The 30/60/90-day plan: Nailing your start with company culture at the core.
When you want to hit the ground running and set your contribution up right.
Stepping into a new leadership role can be invigorating, but it’s a high-pressure moment that you want to get right. A critical task for any new leader is developing a deep understanding of the the organizational culture they’re walking into. This article provides an actionable guide for new leaders to understand and navigate company culture in their first 30, 60, and 90 days (feel free to bookmark it for the next time you’re embarking on a new journey).
The First 30 Days: Observe and Learn
Month one in a new leadership role is all about watching, actively listening, and learning. New leaders should:
Familiarize themselves with the company's codified cultural DNA: Gather the mission/purpose, vision, values (etc.), and compare them with the on-the-ground experience. The foundational elements will provide insight into the organization's desired culture and priorities, but conversations with individuals will reveal the reality.
Meet with key cultural stakeholders: It’s a best practice to book one-on-one meetings with direct reports, peers, and other relevant stakeholders to understand their motivations, perspectives and expectations. But to understand culture, new leaders add a few more people to that list: long-time employees, EAs, HRBPs, or anyone else who will have a uniquely clear-eyed view of the culture.
Attend the regular team meetings and events: Participate in all the formal and informal gatherings on offer to observe team dynamics, communication styles, and cultural norms. Go to all hands meetings, go to happy-hours, sit down for lunch with people on or off your team.
Seek feedback: Ask for feedback on how it’s going so far—and make it safe for them to give real answers (one way is to focus on differences between current and prior leadership)—and get the team's perception of areas for calibration, growth, and improvement.
Reflect on personal leadership style: Now that the new leader has a starting sense of the culture they’ve just become a part of, they should consider how their personal leadership style aligns with it and identify potential areas of friction, and ideally, adaptation. Being proactive about this is key.
The First 60 Days: Engage and Align
In the second month, new leaders should focus on engaging with the team and getting comfortable with adjustments to their style that align their leadership approach with the company culture. During this period, new leaders should:
Share their personal leadership approach: Clearly communicate personal leadership values and expectations to the team, highlighting alignment with the company's culture, but also calling out any anticipated changes from prior leadership, as well as any (thoughtfully considered) deviations from the company norm.
Begin to set clear expectations and objectives: Collaborate with team members to establish desired behaviors (this might be different for managers vs. individual contributors), short-term goals, and performance expectations, ensuring alignment with company values and priorities.
Foster open communication: Encourage team members to voice their ideas, concerns, and continue to give feedback on leadership, supporting transparency, trust, and collaboration.
Identify and address cultural gaps or challenges: Recognize any disconnects between the company's stated values and behavior on or off of the team, and work with the team or relevant cross-functional partners to address these issues. Leaders that knowingly accept or support actions that run counter to a stated culture will immediately undermine a team’s adherence to it.
Seek opportunities for team development: Identify and implement team-building activities, training, or coaching to strengthen the team's skills and cohesion, aligned with the behaviors that support the culture.
The First 90 Days: Shape and Evolve
In the third month, new leaders should focus on shaping and evolving the team culture to align with the company's values and goals. During this period, new leaders should:
Review and refine team processes: Evaluate existing processes and identify areas for improvement or innovation, ensuring alignment not only with company strategy (the what), but with company culture (the how).
Encourage continuous improvement: Continue to build opportunities for the team to own their own growth. Support team members to identify opportunities for growth and improvement, both individually and as a team. Ensure aspects of the culture are integrated with the deliverables and metrics.
Empower team members: Delegate responsibilities and provide team members with the autonomy and support they need to succeed, fostering a culture of ownership and accountability.
Recognize and celebrate achievements: Acknowledge team members' accomplishments and progress in a way that reinforces the company’s culture (e.g., connecting achievements to specific values, tenets, behaviors) to foster a sense of pride and belonging.
Revisit and refine personal leadership approach: Continuously evaluate and adapt individual leadership style to maintain alignment with the company culture and respond to the team's evolving needs.
A start plan that majors on culture can help new leaders can effectively navigate and company and team culture, avoid pitfalls, and make thoughtful choices, ensuring a successful start in their new role. By focusing on observation, engagement, and continuous improvement throughout their first three months, new leaders will be well-equipped to lead their teams as roles, company context, and broader business conditions evolve.
How have you approached your first three months in a new role? What has worked well (and not so well) for you? Let us know in the comments below.