First of all: don’t skateboard in a suit.

Now, in your world it could be an advertising agency, a CPA or law firm . . . maybe a recruiting firm or a 3PL provider. Some of you are lifers on the firm side; others start there and move into corporate. (Others are weirdos like me and flip-flop from time to time). But no matter what industry, function or experience level you are, the following generally applies for that big move in-house. Hopefully these tips will help ease your transition.

Tip #1: Change your perspective on collaboration. 

Specifically, you must broaden this perspective. In the firm/agency world, you may have executed cross-functionally with 2-3 other core groups. In corporate, there’s generally more, and they’re bigger groups. You should get into your mindset: “Ok, I will be tasked with specific deliverables, here. And geez, this company is big. For me to do my job and get things to my people, I’m going to need to get things from a lot of otherpeople.” This is crucial. Your success now depends on the relationships you build across the matrix. Yes, the ‘matrix’ (add that to your corporate vocab). And you will now be more responsible for getting things for other people. Be patient, and be as open-minded as you can. Learn to respect processes.

Tip #2: Two words . . . “Grab Coffee.”

Start with your key team members and work outward from there. For example, if you are working on a Marketing / HR / Supply Chain / whatever program, chances are you may need to interact with your company’s legal counsel on some risk parameters; with finance so they can analyze and approve your plan; with communications to push it out. And there it is: ‘Cross. Functional. Collaboration.’

We laugh at this term depending on how it’s tossed around, but seriously, it’s the real deal. You need to establish yourself and build relationships so you can get things done. So, go and network. “Hey [Kathy in Legal], I just joined a few weeks ago over in [your team]. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. Chances are we’ll likely work together in the next few months, so I thought it might be nice to grab some coffee and say a quick hello – I hear that you’ve been here forever. Would also be curious to hear your thoughts on [exciting company initiatives] if you wanted to sneak in a 15 minute break in the day.” Here’s another one: “Hey [Dave in IT], thanks so much for troubleshooting my network access. I’m sure you do that with a lot of new employees, but you saved my day. Can I grab you a coffee sometime? We’re obviously in much different functions here, but it always nice to get to know other colleagues.” Then you talk about each others’ career paths, your commutes, favorite sports teams. (If you work in separate offices or separate countries, just do the same thing over video or the phone).

Because guess what: there will be a time when you – out of the blue – need to shoot Kathy and Dave an email or leave them a voicemail asking for urgent help. They’ll either recognize you and respond quickly, or they’ll take a few days or longer. What do you think it’s going to be if you previously enjoyed a nice sit down in the cafeteria and genuinely got to know them a bit?

Tip #3: Get involved.

A lot of companies – particularly larger ones – have employee resource groups to support veteran, women, LGBTQ, geographic transplants or single parent employees . . . even just to find workout or jogging buddies. Try to return to your high school or college mindset. You can either put your head down and work, or you can do so while experiencing all that the environment has to offer you (and likely be happier at work).

Along the way, the more people you meet, the more you soak-up how things are done. You gain confidence; you enjoy your work environment more; and you become more savvy in your job.

Tip #4: Ask for org charts.

Pretty simple here. Sometimes they’re available on the company intranet, or through your department head or manager. Always helpful to know whom to ‘engage’ (put that word into your corporate vocab) if you need them.

Tip #5: Pay it forward.

Now you’re a corporate-side pro. You know how to work the system and flourish. Introduce yourself to new hires as they arrive. Think of how nice it would have been if they did that for you when you started. This will create a more cohesive environment, and ultimately, faster turn-arounds of whatever cool stuff you all are working on!

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