The First 90 Days

HBR Article: Start Your New Leadership Role with the End in Mind

July 24, 2023

I am excited to share my latest article on hbr.org, “Start Your New Leadership Role with the End in Mind”.

To successfully step into a new role and set yourself up for long-term success, you must balance “now-forward” planning with “future-back” visioning. That is, you must start with the end in mind, envisioning what you want to accomplish during this era of your leadership and what needs to happen before for can take the next step. This mindset will empower you to make early decisions that will accelerate your transition, pave the way for long-term impact in the new role, and contribute to your continued career growth.

Read Full Article Here 

Michael Watkins

Michael Watkins has spent the past two decades working with leaders, both corporate and public, as they transition to new roles, negotiate the future of their organizations, and craft their legacy as leaders. A recognized expert in his field, he ranked among Thinkers50’s top fifty management influencers globally in 2019. He is the best-selling author of The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, the globally acknowledged handbook for leadership and career transitions, which recently earned the accolade of Amazon’s Top 100 Leadership Books. He is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at the IMD Business School in Switzerland and previously served on the faculty at INSEAD and Harvard University, where he earned his PhD in Decision Sciences.

Latest Posts

View All
The First 90 Days  •  Leadership Development  •  Executive Coaching

Why Most Leadership Transitions Fail—and How to Succeed

January 29, 2026

Leadership transitions are deceptively hard. On the surface, stepping into a new role often looks like a logical next step—more responsibility, broader scope, greater influence. Organizations assume that because someone has succeeded before, they’ll succeed again. And yet, research and experience consistently show that a significant percentage of leadership transitions underperform or fail outright. Not […]

The First 90 Days  •  Executive Coaching

Accelerating Leadership Success with the STARS Model

January 28, 2025

As an HR professional, you understand the critical importance of leadership transitions. Whether an executive is stepping into a new role, navigating a turnaround, or managing accelerated growth, their ability to adapt and succeed during the first few months can set the tone for long-term success—or failure. This is why Genesis Advisers’ Acceleration Coaching program leverages the […]

The First 90 Days

The First 90 Days Transition Roadmap

July 26, 2024

The Transition Roadmap, developed through research by Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days, and decades of coaching by Genesis, provides a structured framework to help leaders transition into new roles efficiently. This roadmap encompasses eight core tasks designed to guide leaders in diagnosing, planning, and delivering effectively in their new positions while managing their […]