A transformational leader is a visionary who inspires his or her team to meet their personal and organizational objectives. When a leader takes on a new role of leadership in a team or an organization, they require a take-off plan. A leader in a new governance position has no time to waste because the organization cannot stop operations to allow them to adjust to their new role. Subsequently, the leader has to have a proper strategy on how to take the reins of the institution, direct operations and lead stakeholders to greater success. The first ninety days is the time for the new manager to create lasting and inspiring first impressions with his or her team. A leader who has taken a leadership position in a for-profit organization requires a sound ninety-day action plan that allows them to settle in smoothly, inspire team, and meet organizational goals.
Background information
The new team leader should divide their “90 day action plan” into manageable portions of thirty days each. Each of the thirty-day plans should have clear roles to allow both the leader and their team a smooth transition. The leader should structure their plan in such a way that it does not interfere with or stall the operations of the firm (Rocchetti, 2015). The initial three months is equally the moment to understand the institution's operations, success story, available opportunities, and drawbacks. Accordingly, new team leader can only achieve their ninety-day goal by designing a comprehensive first “ninety days action plan”as illustrated in the table below.
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Table 1: 90 Day Strategic Management Action Plan
| First 30 days | First 60 days | First 90 days | |
| Week 1 | Meet to management | In-depth review of performance appraisal. | Draw plans that eliminate wastage and promote efficiency. |
| Week 2 | Meet key personnel |
Attend section or departmental meetings. |
Meet with top executives and supervisory teams to deliberate on changes to promote growth and profitability. |
| Week 3 | Attend induction training course | Visit plant to assess performance and identify opportunities. | Draw long term strategic plans to improve firm’s operations and performance. |
| Week 4 | Review the company reports and operations | Get feedback from executive team and direct reports. | Review past 90 days progress and achievements. |
| Week 4 | Provide solutions for some of the challenges the personnel are facing. | Provide a strategic plan for the next face of growth. |
First 30 days
The first order of business as a new top manager would be to meet the team and understand company protocol. The first week is an opportune time for the incoming leader to meet the top ranking officials of the organization. The initial meeting is suitable for introductions where the new top manager can bond, and find out some personal details about their key personnel (Parasher, 2017). Some of the issues that may feature in the initial meeting include the top executive personnel’s’ role in the firm, and their aspiration or growth plan. In the introductory session, the key personnel will also be encouraged to bring out work-related concerns or frustration. Further, the initial encounter is an appropriate time to find out about their family details.
The second week would be appropriate for meeting other players and understand their role and responsibility in the firm. The meeting would most suitably take place at the second level personnel's work stations. It is an appropriate time to get to know the achievement they have attained and any challenges they may be facing in dispensing their tasks (Mason et al., 2017). In the third week, the new manager will attend the company induction and training course. The orientation session that takes place during the induction course will help the new leader to understand the company protocols, goals, values and culture.
The fourth week is a time to get a deep understanding of the current business operations. Business financial reports and the budget are ways to understand spending and business performance. The last week of the month is also an appropriate time for the incoming manager to familiarize with the products and services, customer base, and company operating systems. As the incoming manager acquits with the team and company operations in the first thirty days, they establish a vivid picture of the firm's strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats - SWOT analysis (Watkins, 2012). At the end of the thirty days, the manager can make minimum changes to address the main challenges that the business and employees are facing.
First 60 days
In the second month, the new leader should take an in-depth review of the firm and personnel performance. The new manager should review the current employee performance appraisal system to establish if it is suitable for capturing workforce performance (Watkins, 2012). The manager can also use performance appraisal scheme and the feedback of the first-week communication with key personnel to reshuffle teams and team leaders (Watkins, 2012). The reshuffle is done to realign the personnel with their strengths.
In the second week of month two, the manager can attend some of the team, section or departmental meetings. From the meetings, the manager will have a better understanding of departmental operations and needs (Mason et al., 2014). Further, the new leader can also visit the various production plants to assess performance and identify opportunities or gaps (Parasher, 2017). On the third week of the second month, the manager can meet with direct reports and executive team to get feedback and brainstorm on the way forward. From the visits to the plants and various departments, the new head can then make relevant strategic changes that will improve performance and the firm's cash flow.
First 90 days
The last thirty days of the 90-day action plan is crucial as the new transformational leader is now ready to make lasting changes. In the last phase of the 90-day action plan, the manager will adopt policies that will promote efficiency and eliminate wastage (Rocchetti, 2015). At this phase, the manager also meets with the various team leaders to discuss suitable measure to encourage growth in company operations and performance ((Watkins, 2012). In this last phase, the manager will make long term decisions aimed at inspiring the various teams, improving operations and promoting firm growth.
Evaluation of personal leadership strength
The soft skills that will help the new leader to achieve their new goals are excellent communication skills, conflict resolutions, interpersonal skills and decisiveness. The soft skills enable a manager to communicate effectively and relate well with their team and other stakeholder. Interpersonal skills also enable the principle manager to take advantage of their technical team and get vital advice on how to resolve operation related issues. Besides soft skills, the manager should also be equipped with technical management skills. Skills such as finance and marketing will go a long way in streamlining the institution’s operations. The managers marketing skills will enable them to make decisions that give the organization a competitive edge. Financial skills on the other hand will help the leader to identify and curb wastage.
For a transformational leader to take their new organization to higher performance heights, they need a ninety-day action plan to facilitate smooth leadership's transition. The principal executive should break down their “90-day action plan” into manageable portions. The chief manager can only do this by having three separate monthly plans. In the first month, his or her objective would mainly be to meet their team and to understand the organization's operations and policies. During the first thirty days, the new manager can make minimal changes to reciprocate to the team's pressing needs. In the next set of thirty days, the chief executive officer should attend departmental meetings and visit the production plant to have a clear understanding of the firm's operations. During the first sixty days, the manager should involve the executive and supervisory teams in brainstorming on the most appropriate changes to take the firm to more significant growth heights. In the third month, the leader has a clear understanding of their team and firm operations. In this third month, the principal leader should make long term decisions that will stimulate growth and inspire the team to move to the next level. Indeed with a “ninety-day action plan”, the new leader will quickly fit into their new role and bring about meaningful changes.
References
Mason, C., Griffin, M., & Parker, S. (2014). Transformational leadership development. Leadership & Organization Development Journal .
Parasher, P. (2017). Navigating Leadership Transitions: Helping Leaders Successfully Transition into New Roles. NHRD Network Journal , 10 (4), 72-80.
Rocchetti, R. (2015). Transitioning to a new manager. Employment Relations Today , 42 (1), 9-14.
Watkins, M. (2012). The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter . Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
