How should executives approach their first 90 days strategically?
A strong start begins with deliberate discovery. In the early weeks, your main job is to understand the organisation, not to fix everything. That means asking focused questions about strategy, performance, culture, and history; noticing how decisions really get made; and listening carefully to what is said and what is left unsaid. Coaching helps you create a simple discovery framework so your conversations cover the most important ground without becoming an endless fact-finding exercise.
Stakeholder mapping is another essential step. Executives who thrive in new roles know who their key stakeholders are, what each of them cares about, and where their interests align or collide. Together we identify these stakeholders and plan how you will build relationships with them. You prepare for early meetings with a clear sense of what you need to learn, what you can offer, and how you want to be perceived. This reduces first-meeting nerves and prevents you from improvising under pressure.
Quick wins also matter, but they have to be chosen carefully. Cosmetic changes impress no one for long, and sweeping reforms made without context can damage your credibility. Coaching supports you in spotting modest, meaningful improvements that show judgement and momentum without overreaching. These might include streamlining a small process, resolving a long-standing frustration, or clarifying a piece of communication that has been causing confusion.
Through all of this, setting expectations openly is vital. You and your line manager, board, or investors need a shared understanding of priorities, success measures, and timeframes. Executive Connexions helps you articulate your approach and agree this alignment early, which prevents misunderstandings later. As the 90 days progress, your coach is a confidential sounding board for testing ideas, processing challenges, and maintaining perspective. The outcome is a start that feels calm, intentional, and credible rather than rushed or reactive.
How can coaching help you establish sustainable leadership habits?
Finally, the first 90 days are about setting habits you can sustain. If you begin with unrealistic hours, constant firefighting, or overly heroic promises, you risk creating a pattern that is hard to escape. We work with you to design weekly rhythms that include time for reflection, team development, and strategic thinking as well as delivery. By pacing yourself and signalling clearly how you lead, you establish a way of working that supports both performance and personal resilience long after the first three months are over.