Here's how you can make the most of your first 100 days

At the recent Singapore Human Summit conference, Goh Chok Tong said that Singapore is becoming an Asian hub for human capital development. Indeed, many multinationals have set up regional and global headquarters and locate their senior management here.

For executives taking on new senior roles here, the first 100 days are often seen as a rite of passage. At CTPartners, we find that the typical concerns from those who make their jump up the ladder often surround how they can transition into their new senior roles smoothly.

Welcome to your first 100 days

The key thing to remember is that your new job, whether it is an internal promotion or an external appointment, is not just an extension of the one you have just left. Your first 100 days will be used as a benchmark for how a new senior executive is faring as a leader. Wider stakeholders and investors – and even the chairman – may use this early period to determine whether you are off to a good start. Therefore, it’s important to start by formulating a communications strategy and timetable.

Remember that you are ultimately measured by your ability to resolve issues, set strategy, grow the business and achieve objectives. 100 days gives you time to barely scratch the surface, but this crucial period will help to establish a base for the longer term when you will be scrutinised and judged by what you can really deliver. This is a time for making careful assessments about the task ahead, and winning the trust and confidence of those around you before implementing any changes.

In the very early stages, it is crucial to size up the organisation and its people. Failing to understand the business and failing to develop the right relationships can undermine the position of any new executive.

Every conversation that you have will be of value in providing insight into the company and its culture. You should be able to define the prevalent management style, identify the individuals who you need to build relationships with and to ascertain what the organisation expects of you.

Make an effort to make your presence felt but in a subtle way, by engaging with the organisation, being visible, and communicating and enquiring among those you have identified as key stakeholders. Unless there are urgent issues to deal with, it helps to take some time to acquire the information you need, to gain a real sense of the organisational culture, identify what is important and to differentiate between the signals and the noise. Also, take time out to reflect on any unexpected issues that have arisen, so that this learning can be incorporated into your personal success plan for the role.

Leading your team
It’s important to develop strong relationships quickly with the key people in your executive team – usually, it’s the financial director, the chief human resources director and the key business leaders first. You’ll be very reliant on these leaders, as even if you’ve been working for the company a while, you won’t necessarily know the details of the other business divisions or their organisational dynamics. Form these alliances quickly to ensure you assimilate easily into the culture of the various businesses or you risk organisational ‘tissue rejection’ which can be hard to come back from.

Meet regularly with those who report directly to you, as well as their own direct reports. This will help you understand what each person does, what their skills are, and where they are coming from more generally. Keep the meeting groups small in order to build rapport and trust with those who will be working closest to you.

In days 60 to 90, you should be ready to reach out to the wider organisation. When it comes to communicating with employees and divisional teams, most senior executives now understand that an all-staff email won’t do. The best will offer employees a range of options, from town hall meetings to a webcast or video conferencing and small group Q&A sessions. Don’t risk disengaging the company’s employees by being inaccessible.

Often, the expectations of a new CEO or Asia Pacific head are that he or she will make an early announcement of a change of strategy, but a new leader should resist the urge to act immediately, and instead spend time listening to colleagues and customers to gain insights about the business.

Beware of trying to change the world before you’ve fully understood the world you’re changing. But likewise, don’t spend so long listening that you don’t act. There’s a balance to be struck; some go too far in the listening mode, leaving people to wonder whether they’ve hired an apprentice boss-in-training.

Gregory J. Lovas, Partner at CTPartners in Singapore. Greg leads the firm’s Life Sciences Practice in Asia Pacific.