The leader's compass when joining a company

What should be your first steps principles when joining a new company in a leadership role? What should you focus on? How should you seek to be impactful? An attempt to summarize my experience.

I have recently joined a small yet well-recognized company, in a role of an Interim CTO, to help them make sense of digital product development. Let's say that historically there are a few blank spaces in the value creation equation. In spite of strong business vision the company could not sort out its value delivery and was drowning in frustration of the crew that led to personal conflicts. Quite typical, nothing unusual, definitely nothing to be ashamed of, and a lot to be proud of! So I found myself in my comfort zone.

I realized I had enough comfort and space to consciously focus on how I am going to lead. I always aspired to such conscious approach, but as many, never could fully implement it ;) There was a thought in the back of my mind: "Finally I got my chance!". In parallel, there was also a debt in my mind, debt towards myself, a debt that I got myself into during the last time I was playing a role of an IT Director. Let's just say, I could have done a few things differently back then. When I was looking for my next engagement I was determined to step into the management role again, because I thought about myself that I never felt more ready to play the role of IT Director again.

So I joined with a strong need to use the opportunity to learn. It is a small company and much less complex than enterprises I used to work with in the past. After a few days of the initial observations, listening and orientation I asked myself about cardinal principles I would follow as a base in my role. 

The leader's compass when joining a company:

1. Click with people, gain their hearts. 
   Remember that the initial credit of trust, a.k.a. riding on a free fuel, will end in a few months. Similarly, your unique perspective, so different and thus so valuable, because coming from outside of an organization will evaporate. Use the time wisely to proof in action that you are a trustworthy person.
   
   
2. Build a map of a landscape of the organization in your mind.
   Listen more than talk. Ask the right questions. Observe. Seek patterns and anti-patterns. 
   
   
3. Identify your allias
   There are teams and individuals in the organization who were waiting your arrival as dessert awaits rain, suppressing hopes for their ideas to be implemented and their will to contribute to be understood, appreciated, and encouraged. Usually, these people are among the most valuable people in the organization. You cannot afford to lose them.
   
   
4. Share your initial observations frequently. 
   Your initial observations as as fresh and as refreshing as spring vegetables, or oranges during winter (I live in Poland atm). Feeding your observations back to the organization serves as a mirror, causes a reflection and at the same time lets your colleagues to get to know you.
   
   
5. Help individuals get to know yourself. Introduce your personal style by revealing what you value and what mindset you are driven by. This is far more important than jumping into action immediately.
   
   
6. Share your plans frequently. Don't let uncertainty to slip in and disperse the initial energy and credit of trust. People need direction.
   
   
7. Set expectations by setting a timeframe. When I joined everyone was expecting a significant change. As we know the change lasts in time and cannot be pushed. Yet timeframe matters. By sharing timeframe of how you envisage your first weeks and months lets your colleagues align their plans and expectations.
   
   
8. Hold the pressure to conform to the existing ways of how we do things here (culture).
   You are a hope to change the existing culture. Otherwise, you are most probably a hiring mistake. You were hired for a reason and in the leadership positions this reason is more than tackling with the operational issues. It is usually about introducing a systemic change. Mature organizations understand that, and definitely mature hiring managers understand that. Make sure to communicate your need to assess "how we do things here" and consciously click into the existing one or your votum separatum to the existing culture.  
   
   
9. Select your first battles carefully. Not every battle is worth fighting. Perform consequence analysis. There certainly exist issues to be worked on yet in your first steps people expect a look forward not a look backwards.  
   
   
10. Avoid manual interventions.
    Treat the current state of how things work as a legacy. This is the lagging world. Do not waste your effort on trying to change the old habits and thinking - sometimes its better to let them die out. I prefer to focus on strategic themes first. The leading question is "how will we work together" (new culture)?
    Still there is value in interventions. Do not hesitate to intervene when you spot an intervention that would make it easier for everyone to understand what you value and where your thinking is rooted.
    
    
11. Be inclusive. Invite people to co-create the NEW. 
    Do I need to say anything about it?
    
    
12. Find a mentor or a coach. Or both. Depending on your situation you may need a domain advice or help in making sense of the reality.
    
    
13. Join peer communities. CIOs / CTOs.
    Leverage knowledge exchange.
     
14. Remember a few quotes
1. If you want to go fast - go alone, if you need to reach far, go together" a.k.a. The Leader's Dilemma
2. Build leaders not followers (David Marquet)
3. Build a system that is independent from yourself (David Marquet)
   
   
15. Focus. Use a systemic approach. Now, finally!, you are set up to act! There is always more to do than it is possible to handle. You need to use your time wisely. What will you focus on? How will you seek the biggest impact? Where will you look for smells? How will you improve? 
    Personally I am a big fan of The Douglas Talbot's Creating Extraordinary Organizations and the Organizational Engineering Model.

Good luck, share your experience with me!