First 90

Introduction

The first 90 days in a a new job greatly determines whether one succeeds or fails. Capitalizing on the transition period is critical; it represents a period of opportunity. But with this opportunity comes vulnerability, especially when you lack working relationships and detailed knowledge of this new role. The framework I leveraged for career transition success is built on the principles found in The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels.

Fundamental Propositions For 90 Day Plan

Watkins has strong beliefs about the challenges which lie in these transition periods. He summarizes them into 5 propositions, which are outlined below. The approach, which I am leveraging for my own person transition, from Comcast to MetLife, is organized into 10 key transition challenges, which keep these propositions in mind. The 10 challenges are then leveraged to form a 90-day transition plan, to ensure personal success.

Proposition #1: Understand Why Transitions Fail

The first proposition is that the root causes of transition failure always lie in a pernicious interaction between the situation, with its opportunities and pitfalls, and the individual, with his or her strengths and vulnerabilities. Failure is rarely one-sided (neither the leader, nor a no-win situation within the business, but is summarized as happening when new leaders either misunderstand the essential demands of the situation or lack the skill and flexibility to adapt to them.

Proposition #2: Minimize Risk With A Plan

The second proposition is that there are systematic methods that leaders can employ to both lessen the likelihood of failure and reach the breakeven point faster.. While there is no "one-fits-all" transition plan, there are a series of challenges that face anyone experiencing a career transition. By building a plan with these challenges as part of the framework, you can increase your chance of success.

Proposition #3: Momentum Through Cycles

The third proposition is that the overriding goal in a transition is to build momentum by creating virtuous cycles that build credibility and by avoiding getting caught in vicious cycles that damage credibility. This proposition starts with a strong vision, and capitalizes on an ability to use leverage. Specific parts of my transition framework address alignment, coalition creation, balance and speed. All of these feed the idea that delivering wins and maintaining momentum are a powerful part of the success equation.

Proposition #4: Manage Your Transition As a Leadership Test

The fourth proposition is that transitions are a crucible for leadership development and should be managed accordingly. The key is not to be tossed (or toss your team) into the deep end to see if you sink or swim, but to focus on developing and teaching team leads transition skills to ensure talent will be leveraged and those with talent will succeed.

Proposition #5: Transition Frameworks Can Yield Large ROIs

The fifth and final proposition is that adoption of a standard framework for accelerating transitions can yield big returns for organizations. Change within organizations is frequent, and can have a large impact (either positive or negative) on a company.

This proposition really goes beyond simply having a framework for accelerating transitions, but says that it would benefit all if everyone speaks the same “transition language.” Watkins expands by saying adopting standard approaches to learning about a new organization, securing early wins, and building coalitions translates into speedier organizational adjustments to the unavoidable stream of personnel shifts and environmental changes. Adopting a rational framework for transition acceleration translates into real bottom-line impact.

The 90-Day Plan

The remainder of the documentation around my 90 plan, transitioning into the role at MetLife, is built on a framework of transitional challenges & specifics. The transitional challenges are applicable to anyone making a career transition, whether a job promotion within your company, or moving to a completely new role at a different company. This rest of the links within the Wiki are designed to establish the external framework, but as specifics around various areas are introduced, these will likely be documented internally.

Promoting Yourself

In each of the 10 pieces of the framework, I will be introductory notes to summarize and then expand as needed on individual wiki pages. In part 1, promoting yourself, we examine the importance of letting go of the past, and grabbing on to the crucial objectives of the new role. In summary, hanging on to the past methods of success introduces significant risk of failure in your new role.

Continued: Promoting Yourself

Accelerate Learning

Learning is foundation in establishing and executing the 90 day plan. Accelerating Your Learning is something that is important to plan for, something that typically isn't trained. Systematically diagnosing an organization with a learning plan helps avoid mistakes in later stages of the transition to the new role.

Continued: Accelerating Your Learning

Match Strategy to Situation

Diagnosing the situation to develop an effective strategy. Leveraging the STaRS method to analyze, reward and develop team leaders.

Continued: Matching Strategy to Situation

Secure Early Wins

Avoiding common traps, determining the A-list of priorities. Understanding existing vision, embracing and creating a compelling vision for team. Starting on improving organizational performance.

Continued: Secure Early Wins

Negotiate Success

Creating a productive working relationship with boss(es) and DRs, five conversation framework, defining expectations, situation diagnosis alignment. Negotiating resources - formulation of 90 plan.

Continued: Negotiate Success

Achieve Alignment

The new role involves not just building a 90 plan, but being an organizational architect. As you execute your learning plan, determine early wins and how you'll recognize them, you'll want to do so with alignment in mind; aligning strategy, structure, skills, technical systems, and the culture.

Continued: Achieve Alignment

Building Team

Inheriting your team and making adjustments. Team restructuring and dealing with organizational architecture issues at the same time, establishing team processes.

Continued: Building Team

Creating Coalitions

Simple authority is never enough; identifying critical paths for support and creating coalitions.

Continued: Creating Coalitions

Balance

Avoiding vicious cycles, 3 pillars to create soundness and validity working together to reach a balance between the two. Personal disciplines, building an advice network.

Continued: Balance

Expedite

Transition acceleration; developing a common framework to accelerate team development, devloping high potential leaders, and strong succession planning.

Continued: Expedite

Odds and Ends

T-Minus 90