Your first 90 days in your new job ….

Now that you’ve completed all the rounds of interviews for the position you’ve been seeking, accepted the position, agreed the package, handed in your notice to your current employer … what do you do while you work out your notice period?

Do you get busy wrapping up all the projects you’ve been involved in? Do you get busy completing hand-over documents/files of the various areas you have responsibility for? Do you plan a small holiday before you start your new role? .. the answer is most likely ‘Yes’ to all the above.

However equally as important is to take some time to plan your first 90 days in your new position.

Over the last 12 months I have read different sections of “The First 90 Days” by Michael D Watkins and there are a number of lines in the Introduction of the book that summarise succinctly what is at stake when you take-up a new position;

    • “The President of the United States gets 100 days to prove himself/herself; you get 90. The actions you take during the first few months in a new role will largely determine whether you succeed or fail.”
    • “When I (Michael Watkins) surveyed more than thirteen hundred senior HR leaders, almost 90 percent agree that “transitions into new roles are the most challenging times in the professional lives of leaders”.  And nearly three-quarters agree that “success or failure during the first few months is a strong predictor of overall success or failure in the job.”  So even though a bad transition does not necessarily doom you to failure, it makes success a lot less likely.”

Given the current reality that you may find yourself working outside of the office environment for periods of time during a week/month, I believe that it has never been more critical to create a written 90-Day Plan for yourself .

While a broad outline/template can be completed in advance of commencing (ie based upon the Job Description of the vacancy as well as the questions you were asked during the recruitment process) it is essential that you finalise this within your first few weeks after taking up the role and agree this with your direct Manager/Boss.

The agreement, and full-implementation, of your 90-Day Plan with all its priorities and milestones will lay-out your ‘map to success’ in your new position. It will also ensure that you give yourself the best opportunity to successfully transition into your new position.

If you’d like to receive more suggestions on what you should consider in your first 90 days …  I would highly recommend a read of the book “The First 90 Days” by Michael D Watkins as it provides a number of interesting insights which are well worth the time you will spend in reading the book.

Career Advice, Featured