Starting A New Leadership Role

Congrats! You’ve landed a new role and have a huge opportunity ahead to make a meaningful impact at your new company.

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As you think about your first few days, weeks, and months, you’ll be focused on getting settled with a new team and culture while also making impact fast. Here are a few tips to help you get into a beginner's mindset and navigate the first 90 days at a new company exceptionally.

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1. Take Ownership

As a leader, you’re the single person who will make you most successful, but how you navigate your onboarding will determine how smooth or turbulent it goes. Don’t wait for others to give you the necessary information — decide what you should know and focus your time on. Take ownership and dig in to make sure you’re ramping up as fast as possible.

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2. Meet the Team

Make a point to introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Prioritize learning about your team and the cross-functional leaders who you’ll likely interact with often. This helps you build rapport and get to know people quickly before you dive into the work together.

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3. Write Your User Manual

You’ve started meeting people but you’re still new to the team (and the team is new to you). It’s going to take a little time to learn about everyone’s working style. You can fast track this process by creating a How to Work With Me document — a user guide for your team members to help them clearly understand how you operate, what you value, and what bugs you so nobody is left guessing.

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4. Ask Questions

Whether you are a seasoned leader or this is your first time in a new role, be mindful that you need to extract as much information from the existing team before you start telling people what to do or what you think needs to change. There is always something to learn.

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5. Pay Homage

Most likely, your first day is not the company’s first day. Respect that company and team has a history that predates you. As you ask questions and learn about the team’s norms, be mindful of your reactions to the ideas, decisions, and way of doing things in the company — it’s what’s gotten the team to where they are today.

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6. Plan Milestones

A strong 30/60/90 plan isn’t just for managers. It’s a tool to help you intentionally plan your success and amass fast wins right out of the gate. Be thoughtful about not only the impact you want to make but also the impression and personal brand you hope to shape from the start.

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