- IMD Business School
News Stories · Organizational Design

IMD Launches The First 90 Days, a new program to help leaders in career transition

The highly interactive program is led by IMD professor and best-selling change management author Michael Watkins
June 2017

IMD has recently launched The First 90 Days, a new program designed to help leaders in career transition get up to speed quickly and find ways to create positive momentum in their new role.

The first 90 days are critical for new leaders to succeed. Whether they are joining a new business or moving up within their company, the early actions leaders take will have a decisive impact on their success or failure. During IMD’s two day program, the First 90 Days guides them in creating a roadmap for navigating through this critical and challenging time.

The program provides a proven framework for accelerating team development and improving organizational performance. Participants will thoroughly assess the situation they have inherited, including the culture of their company and the stakeholder environment. They will define their new direction and plan how to align expectations, reshape teams, create alliances and secure early wins.

Additionally, The First 90 Days program enables participants to:

  • Take      stock of their situation and identify key challenges
  • Align      with their new managers and other key stakeholders
  • Establish      the direction of their organization
  • Assess,      reshape, align and accelerate teams
  • Identify      opportunities to generate momentum

The program is led by Michael Watkins, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of the international bestseller The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Smarter and Faster. His work remains an enduring classic reference for leaders in transition, with over one million copies sold to date.

The First 90 Days is a highly-interactive program that gives participants immediate access to eLearning resources and introductory videos, which provide an outline of the journey ahead. Two weeks before the program begins, participants are given a more detailed overview of the syllabus via an online launch with Program Director Michael Watkins.

During the program, participants will design a plan for their next 90 days and identify ways to deliver results immediately, and leave with a detailed action plan — the Transition Roadmap.

For three months after the program, participants can visit the First 90 Days Resource Portal to review videos and articles, and to share questions and ideas with other executives. This enables them to reinforce the key concepts they have learned, and to assess their progress and adjust their approach by attending a 60-minute reconnect session with the Program Director.

Michael Watkins, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD

“Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.”

Claudie Allaire, Site Director, Teoxane Laboratories 

“The First 90 Days undoubtedly is the most useful leadership program I’ve taken in my professional life. At every key transition of my career, I’ve drawn upon the methods I learned, reflectively and practically. Furthermore, I use the concepts and tools to help every new employee I hire to on-board and integrate successfully.”

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