Leading transitions
We are inspirational leaders, dedicated to quality.
We inspire each other to be brave and bold. We stretch ourselves to improve our performance and take pride in a job well down.
‘The actions you take during your first three months in a new job will largely determine whether you succeed or fail’. Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels.
As leaders in new roles we are net consumers of value initially and as we begin to take action, we begin to create value.
Take the time to learn about what is required and start to build your personal leadership plan, reducing the time taken to becoming a net contributor of value to our organisation.
Check the hints and tips section for practical input to your conversations.
Match the Tool
to Your Need
As part of your new role, you will set objectives that drive the actions of you and your team. Use the Understand your objectives tool to research the context for each objective, building the questions that will help you learn more.
Use the Understand your business checklist as a basis to advance your knowledge in the company’s history, products/service, market dynamics, systems, structures, culture and unwritten rules.
Use the Derailing behaviours checklist to make sure you are aware of behaviours – whether strengths, weaknesses or leadership style – that could derail your leadership transition.
Use What do you need to keep in mind to note what you have learned about or been told in preparing for your new role and decide what is important.
By identifying strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats to your team and individuals within the team, with the SWOT analysis on teams and individuals tool, you will be able to plan actions to improve your team.
Use Understand your key stakeholders to determine whom you must influence, who are likely to support and resist your key initiatives and how to persuade the ‘swinging voters’.
Use the Identify quick wins tool to work with your team to build momentum and confidence in you as the new leader.
The Conversations with your new leader and the Conversations with your direct reports lay the groundwork for productive working relationships that are essential to your successful leadership transition.
Use the 90 day plan tool to plan for a successful transition into your new role.
Tools, Guides
& Resources
Tools:
- What do you need to keep in mind?
- Understand your objectives
- Understand your business
- Derailing behaviours checklist
- SWOT analysis on teams and individuals
- Identify quick wins
- Understand your key stakeholders
- Leadership transitions – conversations with your new leader
- Conversations with your direct reports
- 90 day plan
- Build your 90 day leadership plan workbook for leaders
Other areas that might help:
Hints and Tips
- Roles and responsibilities. Every team member needs to know their tasks and how their work will contribute to the overall goals.
- Work processes. You don’t need a notebook full of procedures, but agree on how to carry out the basics, such as decision-making and communicating.
- Look for ideas everywhere. Don’t assume you know where all the new and creative ideas will come from. Involve people on projects not because of their titles, but based on their ability to contribute.
- Encourage openness. Create a safe environment where your people know they can — and should — think, act, and speak with reason. Have a high tolerance for mistakes so people aren’t afraid to take risks.
- Challenge them to get better. Offer opportunities for people to stretch their thinking and behaviour. Set the expectation that everyone, including you, should improve their skills.