As you are moving through the onboarding process, the 75 to 100 day mark is an important milestone. At this point, the details of your new position will probably begin to press in on you and you may feel like you’re driving in the fog. If you’ve ever actually driven in such conditions, you know it can be very disorienting. Am I going too fast? Am I going too slow? Did I miss my exit?

One of the best things you can do when you find yourself in this place is to get some early “feedforward”. As you may have guessed, this is different from feedback. Developed by Marshall Goldsmith, author of the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, the feedforward concept is perfect for this point in your assimilation process.

Feedforward starts with talking to a variety of people within your organization; your boss, peers, colleagues, and direct reports. But unlike feedback, feedforward involves holding those conversations while following two specific guidelines.

First, let go of the past. Why? Because focusing on a past you can’t change is useless. Instead, focus on a future you can change.

Second, listen to feedforward without judging it. Really listen to each person’s ideas instead of internally critiquing the quality of the ideas. When you lose the judging filter you will truly hear the intent of the feedforward and that will inform what you should continue doing, what you should do more of, and what you should do less of.

After you have gathered this data your inclination will likely be to try to take on all the issues that have surfaced. Tackling too much at once generally makes things foggier rather than providing the clarity you’re looking for. Instead, I encourage you to focus on one or two priorities by circling back to your feedforward providers with the following conversation points:

This is a very simple format, adapted from Goldsmith’s book, but it is incredibly effective because it builds a healthy organizational climate where open communication and development are part of the culture. You get the feedforward you need, you thank the stakeholders who helped illuminate specific issues and you continue doing your work with greater purpose and clarity.

Do you feel like you’re driving in the fog? Try the feedforward formula and see how it creates a continuous process for ongoing insight and growth.