New Role? How Do You Want to Show Up?
I’m not a career coach but I have been fortunate to support c-level executives in doing this kind of work and then either reinventing themselves in their current roles, landing new incredible “first and second mountain” jobs, or avoiding what would have been some very unfortunate choices.
Recently, a couple of clients and I picked this conversation up around their initial 90/90 day plans going into new roles. We all have a playbook we deploy. It may be the same one we’ve used each time or one we’ve recently received from a well-meaning mentor.
The goal of the plan is typically to use the first 90 days to thoroughly understand the new business, build credibility, and start driving meaningful change over the next 90 days.They typically look something like this:
First 30 Days
Meet with key stakeholders
Review financials, KPIs, competitive landscape, current initiatives
Set up 1:1s with direct reports to learn about their roles, goals and challenges
Observe the culture and dynamics to understand how work gets done
Next 30 Days
Develop a 90-day plan outlining key priorities, initiatives, and timelines
Communicate the 90-day plan to the team and key stakeholders
Implement quick wins on low-hanging fruit that demonstrate value-add to the team
Identify longer term operational or strategic improvements and changes
Final 30 Days
Execute on the 90-day plan, tracking progress and adjusting as needed
Begin aligning the team around a shared vision and set of objectives
Identify and start addressing any organizational or capability gaps
Solidify relationships with key stakeholders and build trust in your leadership
I mean it’s a solid framework. It does the job. But it stays on the surface of doing. Leadership begins with a mindset, a state of being that deserves just as much introspection and intention as our action plans.
Some of us are transitioning from roles where we were quite successful. Hence the promotion. Some have just met a ceiling or need a change. Others, for whatever reasons, struggled to make the impact they wanted to and are looking at this next opportunity as a fresh start, a chance to be the kind of leader they yearn to be.
But what kind of leader is that? What kind of leader does this team require? How would I want to be led if I were in their specific circumstances? What leadership qualities do I need to manifest in order to achieve the company’s goals and objectives? How do I embody those qualities from the onset and especially down the road when I’m challenged? These questions are worthy of our proactive exploration. They help us act intentionally and have the added benefit of allowing us to start faster, go deeper and ultimately drive results.
And we can go one step further in our self-assessment. If we truly want to grow as leaders, we need to be able to objectively look at ourselves and our past experiences and ask a few more questions.
What did I do really well in my former role? Don’t discount this. It’s important to take stock of your unique gifts.They show you not only what to magnify but also what you’re probably great at developing in others.
And also, what could I have done better? What got in the way of me being more successful?
At this point, this isn’t so much about your previous employer, scarcity of resources or the markets. Look inside for where you could have done more, done less, been louder, been softer, been more disciplined, been less controlling, trusted your instincts, made the call, waited, pulled the trigger, asked more questions, opened your heart, put yourself in their shoes, been courageous, delegated and left early, stayed late and ordered pizza, talked less, listened more, or asked for help.
By the way, this assessment goes far beyond how we showed up at work. We can also take this opportunity to reflect on the other pillars of life. During that same time period, beyond our careers, how did we do as mates? How did we do as parents? How did we care for our health? What about nurturing friendships and fun? Managing our finances? Growing spiritually? What else can we be more intentional about scaling as we scale career and business? How can we be more mindful about all of the “rocks” in our lives so that we live with as much purpose as possible? And how must we show up in our day-to-day to manifest the best outcome in each of these areas?
When we spend the time before the 90/90 getting clear on how we want to be, we create a strong foundation for how we will behave and that becomes the basis for how we will achieve everything and more in our plans. We also mitigate the likelihood of a repeat of what made us fall short, buckle or burn out the last time.
This article piggybacks on one I wrote back in July called 2 Ways to Find Your Dream Job or Hire Your Next Rock Star. In it, I talk about the importance of being consciously clear on one’s personal values before interviewing for a new executive role. When we’re sure of what’s important to us, we can do a better job of figuring out if the prospective company’s principles align with our own. We can ask better questions to discern if, in addition to title, comp, benefits, and runway, our new employer also meets our requirements in terms of cultural vibe, leadership temperament, and decision making. In this way, we’re being as discerning in our choice as the company considering us.
The cool thing is that you don’t need to be starting a new assignment to do this exploration. You can do it right now and start to move the purpose, fulfillment and meaning needles today. If this resonates and you’d like to explore how executive coaching can support your continued success, let’s talk.