Through years of coaching executives at all levels, I’ve found four critical considerations that define a successful 100-day strategy:
- Clarity – Know what’s really expected of you.
- Landscape – Map it early and lay strong foundations.
- Relationships – Understand the networks and align strategically.
- Results – Set the right pace and deliver meaningful wins.
Your first 100 days are not a race — they are your post-start feasibility phase.
You’re both operating and observing, taking tactical action while assessing the long-term viability of your ideas.
Early wins are valuable — not just for optics, but because they help you test assumptions, observe reactions, and assess alliances with minimal risk.
Assumptions are useful for everyday life — “we’re probably low on milk” — but dangerous in leadership transitions.
When stepping into a new role, assumptions multiply:
- about what your boss and team expect.
The only way to counter assumptions is to ask clarifying questions.
Start with Your Boss
You need absolute clarity on these questions:
- What does my manager want me to achieve in the first 100 days?
- What motivates them most — results, relationships, risk management?
- How do they define success for me?
- How do I define success, and where do our definitions differ?
- How can we bridge that gap?
Schedule a conversation early — ideally before you start — and revisit it regularly through your first three months.
Check in Regularly
Ask:
- How are my observations reshaping what success looks like?
- What am I missing or underestimating?
- What’s changing in the landscape that I need to adapt to?
Meet Your Team
Hold open conversations — listen, observe, and take note of reactions.
These early meetings reveal unspoken alliances, informal influence, and the team’s true pulse.
Whether you’ve joined a new organisation or stepped up internally, there are always new layers — politics, culture, loyalties, and unspoken rules.
Many leaders stumble not because they lack skill, but because they misread the landscape.
Spend time understanding:
- Your manager’s communication style — and how to adapt to it.
- What motivates each team member.
- The cultural and political norms shaping how work gets done.
- The history of relationships and “sacred cows” in your department.
Clarify What’s Really Expected of You
Are you being asked to steady the ship — or shake it up?
Are you assuming you’ve been hired as a change agent when your boss just wants stability?
Ask. Don’t assume.
Sometimes it’s your ego, not your brief, that wants to “go after sacred cows.”
Take the time to understand the history before you disrupt it.
Processes drive efficiency.
Relationships drive everything else.
As you rise in seniority, your success depends more on relationships than on technical skill.
In your first 100 days, focus on three layers of connection:
The Network
Relationships exist up, down, and across.
Don’t just build rapport with your boss and peers — connect meaningfully with your team, with cross-functional colleagues, and with those who have influence behind the scenes.
These relationships form your informal intelligence system.
Alignment
In a new role, you’ll be bombarded with opinions masquerading as facts.
Approach every story neutrally.
Bias spreads fast, and misalignment in your first 100 days can take months to undo.
Informal Power
Every organisation has people who lead through influence, not title.
Find them. Understand what drives them. Build trust early.
These individuals can make or break your initiatives later.
The energy of a new role is both a gift and a danger.
Ambition pushes you to move fast — but speed without understanding leads to missteps.
Empty space, drag to resize
The question isn't "How soon can I deliver results?” but “What’s the right pace for sustainable success?"
Empty space, drag to resize
The right pace balances three dimensions:
- Relationships – Are you strengthening trust and credibility?
- Learning – Are you gathering insights and adapting to new information?
- Delivery – Are you achieving early wins that build momentum without undermining long-term strategy?
Avoid Abrupt Action
Acting before you understand context forces you to assume more than you know — and raises your risk of failure.
Take time to observe why things are the way they are.
Redefine What Counts as a Result
Not every win needs to be public or measurable.
A “result” could be:
A shift in mindset from defensive to curious.
A breakthrough in cross-functional collaboration.
A resolved conflict or a renewed sense of purpose.
Sometimes, your most important early wins are invisible — they’re about influence, insight, and credibility.
Even beyond the first 100 days, your learning continues.
You’ll keep discovering what you don’t know.
New information will reshape your strategy.
And every conversation will expand your understanding of the system you lead.
That’s not failure — that’s leadership.
The leaders who thrive don’t rush. They observe, connect, and then act with precision.
If you’re ready to change how you lead — to move from stress and struggle to clarity and connection — then this is your next step.
🎙️ Or tune into the
Leaders Who Coach™ PODCAST — where I share practical insights, powerful questions, and real stories from leaders like you.
