Impressions that new CEOs make in the first 90 days are magnified and multiplied

For leaders, the transition to a new role can be one of the most challenging times in their professional lives. What newly appointed leaders need to keep in mind, however, is that it is equally momentous for the organization as everyone is also transitioning into the new reality.As the shockwaves from the announcement reverberate, every move they make in the first 90 days is scrutinized. Impressions are magnified and multiplied. Everything has a profound effect on his or her ability to succeed.

To better understand how the tribe is interpreting the actions of the newly appointed leader, there are several issues that are worth keeping in mind:

The new leader’s personal brand has been shared within the tribe long before Day One. Business communities are surprisingly small and operate like clans. When a new leader is announced, the ripples spread throughout the organization as the tribe reaches collective insights on who this leader really is. Members will use their personal networks to glean information and share it internally. One leader I worked with was promoted from within as the Managing Director of a major subsidiary of a large telecoms company, moving from one continent to another. In his previous role, he had spent two years downsizing the organization. Given his introverted nature and the rather limited communication he employed during that difficult period, his nickname was “the ghost.” The catch was that he was now moving to a developing growth market where motivating the troops would be key. Having received feedback about his less than flattering image, he developed what we called the “surprise them” strategy. From Day One, he engaged and communicated extensively with the organization, creating a new image more in line with his goals.

How the new leader is announced is critical to the organization’s acceptance. Organizations do not always consider carefully enough the consequences of the announcement. Yet, what they say and how they say it will have a big impact on how the new leader is perceived. Failure to position the new leader successfully can derail even the best integration plan. Organizations must think through how they convey their decision and communicate a consistent message around why this leader is the best choice. They must also consider who in the organization should be informed ahead of time and in what sequence. When handled poorly, the impact can be enormous. Nicholas was hired as the CEO of a food business in a major emerging market in Europe. His mandate was to deliver growth and innovate go-to-market strategies to increase profitability. Nicholas had a strong background and given the organization’s results orientation, the announcement focused on his achievements and his track record in turning around performance. Unfortunately, this created speculation about the owners’ real intention in hiring him. His predecessor had already made significant changes to the business and many believed that Nicholas was hired to do further downsizing. The result: Nicholas encountered resistance from Day One. The management team, which lacked coherence, was unable to counter the misperceptions.  Adding to the problem, Nicholas failed to adapt his entrepreneurial, quick-to-react style to address the situation. He ended up leaving within the first 18 months.

The tribe is measuring the newly appointed leader against his/her predecessor. This is natural yet very few leaders take this constant compare and contrast into consideration as they plan their communication for the first 90 days. On the one hand, when the predecessor is a highly successful and beloved leader, the newcomer has a high bar to meet. Having the blessing of the predecessor can be enormously helpful but it rarely happens. The challenge is for the newcomer to understand what made the predecessor special and find their own authentic positioning. On the other hand, if the predecessor was unpopular, the new leader starts with an advantage. That advantage can disappear fast, however, if not managed properly. In one succession I know of, a newly hired General Manager was assigned in a developing country. He was replacing a leader who had been highly successful in the role, whose style was informal, approachable and caring and who often relied on intuition and emotion in managing his team. The new leader was asked to take the business to the next level in terms of strengthening capability and taking a more disciplined approach to innovation. He immediately instituted structured routines that were more in line with his process thinking and with his overall mandate. The team, however, reacted with fierce opposition. The new leader was forced to spend significant time engaging with them on the business and their dynamics before they were willing to buy into his new, more structured way of working, slowing the path to success.

For a successful integration, newly appointed leaders need to constantly assess how their transition is playing out among the stakeholders they are meant to lead. They need to reflect on the image they wish to project—and make sure it aligns with the image the tribe is actually forming. In essence, they are making a case for who they are, where they want to take the organization and how they plan to get there. By earning the tribe’s confidence early, new leaders set themselves up for success over the long term.