The First 90 Days – Michael Watkins’ Strategies For New Leaders Revealed

As the leader of a startup, revamping an established business or inheriting an underperforming unit, your success as a leader often hinges on your first 90 days as a new leader. With checklists, self-assessments and practical tools provided herein, this updated edition provides proven strategies for successfully transitioning.

Michael Watkins provides executive coaching to C-level executives of global organizations and is an authority on leadership transitions. He is the author of eleven books, including the international bestseller The First 90 Days.

1. Know Yourself

In any new leadership role, the initial 90 days are of critical importance. From promotion within an organization or undertaking international assignments, your transition can make or break your success as a leader.

Michael Watkins, a respected expert on career transitions, offers an action-oriented guide that equips you with strategies and tools to integrate faster, get up to speed sooner, and achieve results earlier. He provides insights on taking control of your transition – from forging strategic alliances to securing early victories.

Watkins emphasizes the importance of your character when it comes to success, suggesting adopting the “be, do and say” leadership maxim: what you do determines how people perceive you; your words reveal their expectations from you; while who you are defines your impact as a leader.

Within your first 90 days as a leader, it’s crucial that you work on building your reputation and initiating results-oriented work. In order to do so, it’s vital that you identify and prioritize tasks you must complete while also devising a plan for securing early wins that can boost confidence while showing how capable of leading you are.

Watkins is an award-winning author, coach, and consultant on leadership transitions. As founding partner of Genesis Advisers–a leadership development consultancy specialising in executive onboarding and transition acceleration – he specializes in executive onboarding. Watkins has taught at IMD Switzerland, Harvard Business School and INSEAD France among others – currently living in Boston Massachusetts.

2. Invest in Learning

As workplace change accelerates, new managers must learn quickly. Whether they have been promoted from within or transitioned from another company, the first 90 days are vitally important for success in any managerial position. This updated edition of a classic bestseller provides proven strategies to tackle the unique challenges associated with taking on management positions.

One of the biggest mistakes new leaders can make is focusing too heavily on process and procedures, rather than investing in learning how to work with people. This often leads to disengagement within an organization, which ultimately impacts their bottom line. Instead, focus on what matters most for both yourself and the organization as an emerging manager.

Watkins emphasizes the significance of evaluating existing teams. He recommends conducting a “role sort” to ensure team members have roles which best suit their skill sets and capabilities. This should become part of regular practice for leaders inheriting intact teams as it may help avoid regrettable oversights such as moving people to roles sooner.

As well as offering actionable insights, this book also provides helpful templates and visuals that allow readers to visualize the concepts and models being discussed. This makes the book an effective resource for organizing and prioritizing ideas; especially beneficial for learners who primarily think in images.

Michael Watkins coaches C-level executives and is the founder of Genesis Advisers, a global leadership development consultancy. He is the author of multiple books including, The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Accelerated and Smarter Start-up at IMD and is often sought out as a keynote speaker and virtual First 90 Days Open Program instructor. Furthermore, Michael possesses extensive experience designing and teaching world-class programs focused on high potential leader development, corporate diplomacy and strategic negotiation.

3. Build Your Network

As you begin a new leadership or management position, your colleagues are key to your success and forming relationships should be an essential component of your plan for the first 90 days.

Your network can consist of people you already know as well as new contacts that introduce you to the wider business community. No matter how it forms, though, it should include both advocates for you as well as influencers that could shape others’ opinions and decisions. To maximize networking efforts within a new organization, start by identifying influential leaders and finding ways to connect with them.

When meeting people that you believe could be valuable connections, request their contact information and send a connection request within two or three days. This is an effective way to establish professional relationships beyond brief encounters or solicitations attempts; your goal should be creating genuine, mutually-beneficial relationships which will benefit both of you.

Another key component of networking is taking the time to assess and build your team. You can do this by listening to existing members’ opinions and assessing their skillset and decision-making style; alternatively, early win projects may give your team an opportunity to gain experience.

Watkins emphasizes the significance of the initial 90 days for managers at all levels, since mistakes made within this three-month timeframe may have far-reaching repercussions. By following the strategies outlined in this book, Watkins suggests you can lessen the risks of failure and increase chances of success.

4. Secure Wins

Early wins are essential for new leaders. They build credibility, motivate employees, and accelerate breakeven more rapidly. Furthermore, early victories provide a roadmap for future success and accelerate progress by helping make decisions that lead to desired results more rapidly.

Watkins states that finding success during transition can take many forms. Prioritize what matters most for the organization and its culture while the new leader should seek ways to create positive feedback loops rather than solely address problems.

As an example, if the new manager places great value in being customer-oriented, she or he should spend part of their first 90 days meeting with customers outside of their office’s premises to demonstrate the leadership philosophy “be, do and say,” where one’s actions speak louder than words.

As part of their new leadership responsibilities, new executives should assess and build an appropriate team. This involves identifying top performers as well as potential future high performers. Furthermore, an evaluation system that prioritizes skills and decision-making styles should also be established.

By following the guidelines outlined in this book, new managers can overcome their biggest career transition challenges more easily. From newbies to veterans promoted from within or embarking on overseas assignments – Watkins’ strategies will assist new managers in taking control of their careers faster and smarter. This updated edition of “The First 90 Days” comes complete with a preface written by author and updates to content; making this essential reading for startups as well as established firms alike.

5. Assess and Build Your Team

In the first 90 days, it’s crucial that your team is assessed and built. A new manager taking over an existing team should conduct a role sort, in which each member is assessed against their skillset and role – the goal being that everyone is placed optimally, which increases long-term productivity. It should be performed regardless of whether you inherit an entire team or need to hire people specifically for key positions.

Watkins suggests creating a 90-day plan, including specific goals and milestones agreed upon between you and your boss, to keep yourself focused, monitor progress, and avoid time or resource waste. Doing this can help ensure you don’t waste any time or resources!

New leaders should avoid common traps that plague new leaders, including criticizing previous leadership instead of focusing on results; not striking an equilibrium between stability and change (you cannot make too many changes too fast); and making implementation-dependent decisions too early.

To avoid falling into these traps, it is crucial that you create virtuous cycles while avoiding vicious ones. Poor decision-making often leads to lower credibility and trust levels which leads to reduced access to important information; on the contrary, good decision-making increases credibility and trust levels thus helping you make better decisions.

Michael Watkins coaches C-level executives of global organizations and is co-founder of Genesis Advisers, a leadership development consultancy. Additionally, he is author of 11 books including international bestseller The First 90 Days Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD Business School as well as one of Thinkers50’s world top management thinkers list.