Speaking From Experience
Volume V, No. 1
Newsletter
A Winning Team in the
Leveraging the Benefits of Change,
First 90 Days
so change works for you and not against you
"The most important decisions you make in your first 90
L
in Hart is a Professional
days will probably be about the people on your team. If
Speaker and Executive
you succeed in creating a high-performance team, you
Coach. Among his areas of
can exert tremendous leverage in value creation. If not,
focus are organizational
you will face severe difficulties, for no leader can hope
to achieve much alone."-- Michael Watkins, The First 90
leadership and change.
Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All
He also serves as the
Levels, Harvard Business School Press, 2003.
President of his company,
A
Lin Hart & Associates.
ssessing a team--deciding who should stay and
who should go--is one of the most critical tasks
an executive faces when transitioning into a new
position. It can create or destroy leverage--and
Lin's professional affiliations include The National
leadership is ultimately about leverage.
Speakers Association, Coach University and The
Each year, about 25 percent of managers in typical
International Federation of Coaches.
Fortune 500 companies change jobs. Most spend
an average of four years in a given position. High-
potential leaders in mid-senior ranks move more
To find out more abut Lin, visit his website at
frequently: every 2.5 to 3 years. These statistics
demonstrate why leaders must build strong teams,
composed of the right people in the right jobs, as
quickly as possible.
The material contained in this newsletter has been
The first weeks are crucial for learning and evaluating.
specifically chosen for those who seek to become
Leaders must maintain the right balance of confidence
great leaders in a world of change and opportunity.
and humility, while asking probing questions and
actively listening. During this time, leaders are
most vulnerable. Without a firm support network in
place, they must learn everything they can about
Lin Hart
the organization, its strategies, customers and team
Lin Hart & Associates
members in the shortest possible timeframe.
15816 Summer Ridge Dr.
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Leaders must dedicate a large percentage of learning
Office: 636-532-9445
time to getting to know existing team members. If
Fax: 636-530-1879
you are promoted to a new position from within the
organization, you are likely acquainted with some
of its key people. Transition from the outside, and
you face the task of identifying and placing the
right people into the right positions--a much greater
challenge. Either way, you must choose wisely,
without disrupting short-term performance.