No Reason for Obama to Hurry

A new boss should not put too much energy into the first 100 days of his tenure. He has more time than he knows for changes.

Journalists love milestones. In 100 days, we will ask whether U.S. President Barack Obama had been successful by then. This isn’t fair, but Obama knows how the world works. He has studied former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first 100 days in office. Obama has to make difficult decisions because he is starting exactly like many corporate bosses. That’s because they also frequently have plans of action for their first 100 days on the job.

However, 100-day plans are not a good idea when a company is not exactly on the verge of bankruptcy.

There are other things, though, that new bosses should definitely be doing. The American leadership change experts, George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, write in their “The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan” book that during a change in leadership nowadays one must invariably start acting practically from the first minute.

The authors concede that it is not always necessary to move literally right away. In most cases, executives do not have to do something on the first day. But how much time do they have? The authors say “at the most, a few days.” Within 30 days, they have to announce a new strategy and within 70 days, they should have a new team.

A strong argument, however, is to be made against quick actions. New executives still do not know enough in the first 100 days. Certainly, there may be things in the current business setting that cannot be postponed. If a bank does not grant additional credit to a company, the boss must find an alternative.

But as soon as the emergencies are patched up, executives have to do some thinking. Most changes in companies need time, and for most problems, managers definitely have more time than they think.

New corporate bosses know just what is necessary because they have spoken with the customers. They know just what the company needs because they have spoken with the employees at all levels. And they know just who should be on the executive team because they have seen how the managers work. From the outset, though, new bosses do not even know who the most important managers are. They certainly do not know those with the highest rank.

All of this does not mean that new bosses should not be busy during their first 100 days. There are many things to do. Still, their work should really begin before the first 100 days get underway. New bosses should try to form a picture of the situation even before they begin their new job.

The first impression is decisive. And it’s true that all eyes are watching a new boss, because everyone wants to find out what the new person is probably doing. But this does not mean the boss has to know what to do just yet.

He does not have to explain his plans down to the last detail on day one. A manager can also say he is going to get an overview of the situation in the first months by listening and gathering information.

Whoever does this deliberately and publicly will create positive expectations for his manner. It’s true that opponents can use this time to form their resistance. But because the boss is not on familiar ground, the opponents will have an even easier time playing their game. Since new bosses are just beginning to understand the company, they are learning which buttons they have to push and who is and who isn’t open to changes. It takes time to uncover these shadow structures.

New bosses do have one ace up their sleeves though. People are usually receptive to them at the beginning whether they are leading the United States or a small company with 20 employees. They should not recklessly squander this leap of faith, but rather save it until they need it.