Surviving the honeymoon

New leaders need support and a plan if they are not to crash and burn in their first 90 days in a position, writes Chan Cudennec.
Chan CudennecUpdate on 08 Nov 2008



The first 90 days in a job are often called the honeymoon period for any executive leader. There are huge risks involved for the organisation and the individual. The recruit could fail and leave, and the consequences can be costly for the individual and the organisation.
In the United States, organisations estimate that 40 per cent of transitions fail. Consider the costs of recruitment, time lost and resources spent in trying to get the executive to speed. These risks can indeed be reduced.
Transitions can be seen as times of: Opportunity Everyone is expecting change to occur and the executives can make a fresh start. Vulnerability These leaders have not established working relationships, nor acquired detailed knowledge of their new roles. Research shows that most organisations do not have a plan to help the executive during the transition. Often they leave the new leader to their own resources and to either sink or swim. However, a systematic framework and plan of action to be taken in this critical period will ensure the success of the transition.In his book The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins observes from 10 years of research that executives take assumptions from their previous job context and apply them to their new role. Continuing to do what one did in a previous job in the new role is the most common trap.
A famous case in point is Douglas Ivester, the chief financial officer of Coca-Cola who was promoted to chief executive when his boss Roberto Goizueta died suddenly in 1997. He seemed the perfect man for the job, having risen through the ranks during his 20 years in the company. Being an accountant by training, he continued to micromanage his finance team and was heavily involved in daily operations.
He basically neglected his strategic, statesman and visionary roles as an effective CEO. After mishandling a crisis in Belgium and a failed attempt to acquire another beverage company in France, he lost credibility with the board and resigned two years after being promoted.
One can avoid this trap by being cognisant of the following: Establish a clear time frame You need to embrace the transition and associated expectations and then decide the time period to make an impression. From the time you are considered for the job, the transition starts. It ends 90 days from the day you start the job. You have to consider the strategies and steps you will take in priority order to have early successes that establish credibility. Assess your vulnerabilities One effective way is to look at your problem preferences, i.e. problems that you gravitate towards. We tend to perfect our skills in the areas we are competent at. It is like we use one arm more and ignore the other. Problem areas are technical, political and cultural that cut across all functions of the organisation. Once we become aware of our weaknesses, we can exercise self-discipline to dedicate time to critical activities that we don't tend to do well. Look for people in the company who are skilled in these areas that you can learn from. Build a network of advisers who can help you. Be wary of your strengths Be aware that each strength has its shadow side. For example, if you are a manager with an eye for detail and you transition to a CEO's job, there is a risk that you will micromanage people and drive them crazy. Then you could neglect your bird's eye view of the business that you need to have as the CEO. Ask yourself: what has made you successful in your jobs so far? Can you use the same skills in this new role? If not, what new skills do you need to learn? Unlearning to learn There is always a steep learning curve in a transition and it is very daunting to have to unlearn in order to learn another way. Basically, the need to change makes one feel incompetent and fearful. This is a good time to learn from failure. Recovering from small early failures and learning from them increases the chances of success, rather than being in denial and defensive, with the possibility of facing disastrous failure. Ask yourself: What aspects of the new role that are essential to success are you avoiding? What are you going to do to learn them? Build your network As you move in your job, your network of advisers and counsellors may evolve, giving you more political connections as you ascend in rank. Who else do you need to seek advice from? Be on the lookout for people who do not want you to advance There may be people who may not want you to advance, including your old boss, former peers that you manage now or friends who are uncomfortable that you have moved on. Have conversations with them to establish expectations and be politically correct if they resist you. Are there other internal barriers Consider what else is holding you back. Get rid of negative self-talk. Think about what else you need to do to promote yourself in your new role. Do you believe that you can achieve what you set out to do? Continually assess if you are really dealing with the real challenges of your new position. What else do you need to do to make the mental leap to the new role?Managing upwards Build a productive relationship with your boss. Agree on how you are going to work together and negotiate for resources. Understand, clarify and negotiate your expectations and those of your boss. What are the short-term and long-term goals you must achieve? How will success be measured? If unrealistic, how will you work to reset them? Earlier this year, Srinivas Maddali made the transition into his role as country manager for Hong Kong at Abbott Vascular, a division of global health-care company Abbott. He said: "It is crucial that you set expectations with your boss and staff correctly in order to be successful." Additionally, he had support from his boss and his predecessor in helping to facilitate the handover. Any job transition is a critical part of the executive's career development and organisations need to put some support and framework in place to help the new leader. Traditionally, the break-even point is eight to 12 months, i.e. the point whereby the value contribution of the executive equals the investment of the employer and thereafter the new leader provides net value. Our experience shows that successful organisations have a structured way for the new leader to integrate into the new role and offer opportunities for the executive to accelerate their learning.Chan Cudennec is managing director of Forum Corporation, Greater China, a consulting and training firm that helps organisations achieve business results by transforming performance. The First 90 Days (2003) was written by Michael Watkins, formerly of Harvard Business School and currently professor at IMEDE, Lausanne, Switzerland. The Forum Corporation runs a programme called The First 90 Days based on the contents of Watkins' book. The final article in our series on agile business leaders, originally scheduled for publication today, has been postponed. We apologise for any inconvenience.
All about coaching: Women require a different approach John Gray's best-selling book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, explores the differences between the sexes when it comes to managing relationships.
Citing gender-related stereotypes can raise hackles - not least with feminist-leaning business psychologists. However, research at YSC has established distinct gender differences in the focus for executive coaching.
The "think manager - think male" stereotyping is globally pervasive. People associate traditional notions of leadership, such as assertiveness, control and drive, with the male gender. Females, on the other hand, are likely to be associated with more collegiate qualities, such as consideration, support and collaboration. These stereotypical perceptions of each gender and of leaders are culturally derived and socially perpetuated - and exist within and across organisations.
Women leaders thus get caught in a "double bind" trying to reconcile the traditionally male behaviour seen as necessary to succeed as a leader with the qualities people expect in women. Being an authentic leader is by definition more problematic for women.
This impacts on coaching needs in that, unlike their male equivalents, women leaders are not only seeking help with their responses to this conundrum but are also looking to influence the cultural systems they form, but do not feel, part of. YSC's research suggests there are three areas of coaching focus for women leaders:
Projecting confidence and gaining credibility This involves holding the spotlight rather than deflecting it onto others. Women leaders tend to adopt a more participative style in order to project authority without relying on autocratic behaviour. Open displays of ambition or successfully gaining recognition for personal mastery are problematic when modesty is the expected norm of a woman. Women share responsibility and struggle to gain recognition for their contribution to successful outcomes. Coaching women leaders involves overcoming self-generated obstacles in speaking up to take personal credit for a job well done. In contrast, coaching men is about recognising their areas of weakness and learning how to tap into others' complementary skills. Avoiding being labelled a 'ball buster' or a 'queen bee' This involves toning down what is perceived as aggressive, masculine behaviour to avoid intimidating men or alienating other women. Women leaders walk a tightrope between appearing too emotional for leadership challenges and appearing too macho to be a real woman. Reactions to Hillary Clinton's recent campaigning behaviour are a case in point. Where women leaders succeed, they pay a price in terms of personal likeability - being perceived as more pushy, selfish and abrasive than their male counterparts. Coaching women leaders is about practising a modulated set of behaviour and becoming less reactive to others' perceptions. In contrast, coaching men is about "dialling down" and developing better listening and empathising skills. Surviving an alien culture This involves accessing social, emotional and psychological support to become more at ease within a predominantly different peer group. Even without the recently identified "glass cliff" phenomenon to supplement the "glass ceiling", women leaders feel more isolated. They seek to show a higher level of ability and performance to gain acceptance. This can be stressful, sapping of self-esteem and unfavourable to a work-life balance. Women become wary of their organisational environment, including potential resources. Whereas men recognise the benefits of dealing proactively with treacherous situations, women dig deep and rely on relatively few sources of support.
Coaching female leaders helps to overcome a sense of isolation and to construct a broader range of support mechanisms. Indeed, female leaders value externally provided coaching for its confidentiality and neutrality over the politically loaded assistance of an internal mentor. Coaching can provide tools to help women leaders acclimatise and operate authentically. As more women reach senior levels, coaching is likely to shift towards helping them to rewrite the cultural norms of leadership.
Rachel Short and Alice Holmes are consultants for YSC in Britain. Claire Garner is managing principal for YSC in Asia. YSC is a world-leading people consultancy with the mission to transform organisational effectiveness.