The First 90 Days - Critical Success Strategies For New Leaders At All Levels

The First 90 Days - Critical Success Strategies For New Leaders At All Levels
Author: Michael Watkins
ISBN:1591391105
Harvard Business School Publishing

You’ve just been promoted to a new leadership position. You’re not yet sure of the challenges ahead or
how you will meet them. All you know is that you have three months to get on top of the job and move
forward—or fail.

This book is your road map for taking charge quickly and effectively during critical career transition
periods, whether you’re a first-time manager or a new CEO. Written by noted leadership transition expert
Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days outlines proven strategies that will dramatically shorten the time it
takes to reach what Watkins calls the “breakeven point”: the point at which your organization needs you
as much as you need the job.
Based on three years of research into leadership transitions at all levels and hands-on work designing
transition programs for top companies, Watkins provides illustrative examples and actionable tools that will show you how to:
Assess your strengths and weaknesses and identify personal vulnerabilities
Diagnose your situation and understand its challenges and opportunities
Negotiate a productive working relationship with your boss
Secure early wins that establish credibility and create momentum
Build your team and connect with influential support coalitions
Align strategy, structure, systems, and skills to enable success
Balance personal and professional demands during the transition
This book is your road map for taking charge in your first 90 days in a new job. Why do you need it?
Because transitions are critical times when small differences in your actions can have disproportionate
impacts on results. Leaders, regardless of their level, are most vulnerable in their first few months in a
new position because they lack detailed knowledge of the challenges they will face and what it will
take to succeed in meeting them; they also have not yet developed a network of relationships to
sustain them. Failure to create momentum during the first few months virtually guarantees an uphill
battle for the rest of your tenure in the job. Building credibility and securing some early wins lay a firm
foundation for longer-term success.