My First 90 Days: Slow Down As You Get Up to Speed

In this series, professionals share how they rocked — or didn't! — the all-important first 90 days on the job. Follow the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #First90 in the body of your post).

It’s tempting for executives to think that they’re hired into new jobs to take action. Get the house in order. You know, lead. It may well be that you’re there to make changes, but in the first 90 days, your job is to slow things down. Listen. Learn. Communicate. Repeat. Here’s what I recommend for starting out a new job right.

Day 1: There may be an announcement release, but it’s critical to craft your own story about the new role. The outline for my first-day script is usually something like this:

• Why I am excited to be part of the team and company.
• What I have been hired to do and what I understand about the team’s mission and past accomplishments.
• Ask for help: I tell the team that I have a lot to learn and that I will need their insights to educate me about things I don’t know.
• I share a bit about myself and how my experiences make me the right person for this role. It is important to share personal information so people know you have a life outside the office and understand that they have one, too.
• To conclude, I explain my work style and philosophy, the best ways to connect with me, and general rules of teamwork and engagement. I ALWAYS explain that I will be asking a lot of questions, and that no one should read anything into what I am asking or not asking.

Days 2-5: Schedule one-on-one meetings with your direct team to build relationships fast. Reach out to your extended team — ideally in person, but by teleconference if necessary. Connect with key peers. Introduce yourself to important customers, asking for time to meet in the next 60 days.

Days 6-45: Launch your “listen and learn” tour. It may seem a bit clichéd, but humility plays a lot better than overconfidence. I used to think that my job required me to move with ruthless efficiency at all costs. I was disabused of that notion the day my boss, Jack Welch, hung up on me in the middle of a conversation. He was trying to drive home the message that I was too abrupt and didn’t take time to get to know people and their concerns.

Meet with as many relevant staff, peers, customers, vendors and industry experts as possible. Decide if it makes sense for others from your team to join you. Those casual moments waiting together at the airport are good for relationship-building.

Key questions for customers include: What do we do well? What do we need to improve? What are your biggest pain points that our team can help solve? How do we work well together? What have you already tried?

You also have to engage in the existing operating rhythms. These will likely be some of the longest and busiest days of the job. Practice patience and take time to communicate what you’ve learned.

Days 45-60: Craft a hypothesis. By now you should have a good idea about what it will take for you and your team to win. Start vetting it with the team and stakeholders.

I’m a big believer in performing a few symbolic acts during this period to give insight into your leadership style and keep things moving while you’re coming up to speed. Do something that gets people’s attention, but make it meaningful. Bring the team together to redefine their purpose and mission, cancel meetings or work that adds little value, form an employee or customer advisory council. Find ways to show that you get it.

Days 60-90: Fine-tune and launch your activation plan. Communicate the strategy, expectations accountability and operating rhythms to make it all work. In some ways, this is the true beginning of your job, and it only happens once you’ve done the hard work of building relationships. But you’ll never grow out of the need to listen, learn and communicate.