The first 60 or 90 days in a new leadership position are critical—this is when you establish your credibility, set the tone for your team, and begin aligning your objectives with the organization’s broader goals. Conventional wisdom suggests focusing on relationship-building, quick wins, and early goal-setting. While this is sound advice, it often overlooks the complexities of real-world leadership.
To succeed in today’s complex environments, you need more than surface-level connections and rapid problem-solving. You need to foster genuine trust, align your efforts with organizational priorities, and make decisions that are supported not just within your own team but also across other functions and stakeholders. Here’s how to move beyond the basics and set yourself up for long-term success.
1. Trust is the Foundation of Real Leadership
Standard advice tells new leaders to “build relationships.” While relationships are important, superficial rapport doesn’t automatically translate into trust. True collaboration only flourishes when trust is established. Building trust early—internally with your team and externally with cross-functional peers—will make a significant difference in your ability to lead effectively.
Why does this matter? Without trust, collaboration becomes transactional, and teams begin to operate in silos. Transparency, open communication, and consistently demonstrating your intent to act in the team’s best interest are key to building trust.
- Be transparent about your intentions. Share your goals and ask about theirs. Mutual understanding helps establish a foundation of trust.
- Demonstrate interest. Ask questions of your team members and stakeholders that show genuine interest in their perspectives, rather than making assumptions. This opens the door to deeper insights and stronger connections.
Building trust creates an environment where team members feel safe to express concerns, propose innovative ideas, and collaborate without fear of judgment or competition. Without it, your efforts may be met with resistance or apathy.
2. Look Beneath the Surface
New leaders are often advised to make an immediate impact through “quick wins.” While it’s tempting to solve surface-level issues to demonstrate early effectiveness, this approach often overlooks deeper, more systemic challenges. Superficial fixes may yield short-term results but fail to address underlying problems, leading to recurring issues down the line.
Instead of focusing solely on what’s visible, take the time to dig deeper into the root causes of performance gaps, communication breakdowns, or inefficiencies. This kind of diagnosis may take longer, but it leads to more sustainable solutions and better long-term outcomes.
Go beyond symptoms: Avoid the temptation to patch things up. Instead, explore the cultural, structural, cross-functional, or interpersonal issues driving the challenges you face.
By uncovering these underlying dynamics, you’ll not only fix the problem but also establish yourself as a thoughtful, thorough leader who addresses real issues—not just the symptoms.
3. Set Goals that Align with Organizational Priorities
Traditional leadership advice encourages setting personal or team-specific goals early on. But if those goals aren’t aligned with the organization’s broader strategy, they may end up creating silos or, worse, working at cross-purposes with other initiatives.
Successful leaders prioritize organization-savvy goal-setting. This means understanding how your team’s efforts contribute to the larger picture and ensuring alignment across departments. Engaging stakeholders and incorporating their input early on is crucial to this process.
Ask yourself:
- What does the organization need most right now?
- Where does my team fit into the broader strategy?
- How can I engage other departments to ensure alignment?
By taking this approach, you’re not just ensuring your team’s success, but also positioning yourself as someone who understands and contributes to the company’s overall mission. This cross-functional alignment fosters collaboration, earns buy-in, and enhances your credibility as a strategic leader.
4. Balance Vision with Practicality
In their eagerness to inspire, many new leaders set bold, aspirational visions. While a clear and compelling vision is crucial, it needs to be grounded in the current realities of your organization—its resources, capacities, and cultural dynamics.
A successful leader balances ambition with pragmatism. Ask yourself:
- What obstacles could derail my vision?
- Are there key stakeholders who would support or resist this vision?
- Are there skill gaps or resource constraints that need to be addressed first?
- What early momentum can I build while working towards longer-term goals?
A balanced approach ensures your vision isn’t just inspiring but also achievable. By coupling ambition with actionable steps, you build credibility as a leader who can deliver on promises, not just dream big.
5. Build Influence Across Functions
Much of the advice for new leaders focuses on their immediate teams. However, in today’s complex, matrixed organizations, your success will depend not only on leading your own team but also on building influence across the organization.
Cross-functional collaboration is essential. Whether you’re navigating competing priorities or aligning with corporate objectives, your ability to influence others without direct authority will define your effectiveness.
- Understand the priorities of other departments. Where do they intersect with your goals?
- Seek input early and build partnerships across the organization. Leaders who are seen as collaborative and inclusive are more likely to gain support for their initiatives.
- Focus on influencing without authority. As a new leader, your ability to lead beyond formal lines of power will be crucial. Develop credibility by understanding others’ motivations and demonstrating genuine commitment to collective success.
This cross-functional influence is particularly important when dealing with complex projects or organizational changes. By fostering relationships and demonstrating a willingness to collaborate, you position yourself as an essential leader who adds value beyond your immediate sphere of control.
6. Embrace Strategic Risk-Taking
Conventional wisdom often warns new leaders against making bold moves too soon. While caution is necessary, calculated risks—when aligned with broader organizational priorities—can propel you forward faster than playing it safe.
Strategic leaders understand when to push boundaries. The key is involving stakeholders early in the process and ensuring their buy-in. By engaging others in your decision-making, you reduce potential backlash and increase the chances of success.
- When is the right time to make bold actions? Once you’ve built trust and gained a solid understanding of the organization’s priorities, you’ll be in a better position to identify opportunities for bold action.
- How can you avoid blowback if a risky moves fail? Before initiating a bold and potentially risky project, discuss it with key stakeholders, share the risks and opportunities, and get their thoughts on whether the risk makes sense. If you gain their buy-in, then proceed. If not, consider other bold projects to explore.
Leaders who embrace smart risk-taking earn respect for their courage and vision. And when those risks pay off, they cement their reputation as agile, forward-thinking executives.
7. Learning Doesn’t Stop After the First 90 Days
Many models suggest that the learning phase for new leaders concludes after the first few months. But truly successful leaders understand that continuous learning is essential for long-term success. The dynamics of your team, the organization, and your role will continue to evolve, and so should your leadership style.
Make feedback and ongoing learning a core part of your routine. Regularly engage your team and stakeholders to assess what’s working and what needs to be adjusted. Continuous reinforcement of strong leadership behaviors will not only help you maintain momentum but will also ensure that your team grows and adapts alongside you.
Moving Beyond the Basics
In conclusion, the standard advice for new leaders—build relationships, score quick wins, set early goals—provides a solid foundation. However, to truly thrive in a new leadership role, you need to dig deeper. By focusing on trust-building, aligning with organizational priorities, balancing ambition with practicality, building influence beyond formal authority, and continuously learning, you’ll set yourself apart as a leader capable of both short-term impact and long-term success.
The best leaders don’t just meet expectations—they exceed them by building teams and organizations that are stronger, more resilient, and better aligned with the future.