Where There Was No Role, Now There’s You: Defining Success in Uncharted Territory

Your role didn’t exist before you - now it’s your job to assess the potential and create success.

When your position is brand new, it raises all kinds of questions:

• How does my role fit within my team, function, and organization?

• How do I collaborate effectively with my peers, boss, team, and stakeholders?

• How do I build trust and gain confidence in my ideas and contributions?

• What makes my role unique from others?

• What exactly am I responsible for?

While you might have support from your boss, peers, and team - the lack of clarity can be unsettling - it can be like feeling around in the dark.

In a situation like this, there’s no established benchmark for success - that’s why you must create one.

Here’s the upside: New roles come with fewer preconceptions and more room to shape what’s possible. You’re not just working within the context - you’re redefining it. This is often why new roles are created: to enhance, evolve, or reimagine what already exists.

This challenge might not be spelled out in your job description, but it’s a central task. Where there was once nothing, now there is you. It’s your job to assess the potential and make the role a success - to create the benchmark.

If you’ve been in this position before, how did you navigate the ambiguity? How did you assess the potential and create success in your role?