Your First 90 Days as Head of HR

Your first 90 days in a new company is the integration period. It is therefore vital for you and the company that it goes well. 

During this period:

• You need to learn as much as possible about the company and organization, its processes, the role that you have there,
• You need to set up a strategic plan for the future of the company.
• You need to discover what is expected of you: have frequent conversations with the CEO and other executives to determine what they expect of you.

• Develop your credibility early
• Get to know the business.
• Know how the company makes money
• Know how the company operates (from various points of view)
• Have direct experience with the product
• Be in contact with key persons
• Learn to know your direct reports
• Review any employee surveys, if any
• Set up your priorities strategically
• Have a great team

The culture of a company is the norms and values that are developed, including behavior, language used by the staff, the daily business processes. Culture is, therefore, a set of practices already anchored in the habits of the organization. So, as a newcomer in the company, not thinking, acting, adapting to this culture can lead to a disconnect with the other staff. This disconnect can result in misguided decision-making that can frustrate more than one and create a disagreement. 

It is misadvised to content yourself with knowing just the organization and relegating the knowledge of the people to the background. Your isolation can be fatal. It can reduce your chances of establishing strong relationships with others, and of getting valuable information about the operation of the business. 

To prove your worth and to impress everyone else, you could become presumptuous and pretentious. You may think you can solve the crucial problems of the organization by yourself. This is not true and others can ressent it. 

As a new director, you will probably inherit an old team that does not suit you. It would be a shame to keep such a team that won’t make you succeed. Most of the time, some new leaders are intimidated by the seniority or opinion that team members may have of them. If a team seems unsuitable, avoid keeping it. As a new leader, adjust things.