The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels is a book written by Michael D. Watkins that provides guidance for leaders starting new roles, whether they are transitioning into a new job, taking on a new project, or assuming a leadership position within their organization. The book aims to help leaders navigate the challenges of the first three months in their new role and set themselves up for success. Here are five key points from the book:

1. Prepare for the transition: Watkins advises leaders to start planning for their transition well in advance of their first day on the job. This includes identifying key stakeholders, assessing the organizational culture and politics, and setting clear goals and priorities.

2. Build relationships and establish credibility: Watkins emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships with key stakeholders and team members, as well as establishing credibility within the organization. This can be done through...

Ever felt like you were avoiding making a decision? Would rather make no decision, then make the decision? Leaders are constantly making decisions. Decisions around direction, people, risks, financial, etc. Each decision you make back to back increases the risk of making a bad decision. It can quickly reach the point that you’ll actually avoid making decisions once a certain threshold is reached. There are only so many good decisions you can make each day.

Decision fatigue also leads to impulse spending. Self-regulation also suffers during decision fatigue. There’s a reason why you’re more likely to eat unhealthy food or do something else detrimental to your well-being at night.

Have you ever noticed that many powerful and successful people tend to make poor decisions at night? These self-destructive decisions often come after a long day of making important decisions at work.

Use these strategies to avoid decision fatigue and make wise decisions:

1. Make...

I remember the first time I lost my cool as a leader. I actually raised my voice out of frustration to a team member. Was a new leader with tremendous responsibility and managing several critical business issues through my team. Pressure from my leadership and external customers felt overwhelming. My team was having conflict internally and with our customer. When I lost control and actually had an out of body experience seeing myself out of control, I immediately realized it was all avoidable. I had not been prepared or even took on accountability to prepare myself for conflict as a new leader. I had coached others on this topic, but did not internalize it myself. Let me help you not make my mistake.

Strained relationships between employees and executives cause up to 80% of workplace conflict, according to a study by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. As a leader, you play a major role in helping your team to work smoothly together.

Teams usually bring...

Are you about ready to scream at the top of your lungs about team members that are wonderful "push backers"? But it has gotten out of hand. Lets talk.

Unless you’re a low-key despot, chances are that you don’t enjoy telling others what to do or reprimanding them. You probably don’t like being called out yourself and you might even question your right to tell anyone else what they’re doing wrong.

Kudos to you if you feel that way! You have what it takes to be a good leader! It’s the power-mad despots that make for terrible leaders and who eventually tend to come unglued.

But while it’s not a good thing to take pleasure in enforcing your will, it’s also not useful to bury your head and pretend that everyone can just get along nicely. That’s not how the world works, unfortunately.

The truth of the matter is that authority invites challenge. When you place yourself in a position of authority, others will be naturally encouraged to...

Feedback is one of the most valuable things a business leader can give. To underestimate the impact of a leader's process or ability to give feedback is a weakness. Continuous feedback is a minimum expectation in most cultures today. We train and coach on this right up front for Sr Executives and new leaders. Everyone's ability to give feedback can always be improved.

Constructive feedback in the workplace helps us to understand what we’re doing right and where we need to improve. When feedback is positive, it acts as a source of inspiration and motivation.

We get the reassurance of knowing that we’re taking the right steps towards success.

When feedback is negative, it can be worrisome initially, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for growth. Negative feedback, when given effectively, shows us the things that we need to work on in a supportive, and insightful way. It means we can become better at what we do in the long-term.

Learn more about why you might want...

Yes motivation is your job as a leader. Many leaders I have coached, trained, and lead struggle with motivation. We become so focused on getting the work done, we fail to zoom out to see how we are doing the work that is getting done. Is the work sustainable and bringing out the best in the team? 

As a manager, your job will be easier if you know how to motivate your team. Employees who care about their work will be more resilient, innovative, and productive.

However, you may have a long way to go. According to the latest Gallup report, 51% of employees are disengaged in the workplace and 13% are actively disengaged.

The challenge may be even greater when you add in the new demands of remote and hybrid teams. The Harvard Business Review cites a study that found motivation dropped 17% when employees had no choice in shifting to working at home.

What can you do to inspire more positivity, and keep discouragement from spreading?

Try this proven formula for boosting your...

Before we go further. Number one rule I use with my leaders when it comes to humor. If you have to ask if it is appropriate, you have your answer. OK, now that we have that established, we can continue.

What qualities do you look for in a leader? You’d probably expect them to be powerful, charismatic, and decisive. However, you might overlook the value of being funny.

Research shows that humor has many benefits in the workplace, including drawing team members closer together, reducing stress, and increasing productivity.

The truth is most employees need a little cheering up. While the average four-year-old laughs about 300 times a day, they're down to three chuckles by the time they turn 40.

On the other hand, there are limits. You know you’ve gone too far if you make someone cry or you choose Michael Scott for your role model.

Effective leaders know how to use humor to their advantage. Join their ranks by studying these tips for remaining professional while you tap into...