Your First 100 Days: Crafting a Leadership Plan for Success

Welcome to our third guide in the series, focusing on the crucial first 100 days in your new leadership role. These early days are all about getting to know your new environment, planning your strategy, and starting to make changes. We have broken down this period into three phases, each lasting about 30 days, to help you organise your actions and focus on the most important.

Introduction:

Stepping into a leadership position brings many new challenges and opportunities. During the first 90 days, you must learn as much as possible, build good relationships, and start making your mark. This article provides a summary of each of the three phases of your early days, explaining the main goals and actions for each one. By following these steps, you'll be able to set yourself up for success in your new role.

The three phases of your 100 Days Leadership Plan:

The First 30 Days: Getting to Know Your New Place

Start by learning about your new organisation and meeting the people you'll work with. It's also essential to understand your team or department's current situation.

Objective: Listen, learn, and understand the new environment.

1. Orientation: Focus on absorbing as much information as possible about the new organisation, its culture, processes, and people. This is a period of intensive learning and observation.

2. Building Relationships: Start establishing key relationships with your new team, peers, and stakeholders. Understanding the dynamics and politics within the organisation is crucial.

3. Evaluating the Situation: Conduct a thorough assessment of the current state of your department or team, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). Understanding where things stand is critical before making any significant changes.

The Second 30 Days: Planning and Achieving Quick Wins

Next, use what you've learned to make a plan for your goals. Look for opportunities to achieve quick successes that will help you build credibility.

Objective: Develop a strategic plan and identify opportunities for early wins.

1. Strategic Planning: Based on your assessments and observations in the first 30 days, start formulating a strategic plan that outlines your vision, goals, and priorities for your role and the team or department you're leading.

2. Identifying Early Wins: Look for opportunities to achieve quick wins that can build momentum and establish your credibility. These should be achievable, visible successes that align with your longer-term strategy but can be realised relatively quickly.

3. Communicating Vision and Plan: Begin to share your vision and strategic plan with your team, stakeholders, and superiors. Effective communication is vital to getting buy-in and aligning everyone's efforts with the new direction.

The Third 30 Days: Making Changes and Building Your Team

Now, it's time to start implementing your plan. You might need to change your team or how things are done. It's also essential to begin creating the team culture you want to see.

Objective: Start implementing your plan and solidifying your leadership position.

1. Executing Strategic Initiatives: With a clear plan in place and initial wins, move forward with executing the strategic initiatives you've outlined. This could involve launching new projects, making organisational changes, or implementing new processes.

2. Building a Strong Team: Continue to build and develop your team. This may involve making tough personnel decisions, redefining roles, or recruiting new talent to fill gaps. Ensuring you have the right team in place is critical for long-term success.

3. Establishing a Culture of Success: Begin to embed your values and expectations into the team or organisational culture. Leading by example and reinforcing desired behaviours can help establish a positive, high-performing culture.

4. Review and Adjust: Continuously monitor the progress of your initiatives and the overall transition. Be prepared to make adjustments as necessary based on feedback, results, and changing circumstances.

Conclusion:

As you move through your 100 day leadership plan, remember that flexibility, communication, and openness to feedback are essential. These early days are just the beginning of your journey as a leader. By taking thoughtful steps and being open to learning, you'll be well on your way to becoming a successful leader. Keep an eye out for our next piece, where we'll continue to support and guide you on your leadership journey. Remember, you're not alone in this; with the right approach, you can achieve great things in your new role.