I recently met with a friend who is taking a leadership role in a new company. He asked what I advice I had for his first 100 days. Having been through a similar transition just two years ago, I had plenty of lessons learned. Here are my top four:
- Read “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins. I read it but dismissed its advice. I thought it was too calculating. I was wrong. It’s great advice.
- Figure out who is on board with your vision and direction and move the rest out. Trust your gut. I had this figured out in the first week. But I didn’t trust my instincts. Those instincts were confirmed after the first month but I still didn’t act. I wanted to be “fair”. People who are hanging on to the past aren’t going to help you move the organization into the future. This isn’t about skills, it’s about attitude. I waited for some people to “come around”. They never did. They also prevented others from coming around. You need people who are willing to make the charge with you.
- Provide your vison and npoint of view to the highest levels of leadership that will listen. Diagnose where the organization as a whole stands relative to your function. Then present your diagnosis and your vision for where you are taking the function. Do this within the first month. It lets people know what’s on your mind, that you have a vision, and sets boundaries for what your group might and might not continue doing.
- Set expectations along with goals. Goals are about what you want your people to accomplish. Expectations are how you want them to do it. Your team needs both.
Thanks Brad. Dan Ciampa and I also have a new article on this subject in Chief Executive Magazine. http://www.chiefexecutive.net/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=1AAFB9E1473F457BAF253860562C3C84
Best wishes,
Michael Watkins
To your third point, what are some of the things you would do to diagnose where the organization is relative to your function? I think this practice has value for middle managers stepping into a leadership role of a department…not just a senior executive looking at the larger organizational culture. Short of a formal needs assessment/gap analysis which seems challenging to complete in 30 days, can you elaborate on what you specifically are evaluating, what are the cues in the environment?
Great post. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment. I agree that this is probably helpful for anyone in a management position. I do think the stakes get a bit higher when you take on a new leadership role.
Your assessment really should be based on your view of how the function should work. Therefore, I don’t necessarily have a standard set of questions. However, here are a few things you may want to consider:
1. How mature is the company’s thinking about your function. Chances are, the company is using old practices.
2. Does your company invest in the right way in your function? This doesn’t mean the amount of money but rather how that money is used. Although, the amount of money can be an issue.
3. Is the interface between your function and the company set up properly? Is there clear communication and collaboration on requirements and solutions?
4. Are people leveraging the function to its fullest extent?
5. How do priorities get set for the function? Are they tied to business needs and priorities? What type of governance exists? Do business leaders have a say in the priorities?
Of course, to do an assessment, you’ll first need to have an opinion on what the “right” answer is for all of those questions.
I’m keeping my eyes open for a new position so I find your thoughts on this quite timely and helpful. I went online to access the article that Michael and Dan Ciampa wrote in Chief Executive. Also very insightful to me. Thanks to all…
Where is the chief? Please unleash your potential on this blog asap.
I’ll be back! Been a bit distracted with a longer article. Thanks for asking though. I had a blog that I used to follow religously that seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth so I know how you feel!
I think there might be more than one “anonymous” on here but I agree with the person that posts, “where’s the Chief?” I check this blog all the time! Insightful observations that have real world application. I find here a grasp of leadership that is missing in my own work environment. I had planned to share this site with a group of frontline managers at a workshop but then it was postponed. Hopefully that will be rescheduled this spring and I can do it then. This site is very enriching.