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

by Michael D. Watkins

A promotion marks the result of years of hard work to persuade influential people in the organization that you’re willing and able to move to the next level. But it also marks the beginning of a new journey. You must figure out what it takes to be excellent in the new role, how to exceed the expectations of those who promoted you, and how to position yourself for still greater things.

Each time you’re promoted, your horizon broadens to encompass a wider set of issues and decisions.

You also need to learn to strike the right balance between keeping the wide view and drilling down into the details.

the keys to effective delegation remain much the same: you build a team of competent people whom you trust, you establish goals and metrics to monitor their progress, you translate higher-level goals into specific responsibilities for your direct reports, and you reinforce them through process.

Paradoxically, when you get promoted, positional authority often becomes less important for pushing agendas forward.

Decision making becomes more political—less about authority, and more about influence.

First, the issues you’re dealing with become much more complex and ambiguous when you move up a level—and your ability to identify “right” answers based solely on data and analysis declines correspondingly.

Second, at a higher level of the organization, the other players are more capable and have stronger egos.

The good news about moving up is that you get a broader view of the business and more latitude to shape it. The bad news is that you are farther from the front lines and more likely to receive filtered information.

maintain regular, direct contact with select customers,

meet regularly with groups of frontline employees,

You also need to establish new channels for communicating your strategic intent and vision across the organization—convening town-hall–type meetings rather than individual or small-group sessions, or using electronic communication to broadcast your messages to the widest possible audiences.

Your direct reports should play a greater role in communicating your vision and ensuring the spread of critical information—something to remember when you’re evaluating the leadership skills of the team members you’ve inherited.

“All the world’s a stage,” as William Shakespeare put it in the play As You Like It, “and all the men and women merely players.”

you attract much more attention and a higher level of scrutiny than before.

What’s really changed? What should you do? Broader impact horizon. There is a broader range of issues, people, and ideas to focus on. Balance depth and breadth. Greater complexity and ambiguity. There are more variables, and there is greater uncertainty about outcomes. Delegate more deeply. Tougher organizational politics. There are more powerful stakeholders to contend with. Influence differently. Further from the front lines. There is greater distance between you and the people executing on the ground, potentially weakening communication and adding more filters. Communicate more formally. More scrutiny. There is more attention paid to your actions by more people, more frequently. Adjust to greater visibility.

Joining a new company is akin to an organ transplant—and you’re the new organ. If you’re not thoughtful in adapting to the new situation, you could end up being attacked by the organizational immune system and rejected.

high failure rate of outside hires to several barriers,

Leaders from outside the company are not familiar with informal networks of information and communication. Outside hires are not familiar with the corporate culture and therefore have greater difficulty navigating. New people are unknown to the organization and therefore do not have the same credibility as someone who is promoted from within. A long tradition of hiring from within makes it difficult for some organizations to accept outsiders.

To overcome these barriers and succeed in joining a new company, you should focus on four pillars of effective onboarding: business orientation, stakeholder connection, alig...

focus on four pillars of effective onboarding: business orientation, stakeholder connection, alignment of expect...

Business Orie...

The sooner you understand the business environment in which you’re operating, the sooner you can make productive contributions.

Getting oriented to the business means learning about the company as a whole

financials, products, and strategy.

it’s beneficial to learn about the brands and products you will be supporting,

understanding the operating model, planning and performance evaluation systems, and talent management systems, because they often powerfully influence ho...

Stakeholder Co...

It’s also essential to develop the right relationship wiring ...

develop the right relationship wiring as so...

identifying key stakeholders and building productive work...

insufficient time is devoted to lateral relationship building with peers and key constituencies outside the new leader’s immediate organization.

Expectations Alignment

No matter how well you think you understand what you’re expected to do, be sure to check and recheck expectations once you formally join your new organization.

be sure to check and recheck expectations once you formally join y...

recruiting is like romance, and employment is like marriage.

Cultural Adaptation

The most daunting challenge for leaders joining new organizations is adapting to unfamiliar cultures.

To adapt successfully, you need to understand what the culture is overall and how it’s manifested in the organization or unit you’re joining (because different units may have different subcultures).

What is culture? It’s a set of consistent patterns people follow for communicating, thinking, and acting, all grounded in their shared assumptions and values.

At the top of the culture pyramid are the surface elements—the symbols, shared languages, and other things most visible to outsiders.

organizational logos, the way people dress, and the way office space is organized and allocated.

every organization typically has a shared language—a long list of acronyms, for instance, describing business units, products, processes, proj...

organization typically has a shared language—a long list of acronyms, for instance, describing business units, products, processes, proje...

Beneath the surface layer of symbols and language lies a deeper, less visible set of organizational norms and accepted patterns of behavior.

These elements of culture include things like how people get support for important initiatives, how they win recognition for their accomplishments, and how they view meetings—are they seen as forums for discussion or rubber-stamp sessions?

general beliefs people in the company have about the right way to distribute power based on position.

Identifying Cultural Norms

Influence. How do people get support for critical initiatives? Is it more important to have the support of a patron within the senior team, or affirmation from your peers and direct reports that your idea is a good one? Meetings. Are meetings filled with dialogue on hard issues, or are they simply forums for publicly ratifying agreements that have been reached in private? Execution. When it comes time to get things done, which matters more—a deep understanding of processes or knowing the right people? Conflict. Can people talk openly about difficult issues without fear of retribution? Or do they avoid conflict—or, even worse, push it to lower levels, where it can wreak havoc? Recognition. Does the company promote stars, rewarding those who visibly and vocally drive business initiatives? Or does it encourage team players, rewarding those who lead authoritatively but quietly and collaboratively? Ends versus means. Are there any restrictions on how you achieve results? Does the organization have a well-defined, well-communicated set of values that is reinforced through positive and negative incentives?

Onboarding checklists