8/6/2019 The New CEOs First 100 Days by Deirdre Kenny

1/3

The New CEOs First 100 DaysSubmitted b y Deirdre Kenny on W ed, 2007-05-09 12 :44.

The first 100 days in any new job are highly charged withopportunity, expectation and, yes, tension. Amplify thoseemotions if a newly hired person is joining a corporate board of directors or stepping into a senior executive position. And turnthat dial a notch higher still if the individual is assuming the roleof Chief Executive Officer. By Deirdre Kenny of CTPartners .

Its best to approach the first 100 days with a plan. The advice whichmy colleagues and I give to newly-placed CEOs and board members isthat they need to give themselves the time necessary for thoughtfulobservation. Size up the company, assess the talent and considerwhen to listen and when to act .

Well its true that we live in fast-paced times, when markets expectquick, if not immediate, results, it is a mistake to jump into a newboard role without first taking the time to investigate the culture andvalues of the firm. A rush to action to make a mark may turn out tobe a costly mistake.

The executives eagerness to get started and to deliver results isnatural. In fact, the closure phase of the executive placementprocess is filled with conversations that centre upon the needs of thehiring organization and the strategies and tactics that the candidatemight adopt if hired. This is terrific input for the candidate, and mayindeed seed the early stages of a plan that might ultimately move theexecutive, and the corporation, in the right direction.

However, you dont want to put the game plan into action before youknow the playing field. We stress that the first weeks on the job willallow executives to gain a granular understanding of the matters thatwere discussed, more generally, during the interview st age.

In addition, there is another valuable, if under-utilized, tool that canhelp newly placed executives to learn more about the hiringorganization. Have lunch with your search consultant before the firstday on the job. While the candidate and recruitment professional willhave shared a great deal of information during the search process,there may be further details and insights that the consultant will nowbe free to disclose, once the candidate has signed the employmentcontract and become a business partner of the hiring corporation.

We believe that for CEOs, the Communications Plan is as importantduring the first hundred days as the Action Plan. These early-stagecommunications are a crucial part in a CEOs many new relationshipbridges, and effect ive communication will manage expectations amongthe organizations staff, ones direct reports, the board of directors,and the companys clients.

How should one begin? The first step is to discover the companyscommunications habits and history. How do different groups tend tocommunicate, and how does information spread t hroughout t hecorporation? Do managers tend to walk the halls? Do they callmeetings? A CEO can have a great message, but it may not be heardor understood if he or she does not understand how the organismthat is the company communicates.

In one case I recall, a new CEOs favored method of communicationwas email. However, his predecessor had always chosen tocommunicate via voicemail. Neither style was wrong, but if a newexecutive plans to alter customary communication habits, he or sheshould be aware that messages may not be heard so well at first. But

Custom Search

Home

Edward De Bono

Robert Heller

Letter toThinking Managers

Leadership & Management Review

BusinessMasterclasses

The Thinking CEO

Blog

A Private Briefing

Free Intelligence

Comments

Guru Watch

Media Watch

Business Management

Companies

Managers

Thinkers

Contact

Affiliate

Search

Management Library

Business Strategy

Management The ories

Management Styles

Business Managem entSkills

Strategic Manage me nt

Business Development

Corporate Culture

Human ResourceManagement

Corporate Restructuring

Business Analysis

Total Qu alityManagement

Corporatecommunication

Entrepreneurship

...all categories

RSS

Most popularSWOTBill Gates and WarrenBuffet leadership stylesTeam managementStrategy & tacticsMarketing s trategy

Do you expect a double-diprecession?:

Yes

No

Vote

Readers' CommentsI think the author's6 days 7 hours agoI agree. It is a m atter of 1 wee k 4 days agoThis set of posts5 wee ks 4 days agoDouble dip recession7 wee ks 3 days ago

Glass houses?7 wee ks 4 days ago

See more comments

Guru Watch read all

Leibovich brothers scoop their own$80 million deal - DynamicBusiness 3 hours 28 min old,Richard Branson Google newsEnjoy today's 'Lesser Depression':it may worsen - The Canbe rraTimes 3 hours 56 min old, Paul Krugman Google newsWhere were we? - Ha'aretz 4hours 21 min old, ThomasFriedman Google news

70 gurus with one feed

Media Watch read all

Wha t's wrong with the airlines(Fortune 19 46) 9 hours 46 minold, FortuneTCW fights to keep damningevidence from view 1 day 7 hoursold, FortuneChart: Bank Stocks P oised ForShort Term Rally 2 days 2 hoursold, Forbes Most Popular

Read all media

8/6/2019 The New CEOs First 100 Days by Deirdre Kenny

2/3

dont fall into the trap of using a totally unfamiliar tool or technologywithout practice or support. One executive describes thiscommunications process as building an imbedded degree of belief,but that wont come across if the message quality is poor.

Next, CEOs will want to create and prioritize the list of people withwhom they will communicate regularly and build key relationships.First and foremost on that list are ones direct reports, the C-suitecaptains. I would place at the top of the list the Chief FinancialOfficer and Chief Human Resources Officer. Aft er all, understandingthe people and financial health of the business is critical. The clientcommunity should also be prominent on the CEOs communication list,followed by the board of directors and the companys entire employeepopulation.

However, new chief executives should not confuse the need tocommunicate with the need to take action or announce newinitiatives. Even when one is not ready to establish a visible pathtoward the future, a new CEO can let people know how pleased he orshe is to be on the job. Keep people in the loop and let them knowthat you are gathering the information needed to set a new path. Itis always a good idea to tell people when they can expect to hearmore from you, and how often they can expect such communications then adhere to that timetable. Expectation management is essential

to stemming the flow of inaccurate information and speculation.The role of the CEO is to manage through others and to elicit thebest performance of each member of the team. This is never an easytask, and it can be particularly daunting for first-time CEOs. Itrequires the ability to discern how each team member functions, todetermine their strengths and weaknesses, and to enact strategiesthat raise their performance to its maximum potential.

In a European context, C-suite teams are increasingly comprised of individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds. Europe United isnt ateam of one voice and view, it is a team of many countries, each withdistinct national character and experience. That diversity is a greatstrength in managing a global business, but increases the complexity

of building direct relationships and bringing a team together.

When building these important relationships during the first fewmonths, it is a good idea t o schedule frequent meetings with smallgroups. This enables one to learn first-hand about the how thecomponent body parts of the company organism work, both bythemselves and with the rest of the body. In small meetings, the CEOcan also begin to identify individuals, particularly thought-leaders anddomain experts. It is important to ascertain their viewpoints, and toestablish trust and rapport. The goal is to open the lines of candid,honest communication between the CEO and the team.

To sidestep the significant management challenge with the directreports, CEOs frequently leap to replace existing C-suite officers with

their `own` new team, executives with whom the CEO has workedeffectively in the past. This can be a mistake, especially whenwholesale replacements combine to undercut the companys moraleand sense of loyalty. New chief executives should tread carefullyhere. C-suite replacements should never be undertaken lightly duringthe early days of a CEOs tenure. Assess each person and their rolecarefully, then move definitively if change is needed.

It is important to remember that during the first 100 days of leading abusiness that one is creating impressions all the time. You can besure that decisions will be analysed carefully by employeesthroughout the company, so pay attention to the message you aresending in action and words.

In the early stages of any new relationship, many patterns, traditionsand rituals begin to develop, take shape and become well-rooted.Whether these are things that a newly hired CEO intends to create,or whether these are accidentally engendered, what happens in thefirst 100 days will stick to you, because people are simply morewatchful and attentive. As a result, it is wise to be certain that those

ManagementphilosophyMergers andacquisitions a ndtakeoversBusiness structure,business m odels & strategyJapanese businesscultureEmployeeempowermentBritish Airways

Latest content

From idea to business the ten stepsAre you failing your newmanagers?How one question canhelp you make yourpeople more e ffectiveWhy do some companiesinnovate moresuccessfully than others?Five steps towards betterstrategyLearn how to analyseyour failuresCom munication: avoidthese three trapsHow do the greatcompanies m anage tostand the test of time?How to help em ployeesme et their goalsWhen the going getstough... the tough takerisks

User login

Login/Register

8/6/2019 The New CEOs First 100 Days by Deirdre Kenny

3/3

thoughts, actions and words are carefully considered and deliberate.

Deirdre Kenny is a partner at global executive search f irm CTPartnersfounded in 1980,since 1980, a performance-driven executive search firm servingFortune 1000, NASDAQ, FTSE 100, CAC 40, DAX and other leadingglobal corporations. With a proven record in C-suite, top executive,and board searches, as well as private equity and venture capitalservices. CTPartners offers expertise in technology, media andtelecom, financial services, life sciences, professional services, retail,and manufac turing.

The articles published here in the Thinking CEO are internet updatesof the latest management knowledge and practice, which have beencommissioned by Sovereign Publications for their bi-annual magazine,CEO Today , and will appear later in the first 2007 issue of thispublicat ion. T o contact Sovereign and CEO Today , go to:

http://www.sovereign-publicat ions.com/ceo-art.htm

Find related articles

Companies : CTPartners

Managers : Deirdre Kenny

The Thinking CEO : Productivity Through People