Customer Reviews:
 The First 90 Days February 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love "How to" books and this one should be a required part of every onboarding program for professionals and managers. It really lays out a road map for early success on a new job. A great ongoing resource for you or your organization.
If you're not thinking about this material, you should be. January 21, 2008
Like all management books there is fluff that detractors can point to. I bought this before assuming a new job and in a new company. I felt that it helped, and I spent less than twenty bucks. Now, that's a deal.
 A student study December 17, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
As a keen student of new manager behaviour always on the lookout for new ideas, I picked up "The First 90 Days" with great anticipation. Michael Watkins sets out to provide new managers (he calls them "leaders") with a 90 day plan for taking over in a new role. There's lots to recommend this book. There's also lots to question.
In "The First 90 Days", the author stresses the importance of building momentum during the critical transition phase from new manager to successful manager. A 90 day acceleration plan is suggested that includes 10 transition challenges ranging from "promote yourself" through "score early wins", to "expedite everyone". One needs to look further than the title of these challenges as they are often more than what they seem. For example, "promote yourself" has more to do with changing your perspective to fit the new role rather than self-promotion.
I particularly liked some of the practical tips included in this book, such as the "Problem Preferences Assessment" which enables the new manager to quickly select the most appropriate and rewarding problem areas to address. Also a suggestion to write yourself a letter as if you had been in the role for three years describing what others said about your success in the role, is a nice way to set a broad vision for the new manager. Chapter 5 "Negotiate Success", which is all about managing your boss through the 90 day plan, is worth the price of this book alone.
I have three areas of criticism. Firstly, whilst the book has a fantastic array of suggestions, strategies, tips etc, I feel it would take more than 90 days to implement them all, let alone do the work that is required in the role. As such, it would make a great text for students of management, but could overwhelm the new manager looking for some quick or directed advice.
Secondly, although the author stresses otherwise, the book seems more suited to upper level roles than first line supervisors. For example, Chapter 6 "Achieve Alignment", looks at quite a sophisticated process of crafting strategy, assessing coherence, assessing adequacy and modifying strategy.
Finally, I'd like to see more positive case studies to illustrate rather than the "what went wrong" scenarios provided in a number of chapters. Although in real life, we often learn more from our mistakes, in a teaching role (such as this book) it is far more effective for the reader if he or she can see what works and implement this, rather than what doesn't.
I would recommend this book as an excellent text for management students and a resource for management teachers/educators. If you're a reading "The First 90 Days", then go straight to the practical "How to" areas, otherwise your 90 days will be up before you finish reading. (New managers might like to check out What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers OR 50 DOs for Everyday Leadership: Practical Lessons Learned the Hard Way (So You Don't Have To)
Bob Selden, author of What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers
Great for any new job! November 30, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Nothing earth-shattering, but a great book that helps you focus on what you need to do to succeed in your new job -- things to think about, things to do, thinks to be weary of, and thinks not to do. A great guide to motivate you to develop a plan, rather than hapharzadly start your new job.
 Reads like a textbook November 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was unable to finish this book because of how bland and boring it was. I expected to get some good general information about becoming a leader, but it is so specific about moving to a new leadership position from a previous leadership position that little of it was useful. It reminded me of trying to read my old high school textbooks.
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