The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins, a globally recognized leadership transitions expert, was first published in 2003. With his extensive background in leadership development and organizational change, Watkins provides a comprehensive guide to managing the critical first 90 days of transitioning into a new leadership role. The book delves into themes including The Challenges of Transitioning Into a New Leadership Role, Accelerating the Learning Curve to Excel in a New Leadership Role, Avoiding Common Transition Traps, and The Significance of Building a High-Performing Team. It offers actionable insights and practical tools for leaders seeking to excel in their leadership transitions.

With over 1.5 million copies sold and translated into 23 languages, it remains an influential resource for leaders navigating the complexities of new roles.

This study guide refers to the 2013 Harvard Business Review Press edition.

Summary

The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins is a comprehensive guide for leaders transitioning into new roles, offering strategies to handle this critical period effectively. The book consists of 10 chapters, a preface, and an introductory chapter. This guide is divided into three parts: Part 1 covers Preface-Chapter 2, Part 2 consists of Chapters 3-6, and Part 3 focuses on Chapters 7-10.

Watkins begins the book by laying the groundwork for understanding the challenges of leadership transitions. He explores why many leaders fail to take the necessary mental break from their old roles and emphasizes the importance of preparing to take charge in a new role. He encourages leaders to assess their preferences and vulnerabilities, setting the stage for their transition journey.

Watkins then highlights the importance of learning during leadership transitions and provides strategies for Accelerating the Learning Curve to Excel in a New Leadership Role. He focuses on planning to learn and understanding the best sources of insight. Structured methods to accelerate learning are introduced, providing leaders with a roadmap to rapidly acquire the necessary business and cultural knowledge to excel in their new roles.

Having established the importance of learning, Watkins delves into the dangers of rigid, “one-best-way” thinking when approaching leadership transitions. Watkins encourages leaders to diagnose the situation, enabling them to develop the right strategy. He introduces the STARS model: a framework that categorizes different types of transitions. It can be used to analyze portfolios and lead change effectively.

Next, Watkins underscores the importance of building a productive working relationship with a new boss. He introduces the five-conversations framework, emphasizing the need to define expectations, agree on a diagnosis of the situation, and figure out how to work together. Negotiating for resources and creating a 90-day plan are essential steps in securing success.

Watkins goes on to guide leaders on Avoiding Common Transition Traps. Leaders are encouraged to identify priorities and create a compelling vision. Building personal credibility and initiating improvements in organizational performance are vital. Watkins also discusses the distinction between plan-then-implement change and collective learning.

Later, Watkins emphasizes the role of a leader as an organizational architect. He suggests that leaders must identify the root causes of poor performance and align various elements, including strategy, structure, systems, skills, and culture, to achieve alignment. This chapter provides insights into managing the tension between short-term and long-term goals and addresses team restructuring.

Leaders often inherit teams that need transformation. Watkins discusses how to manage the balance between short-term and long-term goals and work on team restructuring and organizational architecture simultaneously, reiterating The Significance of Building a High-Performing Team. Strategies for creating new team processes are introduced, ensuring that leaders can develop and optimize their teams effectively.

In keeping with the book’s ethos regarding the significance of teamwork, Watkins highlights the misconception that authority alone is sufficient for leadership success. He emphasizes the need to identify critical sources of support and maps networks of influence and patterns of deference. Leaders must alter perceptions of interests and alternatives to create effective alliances. Watkins explores the way, sometimes, leaders can get caught in vicious cycles and the importance of self-efficacy. He encourages leaders to create and enforce personal disciplines, building an advice-and-counsel network to support their transitions effectively.

In the final chapter, Watkins underscores the importance of accelerating transitions at all levels within an organization. He recommends integrating leadership-transition acceleration into recruiting and leadership development systems. Acceleration systems should be linked to business processes to achieve maximum effectiveness.