New Manager: The First 90 Days

The access is working, the calendar is full, and the introductions are done. Organizationally, the new manager has arrived. But do they know what the team needs, what expectations are placed upon them, and where they have the authority to make decisions?

Onboarding a manager requires more than just handing over tasks and appointments. It requires clarity, sustainable relationships, and the opportunity to consciously develop their leadership style.

A 30/60/90-day plan provides structure to this process. Its value lies in clear agreements: What needs to be accomplished by when? Who will support this? And how will all parties recognize that the onboarding is successful?

Before Day One: Clarify the Leadership Mandate

A job description rarely adequately explains the tensions and expectations associated with a leadership role.

Maybe the team needs to grow while also cutting costs. Perhaps the organization desires more self-responsibility while key decisions remain centralized. Or the new manager takes over a team that has just undergone several changes.

Such conditions should be brought to light early on.

Therefore, the current manager should formulate a preliminary leadership mandate before the new manager starts and subsequently refine it together:

• What outcomes are prioritized in the coming months?
• What decisions can the new manager make independently?
• What personnel, technical, or economic challenges exist?
• What is already working well and should be preserved?
• What support is available?

A brief, jointly discussed mandate provides a solid foundation.

Two Sides of Effective Onboarding

Organizational preparation and leadership preparation go hand in hand.

The organizational side includes functioning access, relevant documents, and an introduction to internal processes. At the same time, the new manager needs an overview of the people and relationships that shape their work.

Three components can help:

A Team Overview: Who is responsible for what? Which projects are running? What skills, interests, and development wishes are already known?

An Overview of Important Interfaces: Who does the team work with? Where are dependencies? Which relationships need early attention?

A Alignment of Expectations: What do the current manager, the team, and key partners expect from the new role?

Existing strengths profiles can complement this preparation, provided they are accessible for this purpose. However, they do not replace personal conversations. People should be able to explain how they experience and wish to use their strengths.

The First 30 Days: Understand and Build Relationships

At the beginning, the new manager needs a nuanced understanding of the team. This includes one-on-one conversations with all directly assigned team members.

Helpful questions include:

• What should I absolutely understand about your work?
• In which tasks can you contribute the most?
• What energizes you, and what drains your energy unnecessarily?
• What should remain in our collaboration?
• What do you expect from me as your manager?
• Where do you soon need a decision or support?

These conversations create touchpoints for leadership. For example, if a manager learns that a team member enjoys structuring complex problems, they can involve them in a suitable task. If they hear that decisions are regularly reopened, they should examine the decision-making processes closely.

Listening does not mean postponing necessary decisions. Immediate issues require a response even in the first week.

A meaningful outcome after 30 days: The new manager has spoken with all team members, learned about key interfaces, and aligned their leadership mandate with their supervisor.

Days 31 to 60: Implement Initial Improvements Together

In the second month, observations lead to concrete steps.

A manageable improvement that truly matters to the team is suitable: a clearer handover, a better-structured meeting, or a comprehensible rule for prioritization.

The new manager should make their considerations transparent:

“In several conversations, it became clear that short-term requests regularly disrupt our planning. Let's try for four weeks to evaluate these requests together.”

This way, the team can understand which feedback has been acted upon and what results from it.

This is also a good time for initial feedback to the new manager:

• What helps you in my way of working?
• Where do I still lack clarity?
• Where do I intervene too soon or am too unavailable?
• What should I do differently?

A meaningful outcome after 60 days: A concrete improvement has been tested, the team has provided feedback, and the manager has visibly responded to it.

Days 61 to 90: Solidify Responsibility and Routines

By the third month, it should become clearer how collaboration with the new manager functions.

This includes clear agreements:

• How often will one-on-ones take place?
• How will priorities and decisions be communicated?
• When will the team decide independently?
• How will difficulties be addressed?
• Where is there room for development and reflection?

The manager increasingly makes decisions within their mandate and explains the considerations behind them. It is essential that they take responsibility for actual concerns and use the agreed-upon powers.

At the end of the first 90 days, a joint reflection is worthwhile: What has become clearer? What has improved? Where is further support needed?

A meaningful outcome after 90 days: The leadership mandate and decision-making spaces are understood, fundamental routines are established, and the next development steps are agreed upon.

Internally Promoted or New to the Company?

Both paths come with different demands.

When Entering Externally: Understanding the Organization

Anyone new to the company must also learn informal rules: How are decisions actually made? What experiences shape the team? Where are unspoken expectations?

An experienced contact person outside the direct reporting line can help frame observations and openly discuss questions.

For Internal Promotions: Addressing the Role Change

Someone who was a colleague yesterday may today bear responsibility for task distribution, development, and performance feedback.

This change deserves a clear conversation. What is changing? What remains? How will decisions be made in the future?

Familiarity makes many aspects easier, but it can also lead to expectations remaining unspoken. For this reason, the internal transition needs conscious support.

Utilizing Strengths from the First Conversation

Strengths-oriented onboarding begins with attention to concrete contributions.

A new manager can jointly with the team explore: Who contributes special skills in which tasks? Which collaborations work well together? Who wants to try something new?

Their own leadership style is also part of this. Those who act quickly should ensure that others are adequately involved. Those who prefer thorough analysis need to have a sense of when a decision is imminent.

Strengths profiles can stimulate reflection. Tasks should be assigned based on competence, interest, capacity, and development goals.

Strengthmaker can support this work with tools like Teamgrid, reflection, peer feedback, and common team goals. This way, insights from the first conversations remain accessible for ongoing collaboration.

How to Recognize a Good Start?

The number of conversations conducted indicates whether something has taken place. Their impact necessitates further clues.

A brief feedback from the team might echo these sentiments:

• I know what my manager expects from me.
• I know what decisions I can make myself.
• My manager is interested in my strengths and contributions.
• I can openly address difficulties.
• We address feedback and agree on next steps.

The responses provide opportunities for discussion. They are not isolated proof of leadership quality. Changes in the team, workload, and differing expectations must be taken into account in such assessments.

A Good Start Requires Support

The new manager actively shapes their start. Their supervisor ensures a clear mandate, support, and regular sparring. HR can structure the process and provide suitable development opportunities.

After 90 days, this process is not finished. However, a common foundation should have been established: People know each other better, expectations have been discussed, and responsibility can be taken in daily operations.

Do you want to support new managers in an strengths-oriented way? Discover how Strengthmaker assists managers and teams in utilizing strengths in their daily collaboration.