Time for some radical transparency.
I'm in the midst of this right now. Tomorrow is my 30-day milestone at Cisco Meraki. It's been an awesome first four weeks, and I'm really looking forward to what's next. (Shameless pitch - we're hiring, too!)
The size of the company and team adds a layer of complexity here, but in general, this is your best chance to really focus on learning your customer, product, and market here. It's hard to go back and do this again, especially in growth mode, so don't throw this away! Also, don't limit yourself to 90 days. I like framing this as a "First 100 Days." It sounds more presidential and breaks you out of the calendar a bit.
First 4 weeks: Product, Team and Market
- Learn everything you can about the product, what's in flight, and what competitors are doing overall
- Read research, talk to sales, get demo-ready if you can
- Exit mindset: "I understand what we do, and for whom, and how we're doing it today."
Mid-term 4-5 weeks: Customers and Message
- Now you're getting into it. Meet with as many customers and prospects as possible
- Build your point of view on the message, the gaps, and what needs fixing
- Data, data, data. Now that you have context on the business, the numbers will make more sense
- Exit mindset: "I believe I know what we should do next, and what the big problems are."
Closing 4 weeks: Start your Execution
- By now, you've got a sense of problems and plan
- Dig in and start doing. Pick priorities carefully, and line them up with near-term company objectives
- Ideally, have 1 early win under your belt, and 2-3 more on the horizon
- Exit mindset: "Follow me - here's where we're going to go, and how we're going to get there.
Finally, don't lose sight of key wins you can deliver. These are great ways to contribute, build trust, and start working towards that bigger impact. Starting in Month 2, can you:
- Get a "big topic" on the blog
- Contribute an article to PR for publication at a third party
- Speak on a webinar or customer event
- Refresh the EBC/Exec deck
- Fix a broken or inefficient process
- Update an unloved or overlooked part of your site