A new team and new environment, new learning, new understandings. All of this and a whole lot more in an ASAP time frame to get you up to speed and fully operational.

Easy? No. Possible? Most definitely.

But it is imperative for you to get to know certain things before you start moving too fast. So, what are some of the key elements within and surrounding this team? What are the areas you need to get a handle on?

The following suggestions are in no particular order because the order and/or priority is for yourself, based on your needs and the dynamic and purpose of the team.

What is the pecking order?

What are the politics around and within the group?

Who are the leaders, the doers, the followers, the thinkers, the talkers, the lazy ones?

What is the accountability process?

What are the alliances?

What are the things we must never talk about?

What does the team take pride in?

Do they talk openly and honestly with each other?

Are there high levels of personal responsibility?

What are our goals? And are these the same goals as the ones from above?

What is my role within this team? Apart from what I was brought in to do.

How does this team want to be respected?

What is our definition of success?

What are we like when no one else is watching?

What will get me fired?

Who on the team will build me up, and who will tear me down?

What topics get spoken about openly, and what ones go on behind closed doors?

How long have most people been on this team?

Why do they stay, and what makes them leave?

Where, how and why do I learn the most from within the team?

At what speed does this team execute its best work?

What are the unspoken rules?

What is the within-team jargon/slang?

Is the team where it needs to be? Results, approach, environment, structure etc

How can I make this team better?

Answer these and ask a whole lot more, and as you do, watch as…

The Journey Continues!