, project management, program management. Also I help people land $100k to $300k roles.

So I post. A lot about that, the job search and all of that. And yeah, so LinkedIn is the best place to reach out to me. Yeah. Connect with me. I would love to connect with you.

Galen Low: I'll add the link in the show notes. Also, do you still do the YouTube thing or have you got something new coming up?

Mukhtar Kadiri: Yeah. So I have a YouTube channel.

I haven't posted in a while, but we are working on a new podcast that's going to be coming out soon. And yeah, we have pretty good things coming out that I'm really excited about. I really want to do like live shows on LinkedIn and all of that. And yeah, most likely have Galen over and, other fantastic guests, to talk about really interesting topics controversial topics, things that are not quite said out loud, in the PM community and yeah, just to really Just talk about it and, let us learn from each other and move forward.

Yeah. So, so really excited about, things to come.

Galen Low: I love that. I love that. Super exciting.

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