100-day programme

A new title alone does not explain the expectations. The executive needs a concrete picture of their task and environment in order to make first decisions sensibly. The steps are agreed with superiors and, where applicable, HR, without replacing the confidential coaching conversation.

In the review, progress is compared with the expectations agreed at the outset. This structure makes the programme more than a checklist for the first working day. A new manager can expand their options for action, recognise blind spots and, where needed, correct their initial priorities. The number 100 denotes a concrete onboarding framework; it is not a promise that every leadership task would be completed after exactly this period.

Arbeitsergebnisse: Geklärtes Rollenverständnis und Mandat; Übersicht wichtiger Erwartungen und Beziehungen; Prioritäten für die erste Phase in der neuen Rolle.

The name refers to the starting phase. Scope, dates and the right kind of support are agreed in each individual assignment.

Careful preparation is part of the programme. In the contracting, the question is what result the manager is to deliver in their new role and how their work can be observed. The stakeholder analysis makes influence, resources and dependencies visible. From this, key messages for relevant groups, change goals and initial measures are derived.

The manager also looks at their own strengths, motivators and risks under stress. A position paper can bring this view together. Only then are the concrete stages of the first 100 days developed. This prevents a ready-made checklist from being applied to a role that has entirely different conflicting goals.

During implementation, the manager reflects with the coach on how decisions are received in the environment. On-the-job support can provide further observations. In the review, the results are compared with the contribution expectations agreed at the outset. A good onboarding stage thus creates not only quick visibility, but a more realistic understanding of the organisation and of one’s own room for manoeuvre. The duration and scope of a mandate are agreed to suit the situation.

The position paper has concrete components: key messages for different stakeholders, change goals, immediate measures and monitoring. For the new manager, prioritisation is what matters most. Not every expectation can be met in the first phase. They need to understand which decision creates trust early on, which relationship should be clarified first and which change still needs preparation. The reflection also examines their own stress level and capacity to act. In this way, the first period is not filled with visible but unconnected actions. The programme links tasks, relationships and personal learning in a verifiable sequence.

The importance of stakeholders can change over time. That is why positioning and immediate measures are adjusted in the review if actual expectations turn out differently than initially assumed.

The first steps of a new manager belong in a positioning strategy. This includes the expectations of relevant stakeholders, one’s own key messages, change goals and immediate measures. These elements are not formulated once and then ticked off. The environment reacts to the first decisions; that is why, in coaching, the manager examines whether their assumptions about the task, relationships and priorities were correct. The development of their own competencies is also linked to situations from the new role.

Line managers and, where applicable, HR can support agreed goals and observation points, while personal reflection remains in a confidential space. The end of the onboarding phase brings a reviewed view of the role and the next steps. The term “100 days” describes the onboarding phase, not a fixed duration for every change.