Setting a New Leader Up to Win: The First 90 Days
Organizations spend months recruiting a leader, then leave the most important stretch to chance. The first 90 days set the pattern for everything that follows. Get them right, and a leader builds trust and momentum. Get them wrong, and even a brilliant hire can stall. I have onboarded senior leaders and been onboarded myself. The difference between a strong start and a rocky one is rarely talent. It is design.
The clock is real, and it is short
Michael Watkins, whose book became the standard text on transitions, argues that a new leader must reach a breakeven point, the moment they contribute as much value as they consume, and that the early months decide whether they get there (Watkins, 2013). John Gabarro's earlier study of executives taking charge found that becoming fully effective can take far longer than people expect, and that the earliest actions shape the entire arc (Gabarro, 1987). The takeaway is not to move faster. It is to move deliberately, because early moves compound.
Learn before you launch
The strongest instinct of a new leader is to prove themselves quickly. It is usually the wrong instinct. Ciampa and Watkins found that leaders who rush to act before they understand the organization often make avoidable mistakes that cost them credibility they cannot easily win back (Ciampa and Watkins, 1999). It is better to spend the first weeks listening. Meet the team. Hear what is working and what is fragile. Understand the history of the very thing you are tempted to change on day three.
Negotiate what success means
Many transitions fail quietly, not from a dramatic misstep but from a mismatch of expectations. Watkins calls this negotiating success, and it means getting explicit alignment with your boss on priorities, on what a win looks like, and on the resources you will need (Watkins, 2013). This conversation feels awkward early. It is far more painful to have it at the six-month review, when the gap is already visible to everyone.
Secure early wins that build trust
Momentum matters, and it is built with early wins. Not a grand reorganization. A concrete and visible improvement that shows the leader listens and delivers. Early wins are less about the result than the signal they send. They tell the organization that this person is here, paying attention, and worth trusting.
Onboarding is the organization's job, not just the leader's
We tend to put the burden of a good start on the individual, and let the organization off the hook. The research says that is backwards. Bauer's review for the SHRM Foundation found that structured onboarding measurably improves retention and performance, and that most organizations do far too little of it (Bauer, 2010). Byford, Watkins, and Triantogiannis go further, arguing that onboarding a senior leader is not paperwork but a strategic act of connecting them to the culture, the stakeholders, and the real work (Byford, Watkins, and Triantogiannis, 2017). The organizations that treat it that way protect the investment they just made.
A good onboarding is not a welcome packet. It is a designed experience that helps a leader learn, connect, and contribute before the clock runs out. If you are bringing in senior talent, the first 90 days are not the new leader's problem to solve alone. They are yours.
Learn more at annisstubbs.com, or reach me at annis@thepapyrusgroup.com.
References
Bauer, T. N. (2010). Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success. SHRM Foundation Effective Practice Guidelines Series.
Byford, M., Watkins, M. D., and Triantogiannis, L. (2017). Onboarding Isn't Enough. Harvard Business Review, May to June 2017.
Ciampa, D., and Watkins, M. (1999). Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role. Harvard Business School Press.
Gabarro, J. J. (1987). The Dynamics of Taking Charge. Harvard Business School Press.
Watkins, M. D. (2013). The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter (Updated ed.). Harvard Business Review Press.