I just accepted a Director of Product role at a new company after 6 years at my previous employer. I want a strategic 90-day plan to build trust quickly, understand the business, deliver early wins, and avoid the classic new leader mistakes.
Plan for: Create a 90-Day Plan for Starting a New Leadership Role
Coming in too hot: Making sweeping process changes before fully understanding why the current processes exist.
Commit to a 'no major changes' rule for the first 30 days. Focus entirely on listening and documenting.
Misalignment with Sales and Customer Success, which is fatal in a B2B Enterprise environment.
Prioritize relationships with GTM leaders immediately. Attend their meetings and listen to their biggest customer complaints without being defensive.
Getting bogged down in tactical execution (Jira tickets) and failing to set the strategic direction expected of a Director.
Time-block 20% of your week specifically for strategic thinking and empower your PMs to handle day-to-day execution.
Ready to make this plan yours?