Marcia's Leadership Q&As: New Leaders, What Are Your 1st Actions?

Q. As a new leader entering a company, what should my first action items be?

A. Number one: don’t make any changes! If the company is doing well, let it roll. If it is in dire straits, let it roll. To go in and immediately make changes will be first, instilling fear.

People don’t know you and cannot trust you, especially if you start changing how they work. Second, you’ll be guessing at what the improvements could be because you will not deeply understand the culture and the informal system (the way things really work.)  Your first action is to take no decisive action for abrupt changes.

Instead, your first action is to move across your entire organization (inside and outside) and listen! In the first few weeks (depending on size of your business), schedule meetings (1-1, face to face, small groups, and Town Halls) with your senior managers, supervisors, front line workers. Then meet with customers. Then meet with vendors. Listen, listen, listen until you deeply understand what their experiences are working in or with the company. Your workers will tell you. Your vendors and especially your customers will tell you what they love and what they hate. They will tell you when you’re stellar and when they are ready to leave and go to a competitor.

With all of this information and looking at the key company data over time (trends, sales, profits, critical success factors--like how long is a customer on hold), you are ready to have the deep, yet rapid discussions with your leadership team.  Your strategy session (which great leaders have monthly) includes: direction, aim, strategic initiatives, communication/engagement plans, focus, and implementation plan with deadlines and budget guidance. At this point together you can make new decisions and involve your teams with effective communication (share what aim you want them to accomplish.)

Very important: share with everyone what you learned through your deep dive into the company. People want to know if you “got it.” The most powerful tool you have is your ability to communicate in multiple channels: in person, via Zoom, video messages, email, Intranet—whatever is at your disposal. Use it all. Continually make time to have conversations with people all over the company, not just the same senior team.  And also, great leaders are in touch with their customers. They intimately understand the experiences they are having—good and bad.