BOOK Summary: The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins

Your first ninety days should be divided into three 30-day blocks, with a check-in with your supervisor following each block. Take the first block to learn and establish your credibility, the second to make some progress toward important goals, and the third to go more into your projects.

To assist you during those vital first ninety days, here are three helpful concepts from the book:

1.?????? A seven-step checklist might help you get ready long before you start a new job.

2.?????? You can easily comprehend and prioritize your new obligations with the aid of the STARS model.

3.?????? To establish solid working ties early on, keep up five continuous discussions with your supervisor and team.

Lesson 1: Always make sure you're ready for a new role by going through this 7-step checklist.

Julia was promoted to the position of product launch manager after working in marketing for eight years. But rather than assigning tasks to different departments, she micromanaged and ignored non-marketing duties. She was back in her former role in no time.

Watkins notes that although "she kept doing what she knew how to do," it wasn't enough. Letting go of your previous role is the hardest part of mastering a new one. Watkins offers a seven-point checklist to assist you in doing this:

1.?????? Make a mental clean-up break. Life passes quickly. If only informally, take some time to celebrate your new role—for instance, by hosting a weekend celebration with friends.

2.?????? Evaluate your preferences for problems. Enumerate the technological, political, and cultural obstacles that exist inside the major business divisions, such as finance and HR. On a scale of 1 to 10, indicate how much you can and desire to solve them. Which challenges are you going to enjoy solving, and which ones require assistance?

3.?????? Evaluate your advantages. Observe how they could support or undermine you. You may have gotten here by being hands-on, but will it get you there?

4.?????? Reacquaint yourself with education. It can be challenging to start again if you've become accustomed to your previous position. Put yourself in a learning mindset so you can adapt as needed.

5.?????? Modify your network. You'll require fresh guidance in your new career. Now that you have more responsibilities, who is a mentor you can still count on, and whom should you approach to become one?

6.?????? Be cautious of gatekeepers. Some people, ranging from your former employer to former coworkers who are now subordinates, may not be as thrilled about your change as you are. Control them and establish reasonable expectations.

7.?????? Ask for assistance when you need it. Whether it's a 90-day plan you and your management have agreed upon or a leadership development program, asking for assistance is acceptable, and you're not the only one making changes.

Even under the greatest of circumstances, transitioning into a new job is rarely easy. But at least you won't unintentionally set yourself up for failure if you use this checklist.

Lesson 2: Use the STARS approach to diagnose job elements so you can swiftly comprehend and rank new duties.

According to Watkins, performing a "STARS" analysis is among the first things you ought to do as soon as you start working. He writes, "STARS is an acronym for five common business situations." They are as follows:

1. Start-up: Launching a new company, item, group, or undertaking.

2. Turnaround: putting a seriously damaged brand, division, or product line back on course.

3. Accelerated growth: reaching new heights with a profitable yet rapidly expanding business.

4. Realignment: returning an outstanding company to its previous level of success and beyond.

5. Sustaining success: growing a successful legacy company.

Apply this framework to “the 5 Ps:” products, processes, projects, plants, and people. Overlap is possible. A legendary clothing brand like Nike might have a new shoe line starting up and a now-defunct Yeezy brand to deal with at the same time.

Make a table, put each element into the right categories, and try to assign a priority percentage to each one so the total adds up to 100%. Do start-ups deserve most of your attention? Or the turnarounds?

With a quick STARS analysis, you’ll make sure your strategies match the situation in each aspect of your new job during the first 90 days!

Lesson 3: Have “the 5 Conversations” to build great relationships with your new boss and team.

Onboarding well depends on quickly building efficient and strong relationships. If your new boss thinks you’re acting unilaterally or your team doesn’t have your back, you won’t get anything done. Not in 90 days, and not in 900.

To start on the right foot, plan for “the 5 Conversations,” as Watkins calls them. These are the big topics you should actively address with not only your boss but also your team, especially if you’re their boss. Here they are.

1.?????? Situational diagnosis: Get your boss’s input on your STARS analysis. Do they agree? What do they see that you don’t?

2.?????? Expectations: Assess them and work to change them if you must. What does your boss need from you, and when can you realistically deliver it?

3.?????? Resources: What are the tools you need to succeed? How many people are doing what? Negotiate for the resources you need.

4.?????? Style: Share your management and conversation approaches with your boss and find out theirs. Establish a solid, ongoing communication routine.

5.?????? Personal development: Start a dialog about what you’re doing well and what needs work. After all, just because you got promoted once doesn’t mean you’re at the end of your career ladder!

The First 90 Days is a business classic, with over 1.5 million copies sold. It is chock-full of great tips, useful frameworks, and detailed planning exercises. “The actions you take during your first few months in a new role will largely determine whether you succeed or fail,” Watkins reminds us. With this book, you’ll have all the tools you need to do the former instead of the latter!

Resource: The Four Minute Books