The First Few Months

The first few weeks are about building context, not opinions.

I want to hear the product described by the people who build it. Then by those who sell it. Those who support it. And then those who use it. Those perspectives won't always line up. The gaps are often where things get interesting.

I'd spend as much time listening as I do reading. Docs, launch plans, demos, internal conversations, support tickets... they all tell part of the story. And so do the questions that keep coming up.

I'm not looking for problems to fix on day one. I'm trying to build enough context to recognize the right problems when I see them.

Things I'd be paying attention to:

• How customers describe their struggles.
• How different teams talk about the product.
• Where people get stuck or confused.
• Where messaging feels clear, and where it doesn't.
• What has already been tried and why.

I've built enough context that I can start creating momentum.

I've listened, learned, and built enough context so that I can now stop observing from the sidelines and start contributing.

I'd still be learning every day, but I'd want my teammates to feel like they could hand me something and know it'll get done. Maybe that's shaping messaging, supporting a launch, writing technical content, or helping untangle a complicated problem. The specific work will depend on the team. What matters is that people know they can bring me something and trust me to move it forward.

I'm still learning, but I want to be past the point of being "the new person" and becoming someone who makes the work around me a little easier.

Things I'd be looking for:

• Places where technical concepts could be explained more clearly.
• Opportunities to support launches and messaging.
• Questions or problems that come up over and over again.
• Ways to contribute while continuing to learn.

By this point, I want to feel like part of the team and to have found my rhythm.

I'd still be learning every day, but I should have a good sense of how the team works, where I can add value, and when to step in. I want to be comfortable taking on bigger pieces of work without needing to have every answer before I start.

Ideally, teammates feel comfortable pulling me into difficult conversations or messy problems. Not because I have all the answers, but because they know I'll ask good questions, collaborate with them, and figure things out.

Things in my day to day

• Becoming someone people naturally pull into important work.
• Creating resources that continue helping long after they're published.
• Helping shape messaging for technical audiences.
• Leading pieces of work from idea to launch.

Hopefully, nobody thinks I'm new anymore!

Success isn't just about what I've shipped. It's about the things I've helped make clearer, the decisions I've helped move forward, and the ways I've made the team a little better.

If I've helped tell clearer product stories, brought useful customer insight into conversations, and become someone people enjoy working with, I'd consider that a pretty good first year.