The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter

by Michael D. Watkins

Problematic behavior patterns Lack of… Symptoms Focus The group can’t clearly define its priorities, or it has too many priorities. Resources are spread too thin, leading to frequent crises and firefighting. People are rewarded for their ability to put out fires, not for devising enduring solutions. Discipline People exhibit great variation in their levels of performance. Employees don’t understand the negative consequences of inconsistency. People make excuses when they fail to meet commitments. Innovation The group uses internal benchmarks to measure performance. Improvements in products and processes unfold slowly and incrementally. Employees are rewarded for maintaining stable performance, not for pushing the envelope. Teamwork Team members compete with one another and protect turf rather than work together to achieve collective goals. People are rewarded for creating fiefdoms. Sense of urgency Team members ignore the needs of external and internal customers. Complacency reigns, revealed in beliefs such as, “We’re the best and always have been” and “It doesn’t matter if we respond immediately; it won’t make any difference.”