Employees are experiencing change fatigue and burnout, in addition to a sustained frustration with not feeling as though they are listened to or valued by their organizations. Retention rates are declining while turnover rates continue to rise. At the same time, leaders are faced with the complexities of the pandemic, supply chain challenges, new ways of working, and pressures to make progress on DEI. The pressure on leaders to execute and deliver results has arguably never been greater.
For new leaders, the pressure and scrutiny are even greater. The board, leadership team, employees, shareholders – they all are at once excited and anxious about the impact a new leader will have on the organization, the bottom line, and what the change in leadership means for them as individuals.
More than ever, the first 90 days are crucial for a new leader. How a leader shows up and how a leader leads in their first 90 days can build a foundation for success or create a hole that will be difficult to climb out of.
For more than 40 years, we have partnered with leaders to help them excel in their first 90 days – and beyond. Our process enables new leaders to accelerate results by balancing strategy and execution, building trust, and aligning the leadership team and organization.
Our process includes a series of one-on-one meetings and workshops with the new leader and the leadership team to identify current realities both internal and external to the organization, barriers to alignment, and opportunities. Each meeting and workshop is designed to foster communication, increase engagement, increase trust, drive better decision-making, improve operating discipline, promote individual leadership development, build the capabilities of high-performing teams, and create alignment.
| Days |
Focus Area |
Objectives |
| 1–30 |
Learning and Analysis |
- Understand company culture and values
- Meet with key stakeholders
- Review current processes and performance metrics |
| 31–60 |
Strategy Development |
- Identify areas for improvement
- Develop action plans for quick wins
- Begin implementing changes in collaboration with the team |
| 61–90 |
Execution and Review |
- Monitor the impact of implemented changes
- Gather feedback from team members
- Adjust strategies as needed and plan for long-term goals |
Our process drives results. It is agile and uses strategic thinking to align on a common vision, objectives, strategic imperatives, long-term strategies, short-term initiatives, and the metrics needed to drive and track performance. The outcome is an actionable three-year strategy.
Let’s take the example of a new leader at a global manufacturing company. We partnered with him to develop a strategy, align the senior leadership team, and drive the team to higher performance. Because of the accelerated impact and results he realized, he recommended that the organization’s new CEO engage ZRG.
Shortly after I joined the company, I engaged ZRG to work with me to develop a strategy to execution framework, align the senior leadership team, and drive the team to higher performance. I was so impressed by the ZRG process and impact that when the company brought in a new CEO, I went to him and recommended that he engage ZRG to accelerate his transition into the organization.
Given the progress we have made over the past year, by bringing in ZRG at the time of his transition, the new CEO accelerated his learning about the team and the organization and to drive change more quickly.
Over the past year, ZRG has worked with the CEO and the leadership team to push the business forward and change how we work together. Through the work we have done with ZRG, we have been able to move from a hub and spoke model to a team-based approach to leadership and enabled engagement.
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