Introduction – The First 90 Days
Core Idea
The first 90 days in a new role disproportionately shape long-term success. Your goal is to reach the breakeven point quickly—the moment when you deliver more value than you consume.
Why It Matters
- Early credibility is fragile. Missteps compound into vicious cycles of lost trust.
- Accelerated transitions free up time to fix problems and pursue opportunities.
- Leaders often fail not from incompetence, but from clinging to old strengths or misdiagnosing the situation.
Example
CEOs estimate it takes 6.2 months for a new mid-level leader to break even. Cutting that by one month saves organizations millions.
Key Tip
Treat transition acceleration as a disciplined, teachable process. Enter with a plan, not assumptions.
Chapter 1 – Promote Yourself
Core Idea
Make the mental shift into your new role. What made you successful before can undermine you now.
Why It Matters
Failing to "promote yourself" leads to micromanagement, clinging to old expertise, and eroded credibility.
Examples
- Julia Gould: great marketer, failed as project leader by micromanaging.
- Doug Ivester (Coca-Cola CEO): remained a "super-COO," neglected vision and strategy, lost board confidence.
Key Tips
- Establish a breakpoint – mentally and socially mark your transition.
- Plan milestones – day 1, week 1, month 1, month 3.
- Assess vulnerabilities – identify blind spots (technical/political/cultural).
- Relearn how to learn – embrace discomfort.
- Rework your network – shift from technical advisers to political/personal.
- Expect resistance – from peers, friends, or old boss; reset boundaries early.
Big Picture Takeaway
Success requires an identity shift: operate at your new level, not the old one.
Chapter 2 – Accelerate Your Learning
Core Idea
Climb the learning curve fast and deliberately. Plan what to learn, from whom, and how.
Why It Matters
Acting before learning leads to flawed decisions and lost credibility. Early learning reduces vulnerability.
Example
- Chris Bagley: imposed "Sigma way" at White Goods without learning context. Demoralized staff, worsened performance. Only regained footing after listening.
Key Tips
- Manage learning like an investment – focus on actionable insights.
- Define a learning agenda – ask about past, present, and future.
- Balance sources – hard data + soft intelligence (customers, suppliers, frontline employees, peers).
- Avoid learning disabilities – ignoring history, rushing to act, importing "the answer."
Big Picture Takeaway
Listen before you act. Systematic, broad learning is the foundation of sound early decisions.
Chapter 3 – Match Strategy to Situation
Core Idea
Not all situations are alike. Use the STARS model: Start-up, Turnaround, Accelerated Growth, Realignment, Sustaining Success.
Why It Matters
Leaders fail when they apply the wrong playbook (e.g., treating a turnaround like a sustaining success).
Examples
- Start-ups: need energy, resource creation, quick structures.
- Turnarounds: ruthless prioritization, visible crisis handling.
- Realignments: hardest—convince people change is needed.
- Sustaining Success: balance continuity with innovation.
Key Tips
- Diagnose early – define which STARS situation you face.
- Tailor strategy – e.g., turnaround = visible quick fixes; sustaining success = avoid unnecessary disruption.
- Communicate diagnosis – align with boss/peers.
- Avoid "one-size-fits-all" traps.
Big Picture Takeaway
Success depends on fit between strategy and situation. Always tailor your approach.
Chapter 4 – Secure Early Wins
Core Idea
Credibility is built through early visible successes. These wins create momentum and virtuous cycles.
Why It Matters
Early wins signal competence, build allies, and create positive energy. Without them, skepticism hardens.
Examples
- Process fix that eliminates a chronic bottleneck.
- Quick customer win that boosts morale and external credibility.
Key Tips
- Pick battles carefully – choose achievable, visible improvements.
- Align with strategy – wins should reinforce long-term goals.
- Build credibility personally – show competence, fairness, and listening.
- Sequence wins – start small, scale impact.
Big Picture Takeaway
Early wins buy you the credibility and goodwill you'll need for bigger challenges.
Chapter 5 – Negotiate Success
Core Idea
Your relationship with your boss is your single most important success factor. You must proactively shape it.
Why It Matters
Unclear expectations, mismatched styles, or poor communication with your boss derails more leaders than technical failure.
Examples
- Boss expects a turnaround, you assume sustaining success → misalignment.
- Boss wants frequent updates, you assume autonomy → friction.
Key Tips
- Clarify expectations – outcomes, priorities, resources.
- Agree on communication – style, cadence, format.
- Negotiate resources and support.
- Align on your 90-day plan – get explicit buy-in.
Big Picture Takeaway
Don't leave alignment with your boss to chance. Engineer the relationship.
Chapter 6 – Achieve Alignment
Core Idea
Align strategy, structure, systems, and skills. Misalignment cripples execution.
Why It Matters
Even great strategy fails if structure and systems don't support it.
Examples
- Growth strategy but outdated structure = bottlenecks.
- High innovation goals but no R&D investment = failure.
Key Tips
- Diagnose misalignments – where do strategy, structure, systems, skills diverge?
- Prioritize fixes – you can't realign everything at once.
- Communicate alignment – people need clarity to act.
Big Picture Takeaway
Be an organizational architect: success = coherent alignment across the four S's.
Chapter 7 – Build Your Team
Core Idea
You inherit a team you didn't choose. Your task is to evaluate, align, and reshape it quickly.
Why It Matters
A weak team drags you down; a strong team multiplies impact.
Examples
- Leaders who wait too long to make personnel calls lose credibility.
- Ruthless but fair assessments build trust.
Key Tips
- Assess individuals fast – competence, character, compatibility.
- Act decisively – replace, develop, or retain.
- Set high standards – team culture forms quickly.
- Design structure – roles aligned with strategy.
Big Picture Takeaway
Your team is your leverage. Get the right people in the right seats early.
Chapter 8 – Create Coalitions
Core Idea
You can't succeed alone. Build alliances beyond your direct authority.
Why It Matters
Cross-functional and external support is essential for real change. Lone wolves fail.
Examples
- Manager who wins over finance and HR gets resources faster.
- CEO who ignores board allies gets blindsided.
Key Tips
- Map stakeholders – identify allies, neutrals, resistors.
- Build relationships early – especially with skeptics.
- Leverage small wins – to pull others onto your side.
- Balance internal and external coalitions.
Big Picture Takeaway
Influence is as important as authority. Your coalition is your power base.
Chapter 9 – Keep Your Balance
Core Idea
Transitions are stressful. Maintaining perspective, energy, and judgment is non-negotiable.
Why It Matters
Burnout, defensiveness, or isolation leads to bad decisions. Leaders fail as much from exhaustion as from incompetence.
Examples
- Overworked leaders who isolate → blind spots.
- Leaders with strong adviser networks make better calls under stress.
Key Tips
- Manage yourself – sleep, exercise, reflection.
- Build advice-and-counsel network – for political and personal balance.
- Watch for traps – overconfidence, isolation, impatience.
- Set boundaries – don't drown in work.
Big Picture Takeaway
You can't lead effectively if you're depleted. Self-management is leadership.
Chapter 10 – Expedite Everyone
Core Idea
Your success depends on how fast others transition too—your reports, peers, even your boss.
Why It Matters
If your team lags in adjusting, your own performance stalls. Transitions ripple across networks.
Examples
- A new leader who accelerates reports' learning shortens her own path to breakeven.
- Organizations that train leaders in transitions outperform "sink-or-swim" cultures.
Key Tips
- Help direct reports transition – coach them explicitly.
- Share frameworks – use common language for transitions.
- Advocate organizational support – training, coaching, shared practices.
Big Picture Takeaway
Don't just manage your transition. Accelerate others' transitions to multiply momentum.
Conclusion – Beyond Sink or Swim
Core Idea
Organizations rarely invest in structured transition support, but should. Transition acceleration is a repeatable skill and a competitive advantage.
Big Picture Takeaway
Whether at individual or organizational level, structured transitions create outsized returns. Leaders should never be left to sink or swim.
One-Page Cheat Sheet: The First 90 Days
- Promote Yourself – Let go of the old role. Shift identity. Operate at the right level.
- Accelerate Learning – Listen before acting. Create a learning agenda. Avoid importing "the answer."
- Match Strategy to Situation – Diagnose with STARS (Start-up, Turnaround, Realignment, Sustaining Success). Tailor approach.
- Secure Early Wins – Deliver visible, aligned results fast. Wins = credibility.
- Negotiate Success – Proactively align with your boss on goals, style, and resources.
- Achieve Alignment – Ensure strategy, structure, systems, and skills reinforce each other.
- Build Your Team – Evaluate fast. Act decisively. Get the right people in the right seats.
- Create Coalitions – Influence beyond authority. Map stakeholders. Build alliances.
- Keep Your Balance – Manage energy, stress, and perspective. Maintain adviser networks.
- Expedite Everyone – Coach and support others' transitions. Momentum multiplies.
Overall Principle
Enter with a plan, diagnose your context, and accelerate deliberately. Early credibility and alignment buy you the time and trust needed for long-term success.