Over the past two months:

• I accepted a new role with my new company in a new city
• I retired from my old company
• We bought a new house
• We sold our old house

And over the past three weeks I have been learning. Learning about the new company and its people. Learning about how to navigate in a different corporate culture. Learning how to approach the challenges of the new role.

To those of you who know me well, I will admit to being a bit challenged in terms of personal effectiveness. I know. It is hard to believe that Mr. Organized is having trouble keeping on top of things. My system of Getting Things Done is definitely under stress. Personal email is backlogged. Blogging is backlogged. Lots of things are being put to one side for now.

I have to remember that the Big Rocks go in first.

Watkin’s counsel in a Harvard Business Review article is particularly relevant as I begin this journey in my new career:

Q: Of the many challenges that managers face in their first ninety days, which one do you think is the trickiest and requires the most preparation and insight?

A: Learning about the culture and politics of a new organization.