The First 90 Days
A complete overview of the actions to take and traps to avoid for a successful job transition.
Author(s): Michael D. Watkins
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Date of publication: 2013
Manageris opinion
This great classic of professional transition literature, constantly augmented and updated, offers a complete overview of the initiatives to undertake and the traps to avoid.
In fact, the first 90 days start ideally even before you officially arrive on the job, whether or not you are already working in the organization.
This book is particularly valuable for its realism. The author recognizes that it’s pretty ambitious to expect managers to understand the challenges, find the right interaction pattern with the boss, develop a network, take their subordinates into hand and realize quick wins in just 90 days! That is why he helps the reader to prioritize the most relevant initiatives and identify those which may be postponed.
Indeed, some freshly-arrived leaders exhaust themselves trying to visit every facility and to meet with every stakeholder in the first three months. They then lack the energy to think about their plan of action. Yet energy management is decisive in these few weeks, where a new manager’s every word and gesture is uncompromisingly observed by those around him or her.
This book contains many checklists to ensure that no key topic is forgotten. For example, many managers neglect to forge alliances in the first weeks as they deal with operational challenges. Yet the absence of alliances may delay or even block the advancement of important projects.
Complete, clear and relevant, this book provides real support to those transitioning to a new position.
