Getting up to speed, the book

Years ago I created an onboarding resource, the “up-to-speed script.” Now I’m taking the topic further: How can onboarding be better?

What is this book about?

Every new job is a new opportunity. We go into new roles riding the momentum of great conversations with our soon-to-be teammates. Conversations about visions for the future, what we can do and become in this new space, of professional and personal growth.

But the experience of being new in an organization often takes that all away. The first days are filled with uncertainty. Those visions that were so clear in interviews get lost in the massive wave of new information, new people and rituals, new expectations—said and unsaid. The Designer you were when you interviewed often feels so far away, as you grapple clumsily with new resources and unfamiliar constraints.

We usually muddle our way through to the other side. It’s messy, but it’s temporary. When we talk about our jobs—even those we love—we simply avoid talking about this part, about the beginning.

Instead, the stories we tell start when we’ve found our feet. When we find our flow states, moving with ease as if we’ve always been here. Once we’re the professionals we promised we’d be, that’s when the story starts.

What if you could start at the beginning?

Your first months in a new team should be about possibility. The possibility of what you’ll do here, who you’ll become, and even more, what your team can become.

This book will guide you through what it means to be new. It will teach you to lean into that, making the most of what being new brings. It will show you how to take control of this shaky place to create a path towards those hopes, to a place of thriving.

Being new is challenging, but it is a challenge worth taking on.

Who is this book for?

This book is for every person starting a new job.

Even more so, for every person starting a new job in tech, whether staying at the same company or trying somewhere new.

Finally, it will most likely resonate the most with product designers. Partly because I’m a product designer. Partly because designers adapt a lot to their surroundings and this book is about that.

What is the “up to speed script?”

The “up-to-speed script” is a framework that I created for myself after flopping in a new job and needing to re-onboard six months in. At the time, I was questioning everything, including my ability to do my job and my choice to join a new team. I love design, but I didn’t feel able to do it. To find my way again, I decided to take control of the situation and go after what I needed: A better understanding of the organization and the people that were doing the work.

The “up-to-speed script,” as a framework, has helped me and many others onboard to new teams faster and with more confidence. The benefits of the framework are beyond what I initially imagined, including building trust with new teams, getting the context you need to do your job well, and giving space for your team to better understand their own work.

The original script is still available today here. As part of writing the book, I’m continuing to iterate on the script and the resources around it. Feel free to use it and adapt it to your needs, as well as pass questions and feedback along to me anytime.

I have presented on this topic in the past and would love to do so again. If your event or team are interested in learning more, please reach out to me at jen@jengoertzen.com.

Why am I writing this?

The shortest and most true answer is that I care deeply about helping people find their way to a place of belonging and confidence, where they can do their best work. Sometimes that’s in product design, sometimes it’s outside of it.

Since creating the “up-to-speed” script, I’ve been interested in the experience of being new and its impact on individuals—affecting even the most experienced and talented of my peers. Being new can destabilize people at any point in their career. How we navigate our first days can affect how we feel, how we work, even how our new teams work.

I want first days to be better and I know they can be. I’m writing this book to further explore this topic and share what I’ve learned so that others can find their confidence faster.