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

by Michael D. Watkins

What kind of change am I being called upon to lead? Only by answering this question will you know how to match your strategy to the situation. The second question is, What kind of change leader am I?

The power of active listening as a persuasive technique is vastly underrated. It can not only promote acceptance of difficult decisions but also channel people’s thinking and frame choices.

avoid, to the extent possible, asking others to make choices that are inconsistent with their values and prior commitments, decrease their status, threaten their reputations, or risk evoking the disapproval of respected others.

What are the critical alliances you need to build—both within your organization and externally—to advance your agenda? What agendas are other key players pursuing? Where might they align with yours, and where might they come into conflict? Are there opportunities to build long-term, broad-based alliances with others? Where might you be able to leverage shorter-term agreements to pursue specific objectives? How does influence work in the organization? Who defers to whom on key issues of concern? Who is likely to support your agenda? Who is likely to oppose you? Who is persuadable? What are the motivations of pivotal people, the situational pressures acting on them, and their perceptions of their choices?