The First 90 Days as a New Executive: What Most Leaders Get Wrong (And What Actually Works)

You landed the role. The announcement went out. Everyone's watching.

And now, whether you're stepping into the C-suite for the first time or taking the reins at a new organization, the clock is ticking. The pressure to prove yourself is real. The temptation to move fast, make bold changes, and show the board they made the right call is almost irresistible.

But according to two executive search veterans with over 60 combined years of placing executives and C-suite leaders across industries, that instinct to rush in? It's one of the most career-limiting mistakes a new executive can make.

The "Be Quick, But Don't Hurry" Principle

Kurt Mosley, a senior executive recruiter who has spent over three decades building relationships with organizations across the country, points to a deceptively simple framework from legendary basketball coach John Wooden: Be quick, but don't hurry.

"Hurried leaders make rash decisions at the start," Mosley explains. "They rush in before they understand the situation. They try to correct the problem without understanding why the problem was created in the first place. Sometimes they misread culture entirely."

There's a critical difference between urgency and haste. You can move with intention and energy without blowing past the information you haven't gathered yet.

The leaders who stumble earliest are usually the ones who arrive with the answers before they've asked the questions.

What You Should Actually Do First: Listen

Neill Marshall, who has placed over 600 senior executives in his career, shared a tactic from one of the most effective leader transitions he's ever witnessed. A new CEO, stepping into an organization with 242 leaders, didn't call a town hall.

Didn't reorganize the structure.

Didn't announce a new strategic vision.

He scheduled one-on-one conversations with all 242 of them.

And he didn't ask them to come to his office. He went to theirs.

His single opening question: If we're successful in the first 90 days, what have we accomplished?

From those conversations, he distilled 8 to 10 themes that the organization itself identified as the most critical priorities and he led from there.

That's not slow. That's smart. And it builds something no org chart can manufacture: trust.

Culture Is the Multiplier and Most Leaders Underestimate It

Here's the insight most leadership books won't tell you plainly: you can do 10 things right in your first 90 days and one cultural misstep will erase all of it.

"Culture is the multiplier," Mosley says. "The biggest mistake leaders make is not understanding how the culture developed before they try to change it."

Every organization has a history. A reason things work the way they do. A set of unwritten rules that took years to form. Walking in and immediately signaling that you're going to overhaul everything, even if you're right that change is needed, sends a message: I don't respect what came before me.

The leaders who build lasting credibility understand the culture first. They earn the trust of the people who live inside it. And then — once that foundation is solid — they lead change in a way that people actually follow.

The Early Win Formula: Visible, Meaningful, Fixable

So, if you're not supposed to come in swinging, what should you do?

Find something visible, meaningful, and fixable — fast.

Mosley shares the example of a CEO who, on day one, eliminated reserved executive parking spaces. He gave them to employees of the month. He and his leadership team parked at the far end of the lot — and used the walk in as an opportunity to greet the people who kept the organization running.

Cost: zero. Impact: immediate.

"It was something he fixed right away. The board loved it. There were all kinds of kudos on day one," Mosley recalls. "And those small wins build credibility. Don't shoot for the highest limb on the tree on your very first symbolic act."

Marshall adds a simple but powerful framing: "Show people they matter — don't just tell them."

Negotiate Before You Walk In the Door

One of the most overlooked levers a new executive has? Negotiating the conditions of their success before they accept the role.

Marshall is direct: "That's when you have the most power."

If you know going in that there's a structural problem — a team that needs to be restructured, a legacy issue that will require a difficult decision, a resource gap that will otherwise undermine your first year — address it in the offer stage, not after you've started.

One CEO Marshall worked with refused to sign until the board committed to bringing nursing salaries to market rate. He didn't walk into a fight on day 30. He walked in with a mandate.

"Negotiate a timeline," Marshall advises. "Tell them: I'm not coming in to do strategic things in the first 90 days. I want to focus on building trust first."

Boards respect executives who know what they need to succeed — and ask for it.

The Bottom Line

The executives who thrive in new roles share a few things in common: they listen before they act, they find quick wins that signal their values, they respect the culture they've stepped into, and they're honest with their board from day one.

The ones who struggle? 

They confuse activity with progress. 

They over-promise.

They reorganize before they've built a single relationship. 

And they mistake urgency for leadership.

Your first 90 days aren't about proving you were the right hire.

They're about making everyone around you believe they were.

🎧 There’s SO much more! Listen to the Full Episode of Work Unscripted

This article only scratches the surface of what Neil Marshall and Kurt Mosley shared in this conversation. In the full episode, you'll also hear:

• What boards are actually talking about before a search ever goes public and why your reputation is being shaped right now, whether you know it or not

• The mental shortlist executive recruiters build before they make a single call  and how to get on it

• The specific behaviors that make a search consultant champion you over other candidates (and the ones that quietly disqualify you)

• How to stay visible in your market without looking like you're always angling for your next job

• What to do if you're talented and experienced but not getting called for bigger roles

🎙️ Listen to the full episode on the Work Unscripted Podcast, Executive Search Secrets: How Boards, Recruiters, and Decision-Makers Choose Leaders with Neill Marshall and Kurt Mosley.