Transition Planning – Inspiration from The First 90 Days

Tara Middlebrooks

17 Apr, 2022

Transition Planning – Inspiration from The First 90 Days

“Transitions are also periods of acute vulnerability, because you lack established working relationships and a detailed understanding of your new role.”1

–Michael Watkins   

Transitions. Whether it is entering a new role in the same organization, a promotion to a new rank, or moving to a new organization, military leaders are constantly transitioning roles. But are we spending that transition period (from notification of assignment through the first 90 days) in the most effective way? 

I was first recommended the book, The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins, while in Company Command. I was a few months into an organization unlike any I had ever served in and reached out to a senior officer for help with how to manage the transition. I had never served in a role above a battalion and now I was in command of a 426-soldier company in the Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion. My company included the Battalion Staff, half of the Division Staff, the Battalion’s Forward Support Element (essentially a support company in and of itself), and the Mounted Color Guard—four very distinct groups all requiring a slightly different approach to leadership, different networks of key players, and vastly different missions. The model I had used in preparation for command, based on a more traditional line company and an engineer headquarters company, was not exactly lining up with my new organization—I could not figure out the most effective system to get up to speed fast enough. 

The First 90 Days, while based on a civilian-industry model, is 100% applicable to our transitions in the military. Whether you are moving into a new role (leadership-based or not) or promoting to a new rank, the framework Watkins provides gives a tremendous head start on planning for it. The goal: to achieve your breakeven point, “the point where you provide as much value to the organization as you consume from it,” as quickly and effectively as possible. While the book cites the average time for this is six months, we do not have that kind of time! The framework encourages reaching this point in 90 days. How, you ask? Let’s break it down. 

Transition Traps

First, I think it is helpful to reflect on our own respective approaches to transitions. I know for most, it may involve A LOT of trial and error, with varied success. What works for one transition may not work for the rest—as much as we try to make it that way—which can lead to delays or problems as you adjust to new roles. Can you recall what system worked well in the past? Or more importantly, what roadblocks did you hit when an approach was not quite right?

Second, with those reflections in mind, consider the seven transition traps Watkins identified that most people struggle with2:

  1. Sticking with what you know. Doing the same thing you have always done; you fail to see you may need to stop doing some things and start building new competencies. Sometimes something that brought success in one role may be a liability or be inappropriate to use in another. 
  2. Falling prey to the “action imperative.” You try too much too soon. You force yourself into a position where you are too busy to learn the way you need to, which results in poorly informed decisions that set the organization back instead of propelling it forward. 
  3. Setting unrealistic expectations. Building on the previous trap, you may not have learned the right information at the right time to establish clear, achievable objectives.
  4. Attempting to do too much. You launch too many initiatives at once, then do not gain enough traction on any of them, leaving people and resources to be used inefficiently.
  5. Coming in with “the” answer. You do not include others (who likely know more than you due to their experience in the organization) in decisions; squandering opportunities to develop support in the organization. You approach problems with your mind made up or jump to conclusions prematurely on solutions. 
  6. Engaging in the wrong type of learning. You spend too much time focusing on the “technical” part of the business and fail to take the time to learn the culture and politics of your new role. You do not prioritize building cultural insights, relationships, and information conduits to help you understand what is going on. 
  7. Neglecting horizontal relationships. You prioritize your vertical relationships (bosses and subordinates) and not enough on your horizontal relationships (peers or other valuable stakeholders)

These traps disrupt your momentum. When you fail to learn the right things in the right ways at the right time, you can make bad decisions that damage your credibility or cause others to lose trust in your competence. It is normal for a newbie to be so eager they fall prey to tunnel vision in their new role and lose the forest (the greater system in which they operate) for the trees. With that said, what is the next step in making our transition plan? Understanding a few fundamental principles. 

“Most people fail in new roles for one of two reasons. Either they misunderstand the situation they’re walking into, or they fail to adapt to it.”3

–Michael Watkins

Building Momentum through Fundamental Principles

Watkins provides ten fundamental principles that guide you through development of your 90 day transition approach (if you read the book, each principle is an entire chapter7:

  1. Prepare yourself. 
  2. Accelerate your learning.
  3. Match your strategy to your situation.
  4. Secure early wins.
  5. Negotiate success.
  6. Achieve alignment.
  7. Build your team.
  8. Create coalitions and alliances. 
  9. Keep your balance. 
  10. Accelerate everyone. 

While each principle has incredible value, I would highlight the three that I believe will give you the best kickstart to your planning process:

Prepare yourself.

This means taking a mental break for reflection from your current job and start preparing for the new one…with a few specific considerations. We all know what it is like once we are notified of a new job: excitement, initial contact with a current member of the organization, the initial eager rush to learn as much as you can about the new role and organization. Then the wait happens—you have a few months (or weeks) before you begin and it’s too early to start actioning specific responsibilities, so you dive back into your current job and start your outgoing transition plan. Depending on the operational tempo of the organization you are in, you may struggle to shift from your 25m targets (daily responsibilities) to your 300m (planning for your new job). What is a productive way to spend this time? Here are a few ideas:

Engage your network. 

  • Talk to your (relevant) mentors about your transition—listen to their recommendations on what they know about the type of organization or role. See if they know anyone in the new organization they can introduce you to. 
  • Talk to someone else that has served in this role. What were their responsibilities? What did they find rewarding about the role? What skillsets helped them be successful? What do they recommend talking to the incumbent about? 
  • Talk to the incumbent. What is a typical day like? What do they wish they knew before they started their position? Who are the key positions they regularly interact with? What is the structure of the organization? What is the culture like? What products can they provide you to learn more about the unit? Will they be there for a firm hand off of responsibilities? If not, how will you manage continuity? 

Assess what is expected of you in your current role vs. your next one4. 

  • Is it a promotion? Lateral move? New organization? 
  • Think about how your responsibilities may change. What strengths will carry forward? Will you need to “relearn” anything? What are your vulnerabilities? Where do you anticipate your struggles? 
  • Think about what skillsets may change. Seek resources to help. For example, are you being promoted to a position of increased responsibility and concerned about delegation? Check out the book One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey to work on transitioning from a “doer” to a “manager.” 
  • Think of this time as an investment in your future self—a few dedicated phone calls early on in the transition will help keep you focused on the constant reflection you need to accomplish before you start that new role. You’ll thank yourself later!

Accelerate your learning.

Once you are in the role, learn how to diagnose and plan your own learning needs. Try thinking about this by:

  • Figuring out what you need to learn, then engage your network (in the organization) to create a plan on how. Who are your “go-to” contacts? 
  • Ask questions!5 There is a lot of information out there, but you need to learn to sort through what is most relevant. If you’re trying to understand a problem or a new role, ask not just about what is going on now, but instead:
    • What is the history (past performance, root causes of issues, history of change) of the problem? 
    • What is the situation now (Vision, people, processes, land mines, early wins)?
    • What is the capacity and/or capability of my role, or the organization, and is it enough to solve this problem? Or, should I elevate it? 
    • Where does this problem impact our future and/or what does this role’s future look like (Challenges, opportunities, barriers, resources, culture)? 

Create coalitions and alliances.

While it’s obvious to understand your chain of command (both up and down), success will really rely on your ability to influence outside those in your direct control. After preparing yourself before you arrive, this is arguably the most important step in establishing yourself in an organization and it starts on day one. Start identifying the key players in the organization6:

  • Who are the key enablers of the organization? Who has access to resources? What are their motivators? Keep in mind, these people may not have the “flashiest” or “key leader” jobs, but they may know how to get everything done. 
  • Who has the authority? What is their vision and intent? 
  • Who has influence? Where do they have it? Consider making an “influence map” that represents what circles of responsibility and influence revolve around key players and enablers in the organization. Then ask yourself, where is your influence going to be? Does it overlap with anyone else’s? If so, that is likely a valuable relationship to build. 
  • Who are the experts?
  • Where are the organization’s loyalties?
  • What agendas are currently in motion?

Rarely are people successful in a vacuum all their own. Organizations thrive due to the collaboration and investment of its people. The time and effort you invest in building relationships in an organization will prove to be valuable life-lines in the future. Most importantly, people are at the heart of every organization. Taking care of each other and building alliances that are mutually beneficial will create a solid foundation for all other processes in the organization. 

This is just the beginning. 

For those of you at the start of your career, consider this a starting point for developing good transition habits from the beginning. For those of you who have been through a number of transitions already, add this framework to your tool kit and consider how it can enhance what you are already doing. There is no one size fits all for transitions, but The First 90 Days provides a great foundation to build upon. Finally, for those of you not currently transitioning, but are serving close to those who are, consider how this framework may help them and see where you can best support their experience. Do you see a relationship that needs to start? Do you have tips for problem a new teammate is managing? Reach out and expand their support system—you will both be thankful for it later. 

Additional resources to consider: 

Army Handbook for Leadership Transitions offers a methodology to help leaders transition into a new leadership position as effectively and efficiently as possible. https://usacac.army.mil/sites/default/files/documents/cal/LeadershipTransition.pdf 

One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. When a person goes to the boss with a problem and the boss agrees to do something about it, the monkey is off his back and onto the boss’s. How can managers avoid these leaping monkeys? Here is priceless advice from three famous experts: how managers can meet their own priorities, give back other people’s monkeys, and let them solve their own problems. https://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Manager-Meets-Monkey/dp/0688103804

References

  1. Watkins, Michael. 2003. The First 90 Days. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2.
  2. Ibid., 5-6.
  3. Ibid., 5.
  4. Watkins, Michael. 2003. The First 90 Days. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Ibid., 5.

Tara Middlebrooks is an active-duty Army Strategist serving as an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department at the United States Military Academy at West Point.