Appointed as a New CEO in Asia? Here Are 3 Things to Focus on In Your First 90 Days

A client of mine recently shared that from next month he will take up his first CEO position of a leading company in Asia. We talked about the excitement of this promotion, the opportunities, the personal leadership challenges and also the Dos and Don’ts of the first three months.

The conversation inspired me to come up with 3 suggestions on what a new CEO in Asia should focus on during the first 90 days (3 months) of their appointment:

1.     Meet And Greet Constantly

In Asia it’s all about relations, without it you can’t function effectively. So, no matter how big of a crisis you face upon your appointment, spend the majority of your time in the first 90 days on meeting people and building relationships.

Your reputation will have preceded you. People that have an interest with the company you are going to lead, will have checked you out. They will know all about your style, your achievements, what your ex-colleagues say and what your ‘hot-buttons’ are. People want to know who you are, what you can do for them and whether they can trust you.  

[box] People assume that you are their new leader for a reason and you don’t have to justify it. [/box]

So organize lunches, dinners, get-togethers, round tables, town-halls, web meetings, etc. Visit markets, factories, warehouses and communities and attend as many weddings, employee birthday celebrations and ‘cut-the-ribbon’ events as possible. Meet employees, customers, investors, suppliers, regulators and community leaders. Be you, be humble and connect.

Apart from building relationships the added advantage of meeting as many people as possible will be for you to get to know the business in the shortest time possible but more importantly, to get insight and assess the potential risks and opportunities of the business.

One big ‘no-no’ is for you to constantly harp on examples, achievements and stories from your previous company or experiences. By constantly comparing them with your past you basically say that others are better. People are not interested. They assume that you are their new leader for a reason and you don’t have to justify it.

2.     Leave It As You Found It

Don’t make any big decisions that impact employees in your honeymoon period. Keep the commitments from your predecessor as it gives people a sense of stability. Don’t change entitlements, no matter how absurd they are nor make any appointments of people that you worked with in the past.

[box] Smart CEOs make sure that the changes they want to make are carried, or even better, co-invented by the people that need to implement them. [/box]

Of course it is important to have people you trust around you; those you can count on to deliver and do the job. But only do this the moment you have assessed that there is nobody else in the organisation who can also do the job. If you don’t, you give your current team the impression that you favour certain people and that they don’t have any future opportunities.

Of course after your honeymoon period you can start putting your own mark on the organisation. Smart CEOs however make sure that the changes that they want to make are carried, or even better, co-invented by the people that need to implement them.

3.     Align Team Behind Common Values And Aspirations

The key to your success as a CEO will be the people in your leadership team. It is not only about the quality of the team but even more so how well they will be working together. A leadership team that is not aligned or cohesive can have a disastrous impact on the organisation.

I worked with a CEO who in his first week invited all his leadership team members to his house for a get-together. During this session he shared a number of deeply personal life moments that had shaped him and how he views the world. The intention was to share his leadership style, what others can expect from him as well as what he expects from people that work with him. He then talked about his personal aspirations and his aspirations for the company he was chosen to lead and gave everybody in the leadership team the opportunity to share their personal ambition. The get-together proved later to be the start of an amazing journey as the company went on to overachieve their collective aspirations.

[box] A leadership team that is not aligned or cohesive can have a disastrous impact on the organisation. [/box]

New CEO Checklist for the First 90 Days:

The first 3 months of your appointment are extremely precious. You never get a second chance to do some thing for the first time! Maybe use some of the suggestions above or decide what works for you and the company you are going to lead. Let me know what works for you and share your first 90 days experiences as a CEO in the comments below.

Photo Credit: tec_estromberg