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Whether you pursued a new leadership role or were recruited into one, pacing yourself effectively is important to your ultimate success.  When you’ve been through a long process with multiple interviews, possibly a presentation, and completed final negotiations, the temptation is to hit the ground running and make a big impression on your boss and everyone around you.  After all, you are a talented leader and want to show up as a super star from the get-go.

I have coached many clients through promotions, and most all of them aspire to achieve great things in their new roles…immediately.  While I have every confidence that they will get to great, I help them to shift their mindset and not to focus on immediacy.  Why?  Because the pace you set when you begin a new job can easily become the pace that will be expected from you going forward.  And, it will be impossible to maintain that same pace in the long term.  

Obviously, you will work longer hours at the beginning of a new role.  Make sure you are spending your time wisely.  Gain clarity around the difference between Urgent and Important, and how this plays out in the new environment.  Having a 90- or 100-day plan makes sense.  When you craft your plan, break it down into manageable monthly activities.  If you are lucky, your organization will do a good job onboarding you.  However, not all companies do this, and it might be up to you to manage this process for yourself. 

Initially, you should be on a learning journey, an important first step.  Meet with key stakeholders, get to know your team and your colleagues on more than a superficial level.  How will you learn about the culture, how things really get done (not just what shows up in a manual or the org chart)?  What kinds of support and guidance will you need, and who can best provide it?  Give yourself the time and space to learn so that you can contribute effectively.  No one will expect you to know everything the first day, week, or even month.  And, give yourself permission to ask a lot of questions and be up front about what you do and don’t yet know.

The learning curve might be steep, especially if you move into a new role in a new organization.  Even if you are promoted to a higher-level leadership position in a company where you’ve worked for a while, there will be new responsibilities and new relationships to master.  In conversations with your boss, make sure you understand what is expected and by when, and determine realistic timelines to deliver.  The interview process may have included comments like, “We expect whoever we hire to shake things up,” or “We need someone who is not afraid to make changes.”  If real meaning and motivation behind those questions or comments weren’t clarified by the time you accepted the position, taking a deeper dive with the person or people you report to so that you are confident you understand is important.

As you create your 90 or 100 day plan, prioritize the activities and create benchmarks for reaching established goals and objectives.  Be clear about what you need to achieve results.  If a deadline doesn’t afford enough time to complete a project, collaborate with your boss, peers or colleagues to re-prioritize or get additional support to meet it.  If you start your tenure with clear and open communications, it sets a good tone for the relationship moving forward.

Consider these activities as you craft the plan:

1. Spend the first week or two on a “listening tour” to get to know your direct reports and the peers and colleagues you will likely interact with most.  Find out “who’s who.”
2. Engage with internal and external stakeholders.  Leverage the advice of your boss and colleagues to help identify these people.
3. Build a good working relationship with the person you report to as well as other leaders in the organization.  Develop an understanding of their style and their preferred ways of interacting:  regular meetings, phone versus email, etc.
4. Observe and learn as much as you can about the organizational culture and attendant office politics and be careful to avoid being overly influenced be a few people or comments.   Some colleagues may have an axe to grind; reserve judgment until you’ve had more experience in the environment and opportunities to make your own observations.
5. Manage the expectations of your boss, peers and colleagues, as well as your direct reports.  No one likes surprises.  Share concerns about how a project or process is moving forward before you are in danger of missing a deadline.  Be willing to have conversations with those around you if the work needs to be prioritized.  The more you engage in honest dialog with your boss, colleagues and direct reports, the greater the trust and ability to align expectations and outputs.

Will the pace be overwhelming some of the time?  Yes.  But your goal is to make sure it’s not all consuming all of the time.  Taking the time to create a plan and make sure you don’t set a pace that is unrealistic to maintain in the long run will do a lot to ensure your success.  Don’t risk being the star that becomes a supernova after six months in the role.