Executive Careers
The first hundred days in a C-suite role
A new executive has more goodwill and less information than they will ever have again. The first hundred days are about spending the first wisely while building the second.
Nextlevel Editorial Team · 20 October 2026 · 7 min read
There is a familiar pattern in failed senior appointments. A capable leader arrives, sees problems quickly, acts decisively, and discovers six months later that they solved the wrong problem or lost the people they needed to solve the right one.
The first hundred days are not a race to show impact. They are a period in which you build the understanding and relationships that make later impact possible.
Before day one
Use the notice period. Ask for board papers, recent strategy documents and the results of any employee surveys. Arrange informal conversations with your predecessor if appropriate, and with two or three people who will report to you. Arrive with questions, not conclusions.
Days 1 to 30: listen widely
- Meet every direct report one to one and ask what they would do in your position
- Spend time with customers and with front-line staff, not just the leadership team
- Ask each board member what success looks like for you at the end of year one
- Keep a written list of what surprises you; surprises fade quickly
Days 31 to 60: form a view and test it
By now you will have hypotheses about the business. Share them with a small group you trust and invite challenge. This is also the time to identify one or two early, visible improvements that matter to people and that you are confident about. Small wins build credibility for larger decisions later.
Days 61 to 100: commit
Present your priorities to the board and to your team. Be clear about what you will do, what you will stop doing and what you have decided not to change. Make any necessary decisions about your leadership team. Delaying a difficult people decision rarely makes it easier and often costs you the confidence of everyone else.
Goodwill is a currency that loses value every week. Spend it on the decisions that matter most, and explain why.
Watch for the common traps
Importing your previous company's playbook wholesale. Criticising your predecessor in public. Building a team that only agrees with you. Treating the board as an audience rather than a partner. Each of these is easy to avoid when named in advance and surprisingly easy to fall into under pressure.