Michael Watkins, a leadership expert and professor at IMD Business School, delves into the intricacies of leadership transitions. He introduces the STARS framework to help leaders match their strategies to various business scenarios. Watkins emphasizes the importance of assessing the unique context of a new role, rather than relying on past experiences. He also discusses the necessity of clear leadership mandates, showcasing how adaptability in management style can significantly impact organizational change.
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Crucial Early Period
Focus on navigating the crucial early period of a transition.
Early actions in a new role significantly influence others' perceptions, similar to starting high school.
insights INSIGHT
Adapting Transition Strategies
Transition strategies should be tailored to each new situation.
Relying on past strategies may be unproductive when transitioning to a new level, company, or culture.
insights INSIGHT
STARS Framework
Different business situations require different leadership approaches.
Consider the STARS framework (Startup, Turnaround, Accelerated Growth, Realignment, Sustaining Success) to assess the context.
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In 'The First 90 Days,' Michael D. Watkins provides a comprehensive guide for leaders transitioning into new roles. The book emphasizes the importance of self-preparation, accelerating the learning process, achieving early victories, and achieving alignment within the organization. Watkins outlines ten fundamental principles, including preparing oneself for the new role, understanding the organizational architecture, building a high-performance team, and influencing key stakeholders. The book is designed to help leaders avoid common pitfalls and achieve early successes, thereby enhancing their credibility and effectiveness within the organization.
Leadership transitions are challenging for both organizations and the leaders who must directly navigate them. But Michael Watkins says they’re also a time of incredible opportunity — especially for those leaders who understand how to handle this crucial period.
Watkins is a professor of leadership and organizational change at IMD Business School. He shares a framework for selecting a transition strategy that best matches the situation you’re facing — whether you’re building a new operation from scratch or trying to turnaround a business in crisis. Watkins also explains why it’s so important to effectively assess your new leadership context and not to rely only on transition strategies that have worked for you in the past.
HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.
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