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First Week as a Senior Manager

Erin220·Jun 29, 2021

Posted in:Senior Career Advice Favors Management and Leadership

What are some tips on what to focus on as a Senior Manager on your first week? I’m thinking about developing a 30-60-90 day plan, but don’t know where to start. Thanks!

TheGoalGuru·Jun 30, 2021

In my experience, a 30-60-90 plan is a always a great way to start a new role!Where you start really depends on the role and the company. Are you new to this company or moving up into a senior role for the first time? Do you have direct reports? If so how many? Answers to these questions will help you identify the most important outcomes of the next 90 days - acclimating to a new company culture, identifying goals and paths for your new reports, etc.I LOVE 90-day planning (you might be able to tell) and run a seasonal workshop that teaches people how to create them and my summer one is happening next week. It’s two 45-minute sessions- the first to create your vision of success and the second to break down how to get there. You could either attend Thursday and Friday over a lunch break (1pm edt) or do both sessions on Saturday afternoon (1&3pm edt).The registration link it below if it sounds like something you might be interested in!https://meaghanwagner.com/#design-your-summer

emilyleathers·Jul 01, 2021

@erin220 Are you joining the company/organization as a brand new employee, moving elsewhere within your current org, or stepping into a more senior role in your current reporting chain? There are some great first-week things to do no matter what, but also some that might change based on how familiar you are with your reports, company strategy, and current org situation+projects.

Rickie146·Jul 01, 2021

Moving elsewhere within my current organizational. Lateral move (I was a Sr. Manager). No direct reports. I’m very familiar with the company strategy, vision and Operations, although some stakeholders at this role will be new.

emilybond·Aug 16, 2021

Congrats on your new role, @erin220.In my experience, your first week should focus primarily on learning and listening. Eg.Who are your critical stakeholders? What do those stakeholders expect (boss, peers, direct reports)? What gets noticed and rewarded? What am I here specifically to do? What challenges do my stakeholders face? You might consider developing a vision for yourself as a leader - how will people describe working with you? your impact? etc. This can act as a north star in the early days.I break down 90 days plans into Learning Goals, Performance Goals and Legacy GoalsEach goal has actions associated with it.A learning goal is focused on what you are able to do or demonstrate upon completion of learning. Ask yourself “What knowledge or skills do I need to learn to be competent in this role?”A performance goal is what you work to achieve. They are typically measured by a metric or output. Ask yourself “What progress do I hope to make as it relates to my purpose and impact? How will I measure this progress?”A legacy goal is about you as a leader. With whom do you build relationships? How? What do you want others to see and feel? How will your leadership be remembered?Hope this helps.The FIrst 90 Days as suggested is a great resource. I have also compiled some great articles and tools here: https://www.emilybondinc.com/the-first-100