When is the right time to start preparing for a new job?

Once the excitement has died down of being offered a position, we tend to...

• focus on what we're going to need to wrap up and handover in our current job

• plan a bit of a break between roles (hopefully)

• keep an eye out for what's happening at the new place, maybe have one or two conversations with the boss and / or the team.

But then we wait for day one in the new job to see what's in store for us, who they've arranged for us to meet in our induction, what priorities they need us to focus on.

Sound familiar?

As a senior leader though, what you do in those first days and weeks will set the tone and determine potentially how successful you are in post.

That's why I believe a leader needs to have a clear plan of action before they even set foot through the door.

Now that doesn't mean the leader has a defined strategy and action plan ready for the troops to execute on day one. In fact, if you do, that's probably the first hurdle you're going to fall over!

But instead they have taken the time to consider what:

• they are going to need to learn about the organisation, the people within it, the sector they operate within and so on

• relationships they are going to need to build and nurture and the questions they will need to be asking of those people

• the strategy is - how they are going to test the business strategy and what their own strategy and approach will need to be, depending on the state of the organisation (is it a troubled business needing to recover or is it in growth mode, for example, each would require a different approach)

• their personal narrative will be and how they want to communicate and engage with others around it

• they want to achieve by certain milestones (the first day, the first week, the first month, the first quarter) and the early wins they could focus on.

This helps the leader to hit the ground running from day one AND gives the business confidence in their new recruit.

By the end of the first 100 days the leader will be able to demonstrate a full understanding of the business at hand and articulate the roadmap of where it needs to go. Most importantly, by doing it in a considered way, full of great communication and connection, they will take their teams with them and create alignment around a vision and strategy for the future.

This is a tried and tested approach - think about it, even the US President spends weeks preparing before entering office and then reports back after 100 days.

I've had the pleasure of supporting new CEOs and directors transitioning into their roles and working with them on their 100 day plans. I've seen the difference it has made to not only how confident an organisation is in its new leader, but also to the self-confidence of the individual.

If you're interested in learning more about the 100 day approach then keep your eyes peeled, there will be a special launch announcement coming very soon...