Achieving Success from Day One: Strategies from Michael Watkins' Classic

A 3 minute skinny on "The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels" by Michael Watkins

The actions you take during your first three months in a new job will largely determine whether you succeed or fail.

Key Takeaways

1. "The First 90 Days" offers a proven roadmap for leaders at all levels navigating the challenging transition period into a new role.

2. Watkins proposes a framework for transition acceleration that focuses on the first 90 days in a new position, a period critical for both short-term and long-term success in leadership roles.

3. The book covers topics such as learning how to diagnose a situation, aligning with a team, achieving early wins, negotiating success, securing vital resources, and driving team performance.

Why is this useful for you?

A leader's first task is to ensure that everyone is clear on what the team's job is, not how to do it.

As a leader in a large enterprise organization, you're often faced with high-stakes transitions, such as taking on a new role, managing a team through a significant change, or stepping into a larger leadership position. "The First 90 Days" provides a comprehensive guide to managing these transitions effectively. Watkins' strategies can help you minimize common risks, avoid costly mistakes, and set a strong foundation for your future success in the role. The practical tools and insights offered in the book can equip you to create a robust transition plan, achieve early wins, build a cohesive team, and establish credibility quickly.

His Acceleration Framework

1. Promote Yourself

2. Accelerate Your Learning

3. Match Strategy to Situation

4. Secure Early Wins

5. Negotiate Success

6. Achieve Alignment

7. Build Your Team

8. Create Coalitions

9. Keep Your Balance

10. Expedite Everyone

Want to take it further?

1. MIT Sloan Alumni - "The First 90 Days, ft. Michael Watkins and Asha Aravindakshan, SF ’17" YouTube Link (56:43)

2. EPM - "The First 90 Days" YouTube Link (19:20)

3. Institute for Management Development IMD - "The First 90 Days® - 5 key questions for your new role" YouTube Link (2:15 )

(I know the first link is an hour, but it will be the best hour your spend this weekend)

The bottom line

I know you are time-poor - that's why I write 3 Minute Skinnies on great books.

Each summary takes no more than three minutes to read or listen to (get the substack app for a listening option) and  includes great quotes and gives you some next actionable steps if you want to take it further, and it is NOT generated by ChatGPT🙂

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