The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results [Hardcover]

George B. Bradt (Author), Jayme A. Check (Author), Jorge E. Pedraza (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009

The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan, and the included downloadable forms, has proven itself to be a valuable resource for new leaders in any organization. This revision includes 40% new material and updates -- including new and updated downloadable forms -- with new chapters on:
* A new chapter on POSITIONING yourself for a leadership role
* A new chapter on what to do AFTER THE FIRST 100 DAYS
* A new chapter on getting PROMOTED FROM WITHIN and what to do then

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A revised and expanded edition of the step-by-step success plan for every new leader—with downloadable forms and worksheets

Moving into a new leadership position is one of the toughest challenges an executive can face. Nearly half of new leaders fail in their first eighteen months. Often, that failure is the result of crucial mistakes made in the first 100 days. If that happens to you, your first 100 days on the job could be your last.

Whether you're a veteran leader taking over a new organization or a novice moving into your first leadership role, this practical guide will help you manage your leadership transition so you can take charge, build your team, and deliver results. The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan, Second Edition presents proven solutions and cutting-edge techniques for getting started successfully in your new role.

You'll find a comprehensive, easy-to-follow plan that comes with real-world examples, downloadable forms and worksheets, and other handy resources. You'll master your new job—and the art of leadership—with proven tools and techniques for:

• Making a powerful first impression on your first official day

• Turning key stakeholders and direct reports into your allies

• Building your new team with early wins

• Fitting into a new corporate culture—and shaping its evolution

• Creating, communicating, and implementing a new strategic direction

• Avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls

• Building loyalty, trust, and commitment with new colleagues

This expanded edition includes new resources, updates on today's technology and global business environment, and three new chapters that show you how to position yourself to be offered new leadership roles, land them, and stay successful after your first 100 days. This is the ultimate guide to getting ahead—and staying there.

From the Back Cover

Praise for the First Edition of The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan

"What a book! New and experienced managers at every level will 'fly' with this programmed learning."
—The Honorable Bruce S. Gelb, former Ambassador to Belgium; former vice chairman, Bristol-Myers Squibb; former president, Clairol

"I love this book and wish I had read it before stepping into my current leadership role. It provides a practical and indispensable road map to success that will help new leaders stack the odds in their favor. Read it and don't be among the forty percent of leaders who fail in the first eighteen months."
—Sandy Rogers, former marketing manager, Procter & Gamble and Apple Computer; former senior vice president, Corporate Strategy, Enterprise Rent-A-Car

"The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan offers a comprehensive architecture with practical tools and techniques for new leaders to follow. I believe that leaders who utilize the advice from this book will have demonstrative business and culture-building results."
—Joe Bonito, Vice President, Organizational Development, Coach Inc.; former vice president, Pfizer

"One of the most basic yet comprehensive books I've read regarding the dos and don'ts of a successful on-boarding process. A must-read for all aspiring business leaders, from first-time CEOs to executives at every level of the organization. Also a great tool for human resources and talent management executives."
—Joe Griesedieck, former CEO, Spencer Stuart; Vice Chairman, Korn/Ferry International

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470407034
• ISBN-13: 978-0470407035
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All Performance, Not Hype September 28, 2006

By Stephen Denny

Format:Hardcover

You won't find this book touted in any web 2.0 blogs, business 2.0 magazines, or pundit 2.0 panel discussions at Demo. It lacks snarky, pithy and/or bloviating commentary. This is an un-hip book that focuses hedgehog-like on your being successful in your new job.

The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan gives us an insight into an area of our business lives that has not been given enough attention, namely what the authors call, the 'executive on-boarding' experience. Many, many new executives fail in new roles, not because they are incompetent but because they are set up for failure before their arrival.

The invaluable lessons within this book include: 1) your first day begins well before your first day, 2) negotiate after your offer and before your acceptance, 3) know your stakeholders before you start -- get all of these issues ironed out before you accept the job; and many others.

I won't do the standard "Amazon book report review" here, but if you're in a position to transition into a new role, this is a book you really need to read, quickly.

I joined a company many years ago -- hot brand name, great technology, high riding stock price -- only to find out upon arrival that 1) the job I was promised wasn't agreed upon by other stakeholders, 2) that there were others in the company who also had 'my job', and 3) my boss was about to get fired. I left after seven months. Had I spent 15 minutes with this book, I could have unlocked a few of these secrets ahead of time. You live and learn, but you don't always have to learn the hard way.

Save yourself from having to learn the hard way. Highly recommended, quick read.

59 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The only complete book for starting a new job as a leader from A-Z May 28, 2007

By M and K

Format:Hardcover

We bought this book along with the "The First 90 Days" and read them side by side.

Pro:
-Delves into what questions to ask before the interview through the first several months... I found no other book that is this complete from beginning to end
-Promotes using the time opportunity BEFORE you start a job and in my experience is a major differentiator that I've been able to surprise and delight. Set up pre-meetings, arranging for email/phone and a place to sit, etc. as a chance to listen and learn without the pressure to perform and to begin forming alliances.
-Serves as a handy reference... excellent chapter summaries and a strong executive summary with a timeline and a meaty chapter outline are helpful both now and in the future
-Checklists are excellent and abundant, boiling thoughts down to the most essential elements in a more memorable (less verbose) way
-Checklists include not only job-related tips, but also cover moving-related items as well... handy!
-There are many good tips interspersed throughout the book that are good reminders of the basics you need to adhere to in order to be successful
-Breaks the "sink or swim mindset" often associated with starting a new position
-Excellent use of forms for introspective Q&A; creatively offers forms that can even be downloaded from the internet, a clever and fairly unique offering

Con:
-I think that assessments of what environment you'll be stepping into are underdeveloped and/or understated. You need to know if the team is under performing, just too new, etc.

Bottom line: Highly recommended as a must have text for the aspiring business professional. This book effectively serves as warning, motivation, and how to get results in your new role.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Think Productive Condensed Wisdom September 14, 2006

By J. B. Golliday

Format:Hardcover

This is an amazing book! Actually, it's a distillation and synthesis of the most relevant content of many books, combined with lots of unique and very valuable insight from the authors, and arranged in a highly useful order.

Key eye-openers are:

*The importance of starting before Day One and how to do it

*The critical success factors of Day One

*The sequence, timelines and guidelines for the critical events in the first 100 days - and how much time you haven't got

Even on established concepts (e.g. establishing shared purpose, building the right team, conducting milestone meetings), this book adds valuable perspective and many effective practices to improve your probability of success.

While the book focuses on the essential steps to succeed in a new job in a new company, it's equally useful for consultants taking on a new assignment or leaders taking on new responsibilities in their current company.

The only downside is the "Ouches" you'll feel when you realize what you did wrong, and what you should have done, in prior experiences that could have gone better.