Navigating your first 90 days as a channel leader: key insights from "The First 90 Days"

Stepping into a new role as a leader in partner or channel management is both an exciting and challenging journey. The first 90 days are crucial for setting the tone and trajectory for your tenure. Unfortunately, many new executives, especially those brought in from outside the organization, struggle to succeed in their new roles. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, nearly 70% of transformations fail, often due to misalignment within the team, insufficiently high aspirations, and a lack of adequate support and infrastructure during the transition period. This high failure rate can be attributed to several factors, including a lack of understanding of the company culture, misaligned expectations, and insufficient support during the transition period.

Michael Watkins' book, "The First 90 Days," provides a comprehensive roadmap to accelerate your impact and build a strong foundation for success. Here are some key insights from the book, tailored specifically for channel leaders and executives with significant ecosystem responsibilities.

1. Accelerate your learning

The initial period in a new role should be focused on rapid learning. This involves understanding your organisation, partners, market landscape, and internal dynamics. Engage with various teams and leaders to gather diverse perspectives and insights.

• Quickly understand your organisation, partners, market landscape, and internal dynamics.
• Prioritise learning about key stakeholders, their expectations, and the historical context of your role.
• Engage with various teams and leaders to gather diverse perspectives and insights.
• Consider: Which partners have higher potential than they are currently delivering on?

2. Secure early wins

Early successes are crucial for building credibility and momentum. Identify opportunities that are visible and valuable to your organisation and partners. Collaborate with different departments to achieve these wins, ensuring broad support and alignment.

• Identify opportunities for early successes to build credibility and momentum.
• Focus on wins that are visible and valuable to your organisation and partners.
• Collaborate with different departments to achieve these wins, ensuring broad support and alignment.
• Reflect on: How clear are your partners and in-house execs on each partner's unique strengths and the specific problems they solve best?

3. Negotiate success

Aligning expectations with your boss and other key stakeholders ensures that you have clear goals and the necessary resources. This step is vital for setting a clear direction and obtaining support. Regularly revisit and adjust these expectations as you gain more insights.

• Align expectations with your boss and other key stakeholders to ensure you have clear goals and the necessary resources.
• Regularly revisit and adjust these expectations as you gain more insights.
• Involve senior leaders and team members in setting and refining these goals to ensure buy-in and support.
• Question: How well have your partners embraced self-generated demand versus relying on the momentum of your organisation?

4. Build a coalition

Forming alliances within the organisation and with key partners is essential for supporting your initiatives. Understanding the motivations and concerns of your stakeholders helps foster strong, supportive relationships. Leverage the collective wisdom of your leadership team to drive strategic initiatives.

• Form alliances within the organisation and with key partners to support your initiatives.
• Invest time in understanding the motivations and concerns of your stakeholders to foster strong, supportive relationships.
• Leverage the collective wisdom of your leadership team to drive strategic initiatives.
• Ponder: Do all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the goals and roles within the partner ecosystem?

5. The STARS framework

Assess the situation you’ve inherited using the STARS framework: Start-up, Turnaround, Accelerated growth, Realignment, or Sustaining success. This assessment helps tailor your approach to the specific needs of your role. Since partner/channel leaders are typically brought in for acceleration, focus on scaling successful initiatives, optimising processes, and driving rapid growth.

• Start-up: Building a business or initiative from the ground up, focusing on establishing partnerships and driving initial momentum.
• Turnaround: Reviving a struggling business or initiative by identifying key issues and implementing corrective actions to restore partner confidence and performance.
• Accelerated growth: Rapidly scaling successful initiatives and optimising processes to maximise partner contributions and market impact.
• Realignment: Reorienting a misaligned organisation or initiative to ensure partners and internal teams are strategically aligned and working towards common goals.
• Sustaining success: Maintaining and enhancing an already successful business or initiative by continuously innovating and deepening partner relationships.

Recognise that successful acceleration often requires integrating new ideas and perspectives from a broad range of stakeholders.

6. Match strategy to situation

Tailor your approach based on the specific needs of your role in accelerating growth. Leveraging existing strengths and resources while introducing innovations and improvements can drive performance. Understand that adapting strategies and plans based on collective input can lead to more effective and sustainable growth.

• Tailor your approach based on the specific needs of your role in accelerating growth.
• Leverage existing strengths and resources while introducing innovations and improvements to drive performance.
• Understand that adapting strategies and plans based on collective input can lead to more effective and sustainable growth.
• Consider: What processes and technologies could enhance collaboration and strategic planning with your partners?

The first 90 days in a new role are pivotal for setting the stage for long-term success. By focusing on these key areas and asking critical questions, you can effectively transition into your new role, align with stakeholders, and set the stage for accelerated growth and success in your partner/channel leadership position. Engaging with a wide range of insights and fostering collaboration will be crucial in navigating these initial stages and driving impactful outcomes.

As you move forward, keep these insights in mind to build a solid foundation and drive significant growth within your channel and partner ecosystem. Remember, success in these early days isn't just about quick wins but about laying the groundwork for sustained success. Ensuring you have the right support, strategies, and collaborative efforts in place can significantly increase your chances of thriving in your new role and avoiding the pitfalls that many new executives face.

Sources:

• McKinsey & Company, "Why do most transformations fail?"
• McKinsey & Company, "Why transformations fail: A conversation with Seth Goldstrom"