First 90 Days as a Chief of Staff

Tip # 1:

The ability to successfully transition into a new role is a critical skill.

Dedicating time and energy to mastering role transitions is crucial. Throughout your career, each new assignment represents an opportunity for growth, demanding effective transitions. On average, leaders face significant role changes approximately every eighteen months. The process of transitioning begins from the moment you discover you're being considered for a new role.

Tip # 2:

Your transition affects others and vice-versa.

The way you transition into a new role affects not only your own performance but also impacts others around you, such as your manager, peers, direct reports, friends, and family members. Similarly, the transitions of others can also influence your own performance. These interconnected dynamics underscore the importance of managing transitions effectively to foster positive outcomes for everyone involved.

Tip # 3:

The Break-Even Point

Starting a new role involves an initial phase where you invest time and effort to understand and prepare to take action. As you familiarize yourself and gain momentum, you begin to generate value. The break-even point is achieved when the value you contribute matches or exceeds what you initially consumed. The objective of every role transition is to reach this break-even point swiftly, ideally within the first 90 days.

Tip # 4:

Avoid creating vicious cycles and focus on creating virtuous ones.

In your first 90 days, aim to build positive cycles while avoiding pitfalls. Poor decisions can diminish credibility, trust, and access to vital information, leading to further challenges. Conversely, strong decision-making enhances credibility and trust, facilitating better outcomes over time.

Most new role failures stem from misunderstanding the context or failing to adapt. Avoid sticking solely to what's familiar, assuming past success guarantees future achievements, or rushing into action without a full understanding. Instead, focus on learning the new culture, building relationships beyond your immediate team, and making informed decisions based on thorough insights.

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How to Approach Your First 90 Days

🧩 Step 1: Create a Plan

Create a structured 90-day plan with specific goals, priorities, and milestones agreed upon with your principal. Before drafting this plan, identify and understand the type of transition you're undergoing, as different situations require tailored strategies. Whether joining a company in crisis or stepping into a role during a period of growth, clarity on the situation allows you to choose an appropriate transition strategy.

🎯 Step 2: Break Your Plan Into Three 30-day Milestones

30 Days

In your initial 30 days, prioritize learning and establishing personal credibility. Begin by understanding the organizational structure, core systems, and essential processes, including how responsibilities are handed off. Familiarize yourself with operational and communication rhythms, and identify key stakeholders crucial to your role. By the end of this period, consider gathering 360-degree feedback to assess your progress and refine your approach moving forward.

60 Days

By the end of your initial 30 days, you typically produce a situation assessment or diagnosis, coupled with a strategy outlining your next steps for the following month. This plan includes strategies for achieving early successes to establish momentum and credibility in your new role.

90 Days

By the 60-day mark, you may concentrate on evaluating how well you've advanced towards your goals outlined in your plan and what milestones you're expected to reach by the end of your initial 90 days.

🍎 Step 3: Learn and Align

Starting a new role often feels overwhelming with a vast amount of information and unclear priorities. To navigate this, prioritize rapid learning and strike a balance between taking action and reflecting. Rushing into decisions without understanding can harm credibility.

Focus your learning plan on understanding business plans, markets, systems, key relationships, cultural norms, potential pitfalls, trends, competition, and operational challenges. Pay attention to visible and invisible aspects of organizational culture to navigate how things get done effectively.

🤝 Step 4: Develop Relationships

Starting a new role involves building crucial relationships. Focus on establishing a productive connection with your principal by understanding communication styles, decision-making processes, and available resources. Regularly clarify expectations and set clear goals to define success. Use strategic influence techniques to build consensus, and cultivate a network of trusted advisors outside the organization for additional insights and guidance.

✅ Step 5: Establish Credibility

When starting a new role, establishing credibility is crucial. It hinges on how others perceive your ability to make tough decisions, embody desirable values, and uphold high standards of performance.

Credible leaders balance momentum with avoiding overwhelm, earning trust by ensuring realistic commitments are met and allowing autonomy in achieving results. They demonstrate decisiveness when necessary but also prioritize making well-considered decisions.

🧬 Step 6: Assess Existing Team Structure and Integrate Yourself Into It

In your first 90 days, focus on assessing and aligning the organization. Start with the mission, vision, strategy, and how teams collaborate. Identify key processes and evaluate workforce capabilities to address any misalignments. Key decisions will center on building a high-performance team while balancing stability and change.

Evaluate current team members early, categorize their performance, and make necessary adjustments without disrupting short-term goals. Retain top performers and avoid criticizing past leadership. Address behavior patterns promptly and delay major initiatives until your team is established for better alignment and effectiveness.

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