Key Takeaways from The First 90 Days, by Michael Watkins
The Great Resignation is here. Weary from the pandemic, seasoned professionals are retiring and calling it quits. New leaders, young and old, are stepping up. They are taking on new roles.
If you are a new leader, the first 90 days are crucial. Over the coming weeks, we will highlight key actions:
First, promote yourself.
This is not about chatting it up around your superiors to convince them how great you are. You already made the grade. This is about you promoting yourself—in your mind, thinking, and behavior—into the role of the new leader.
Embrace the new you in the new role. Don’t fall victim to the Imposture Syndrome, the mindset you are underqualified and apt to be unmasked at any moment.
Adopt the mindset you are the right person at the right time in the right position.
But—and this is a big one—you need to develop new skills. To borrow from the title of a popular book, what got you here won’t get you there. That may mean letting go of some of your old self and some of your old ways of doing things.
Not your core values, of course. Those you hold onto.
But taking a new position will likely call upon a new set of skills and resources. Skills and resources not yet developed or tapped into. Take time to discern how you need to grow.
In short, promote yourself.
