The First 90 Days

Monthly Book Review

You may currently be looking for a new job. Or possibly hoping to get a new job or role early in the new year. But the job search, interviewing, and landing your new job is only the beginning. What you do once you’re in the role is even more important.

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins discusses what to do once you move into a new role. It is written for managers specifically, but I found that most of the tools and tips are good for everyone. And chances are you’ll need to plan out your first 90 days within the next few years, so it’s great to understand now what makes someone successful.

Overview

The First 90 Days introduces a structured approach to navigating the first 90 days in a new role. Watkins emphasizes transitions are pivotal opportunities for leaders (or any of us) to establish themselves and set the foundation for future success. The book outlines strategies for diagnosing the situation, developing a plan, building relationships, and creating alignment with the team and stakeholders.

Let’s look at a few key takeaways I had.

Key Takeaways

Understand Your Context

Before you can do anything, you must understand the context of your new role. The book highlights multiple examples of leaders who joined a new firm and dove right into making changes without understanding the context. This almost always leads to decreased morale, turnover, and maybe even losing your job.

To help with understanding context, Watkins introduces the STARS framework, which helps leaders diagnose their situation and adapt their strategy. The framework categorizes organizational contexts into:

• Start-up

• Turnaround

• Accelerated Growth

• Realignment

• Sustaining Success

Each scenario demands a tailored approach, as what works in one context might fail in another.