“It’s like rain on your wedding day;
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid;
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take;
And who would’ve thought, it figures.”
Ironic by Alanis Morissette

In business, ironically, the more important your role, the less structure, support, and clarity you have… Additionally, one of the critical success factors for leaders is the ability to make the best decision in an environment of ambiguity, which is difficult to train for. Other ironies are:

• Handover with the incumbent… where they may or may not want you to be successful.
• Your direct reports may not be supportive of you until they have confidence in you. However, you need these people to be in your camp for you to be successful.
• Organisation is watching you and thinking WIIFM (what’s in it for me). This may delay them aligning with you.

The irony is that the best situation for everyone is for you and the business to be successful; yet many are watching, waiting and evaluating you. Who is in your corner to support you in the transition into the role? Potentially, it’s just you.

You must take full and complete ownership of the transition; you cannot rely on someone else. Think about this transition as three distinct phases:

1. Prior to starting
2. The first week
3. The first 100 days

There are some obvious and not so obvious steps prior to starting:

• Prepare your family for what will be an intense ride, particularly the first six months. Manage their expectation that you may not be as present with them until you are comfortably in the chair.
• Dedicate time to absorbing information on the market dynamics such as regulations, competitors, customers. Seek out industry experts.
• Obtain previous reports, such as strategy documents, budgets, and business reviews for your company.
• If you are coming from outside the industry, learn the acronyms so you are not bamboozled by them in the first week.
• Craft your introductory speech for the Leadership Team, the organisation, your customers. Keep in mind the concept of WIIFM as that is what people will be thinking while you’re speaking. Your every word will be scrutinised.
• Most importantly, play a critical role in planning the first two weeks, do not abrogate this responsibility to the CEO’s assistant or Head of HR.  You must own it and be thoughtful about every minute of those first two weeks – “You only have one chance at making a good first impression”.

The first week at a minimum should include:

• A short, structured Leadership Team meeting where you introduce yourself and set expectations.
• A series of Town Hall meetings to connect with all staff and all locations. Those you omit will judge you.
• Meet or speak with top 10 customers, if B2B. Also speak with your strategic partners.
• One-on-ones with your leadership team, targeting to quickly deal with any internal resentment, while also finding the thought leaders.
• Use your ears and mouth in the ratio they were given to you – listen far more than you speak. Minimise to zero quoting your past in business meetings; no-one cares about your past, they only care about the future.

For the first 100 days:

• There is rarely urgency for a new strategy, however, there will be urgency in performing a solid review.
• Choose your battles – what you can get done and what needs to be deferred.
• Assess your team – your first people move will be assessed and count highly.
• Understand the culture – what needs to stay the same and what needs to change.
• Identify quick wins to build credibility.

A great book to read is You’re in Charge, Now What?: The 8 Point Plan by Thomas J. Neff  & James M. Citrin. It is a classic, with a number of the above points discussed in detail.

If you are in a leadership transition, Impactful Leadership can help.