Day one went well!
Started the day over coffee with Jack (my boss). Got his perspective on my priorities. I like him.
Then I bought the whole office coffee and bagels, providing a perfect opportunity to casually meet and greet with colleagues. A little overwhelming. No way I will remember everybody’s names.
After breakfast had one-on-one conversations with Faith (direct report – media – just back from Maternity leave), and with the CFO, Chesley. Both good. Both helpful.
We did a new manager assimilation session over lunch. It was appreciated. Tough questions were asked as expected. I didn’t try to spin anything, just told them what I knew and thought.
Spent the afternoon in a couple of supermarkets with one of David’s direct reports on Brand X. While I’d been in stores before (obviously), I wanted to signal the importance of consumer and customer interaction since most consumers buy our products in supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchants and the like. We talked to a couple of people in each store about what they were buying and why.
Reflections
A good day; all about making good and smart, not bad, first impressions. Clearly a critical step in engaging with the team and instilling its confidence in me and my vision. Glad I thought things through in advance and got a head start.
The New Leader’s Journal is a fictional exercise illustrating the prescriptions and tools in the 3rd edition of The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan. Click here to request an executive summary of the book. Click here to pre-order/order a copy.
John Hall
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