22 Feb Jennifer Recommends
With the number of lay-offs and reorganizations underway this quarter, you may find yourself heading a different organization altogether. There’s no better time to pick up Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels.
If you’re especially pressed for time, cut right to Chapter 3 which focuses on matching your strategy to the situation. He spells out, in no uncertain terms, what he sees as the best strategy for each of four key phases of an organization: start-up, turnaround, realignment, and sustaining success.
Where I think the going gets interesting (although Watkins doesn’t delve into it much), are situations in which key constituencies see the situation differently and each has ample evidence to back up their opinions.
Watkins also warns against the key tactical errors that everyone has made at some time or another, such as focusing so much on achieving wins that thrill your team that you neglect to get wins that matter to your boss. This is the subject matter that some people dismiss as “politics” but in truth, balancing the needs of multiple constituencies with differing demands is essential to good leadership.
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