Your First 100 Days In a New Executive Job

The term "first 100 days" has become widely recognized as a measure of leadership dynamism and a bellwether of leadership effectiveness. Whether you are a newly elected president, CEO, or executive at any level, what you do in your first 100 days will be absolutely pivotal to your success or failure.

Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job will help you to seal your leadership, build a team you can count on, and have a bottom line impact before your first few months on the job is up. It will take you through all the steps of successful executive onboarding and show you how to avoid the typical pitfalls. Hargrove emphasizes the importance of getting clear on your going-in mandate — your contract with key stake holders. He also shows you how to use your first 100 days to declare an Impossible Future that represents the difference you want to make, while delivering on your Day Job.

According to Hargrove, the key idea is to go for "quick wins" that establish a virtuous circle of increasing credibility and help you to avoid a vicious circle of decreasing credibility. This book will expand your aspirations and motivations, and give you a treasure trove of practical, down-to-earth tips to immediately apply in your new leadership role.

• Have a story ready day one, as key stakeholders look for signals immediately — take symbolic action within 72 hours
• Develop a "teachable point of view" — This is how we intend to win in this business
• Build a team of 'A' players — get the right people on the bus
• Declare an Impossible Future that unites warring tribes
• Jump start your vision with 30, 60, 90-day catalytic breakthrough projects
• Master the political chessboard and culture — It's all politics!
• Drive bottom-line results before the end of your first 100 day

• Introduction: Don't Just Hit the Ground Running, But Sprinting as the Clock is Ticking From Day One

1. Prepare Yourself for the Journey Before It Starts
   Do Your Due Diligence — Like Sherlock Holmes, Find a Watson to Discuss It With
2. Get Clear On Your Going-In Mandate
   How to Accurately Assess Your Situation and Create a Strategy to Match
3. Realize an Impossible Future and Keep Your Day Job
   Make Your Job a Transformational Assignment
4. Drafting Your 100 Day Plan
   Jump Start Your Impossible Future, Get Bottom Line Results Fast
5. Deal Proactively With Turnarounds and Crisis
   Never Waste a Good Crisis
6. Build a Team of ‘A Players
   Get Me The Best In The World!
7. Master the Political Chessboard and Culture
   Look Both Ways, Don’t Get Hit By a Bus
8. Launch 90-Day Catalytic Breakthrough Projects
   Build Confidence and Credibility Through Quick Wins
9. Executive Time Management
   Focus on Making a Difference, Not the Important
10. Track Accomplishments: How Am I Doing?
    Focus on the Scoreboard

• In Closing