A new leadership role often brings immediate pressure to make things happen. But lasting impact rarely comes from trying to change too much, too quickly.

Instead, the first 90 days are an opportunity to listen, assess, and establish the foundations for sustainable progress. Here, four experts share practical advice on creating clarity, giving teams greater autonomy, strengthening culture, and staying alert to the external forces that could shape the organisation’s future.

 Establish direction before creating motion

The pressure to prove yourself can make the first 90 days in a leadership role feel like a race to take action. But activity without clear direction rarely creates meaningful momentum, says Dennis Kuipers, founder of Lancestone and author of Breaking Out Of Founders’ Prison.

“Your first responsibility as a leader is to create clarity about where you are going. If that direction isn’t clear to you, your team will compensate with more meetings, more decisions, and more activity, without necessarily making progress.”

Kuipers argues that leaders should use their first weeks to understand the business, define what matters most, and translate that direction into clear priorities, ownership, and decision-making.

“People move faster when they understand what they are trying to achieve, what their role is, and which decisions they can make themselves. That creates momentum without making the leader the centre of every decision.”

The real measure of a successful first 90 days, Kuipers says, is therefore not how much the new leader has personally accomplished, but whether the organisation has become clearer and more capable of moving in the right direction without constant intervention.

Champion your team’s autonomy

 A common instinct for leaders in a new role is to try to take control, but according to Tim Castle, global negotiation coach and author of Magnetic Influence, this can quickly become counterproductive.

“The world is literally demanding more leadership agility, but the command-and-control style is suffocating talent, stifling growth and scale, and will be the downfall of many businesses who just can’t keep up,” argues Castle.

This means resisting the urge to micromanage, which destroys trust and stifles creativity. “By not needing to be validated, and instead allowing your team to be heard, seen, and understood, the emphasis changes to an autonomous culture where ideas can be explored.”

Leadership should regularly champion employees, sharing examples of who identified a problem, took ownership, and persevered through challenges to drive positive change. “Whether in team meetings, company-wide events or gatherings, making space to share these stories signals that initiative is valued as much as results.”

Ultimately, this creates the conditions for momentum to build. “When creativity and risk-taking through agency are encouraged, the stage is set for breakthroughs and scale,” Castle sums up.

Focus on the culture

“One of the most important things a new leader should do early on is pay close attention to the culture,” notes Lesley Cooper, founder of consultancy WorkingWell. “You need to understand how people experience work on a day-to-day basis and what’s getting in the way.”

Psychological safety is an essential part of this. “It means that leaders need to create the right conditions for people to be open without fear of negative consequences,” she says. “When your team doesn’t feel comfortable speaking up, challenging ideas, or raising concerns, they can start holding back, second-guessing themselves, or playing it safe. In turn, you miss valuable perspectives, while new ideas are less likely to emerge, problems take longer to solve, and decisions may not be as effective as they could be.”

The early months are an opportunity for leaders to set the tone for trust and openness. Cooper adds that “when people feel safe and supported, they tend to be more connected to the organisation, more trusting of its leadership, and more motivated to contribute their best work, allowing momentum to grow.”

Spot the market shifts shaping the future

In an era of uncertainty, where technological advances, resource pressures, and geopolitical changes are disrupting established ways of working, Dr Catherine Mulligan, a digital technologies for sustainability and resilience expert and co-author of Digital Sustainability, emphasises that understanding megatrends and looking beyond an organisation’s immediate priorities is crucial.

“Recognising the major forces reshaping their industry, customers, and wider operating environment early can provide leaders with a critical advantage. Those who anticipate and adapt to these long-term transformations will be best positioned to lead in a rapidly evolving world,” she says.

New leaders can use the first 90 days to identify global changes, such as rapid urbanisation, resource scarcity, and geopolitical shifts, that are likely to have the greatest long-term impact, and consider where their organisations may need to adapt. “By understanding these underlying megatrends, leaders can learn to navigate them, harness their power for positive change, and protect against their potential negative impacts,” Mulligan explains.

“Keeping sight of what is changing outside your organisation can give you greater clarity about where to focus internally and build momentum for what comes next,” she concludes.