Your First 90 Days
Being the new kid is difficult.
Being the new leader is too.
For anyone starting a new leadership role or joining a new organization in a leadership capacity there are a mix of emotions:
-Excitement - This is awesome! Can't wait to get started! So amazing that I get paid to do this!
-Insecurity - Can I handle everything this requires? What do I need to do to earn trust and build credibility? Will they like me?
-Pride - I've worked hard for this. This is the chance I've been waiting for. Started from the bottom now we here! :)
-Pragmatism - Where do I park? Which is my workspace? What details do I need to take care of so I can get on with the job?
- Hope - We are going to do some great things! I can imagine something beautiful from this! The future is bright!
- Doubt - What did they not tell me about what's really going on here? Do I have the time/team/resources to succeed?
Whatever you may be feeling as you begin, this is a key time. What you do in the first few weeks and months of a new role has leverage for your entire tenure.
Here are a few things I've seen leaders do that set the right tone and lead to excellent results:
1. Prioritise. Find out what are the most important and most urgent things your supervisor/board expects you to accomplish. Early expectations can be unrealistic, but they are also the basis for your initial credibility as leader. Get as much clarity on these expectations as you possibly can and determine to act on them.
2. Plan. Don't just wing it. Even if you've been able to rely on your instincts in previous situations that strength has the potential to undermine you now. I highly recommend the book The First 90 Days as a guide to establishing your first moves. It is deservedly the prime resource for this situation.
3. People. Building relationships is (almost) everything! Unless you have been given a definitive urgent change mandate nothing you do at the start will have greater positive long term results than getting to know your colleagues and letting them know you. Ask more questions. Commit to learning. Be relentlessly curious.
4. Patience. Leaders often think they need a couple "quick wins" to earn the confidence of the organization. That is partially true, but too often it is a reflection of insecurity more than reality. The wins you need may have more to do with connection than change; especially in a healthy organization.
5. Pray. (Or if you aren't the praying sort: Pause). Take time regularly, more than usual, to connect with the deepest truths you believe and be reminded of what matters most to you. It's tempting to be swept up in your new reality and lose touch with the core identity that is essential to your ultimate success.
6. Protegé. Build a list of experts and advisors who will take your calls. Even if your role has some assigned mentors you are wise to have interested outsiders who care enough about you to give honest insights. And make a point of reaching out to them sooner rather than later. It's not a mistake to schedule a couple check-ins as soon as you can, even before what you will know what to ask them.
7. Persevere. Nearly all the leaders I advise quickly find some things in a new role that were not what they expected. Early challenges tend to be disproportionate as they are magnified by the stress of a new beginning. Dig in, trust your experience and strengths, and lean on the help that is available to you. It gets better.
8. Perspective. Take the long view whenever possible. As important as the first 90 days are, they are not everything. Your whole life and career are not likely to be determined by this season and the ultimate success of the organization probably isn't either. Starting well is a significant advantage but there are many traps to be found by rushing to make things happen that aren't going to matter much in a few years time.
If you are in a new leadership role I am rooting for you. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
And as a bonus to those who read all the way through: I have 5 copies of my book The REACTION Dashboard to give for free to the first five leaders in new roles that ask for them. If having a healthy culture is something you care about this book can help you make that happen. Just contact me to request a copy.