On the up

/ 01 March 2010

How to keep climbing the career ladder

When you’re appointed to a new leadership role, you’re immediately under pressure to deliver. As the recent focus on President Obama shows, your success or failure as a leader is often judged on your performance during the first 100 days. Ensuring that this initial period goes well will have a major influence on your longer term success.

This book provides insights and practical advice to help guide you to success in your new role during that critical first 100 days. It is structured into sections that assist you prior to your new appointment and at days 0, 30, 60, 90 and 100.

Written by an experienced executive coach, it distills her years of experience working with senior leaders into a practical framework you can put to use.

The main focus of the book is the writing of your 100 day plan, which sets out the main priorities you will have achieved at the end of that period. The plan encompasses ten constituent areas that are centred on you, your leadership role, the organisation and the market.

What do I like about this book? It details the crucial elements a leader in a new role should consider, the advice is thoughtful and practical, it’s written in a conversational tone and it’s a quick read. And there are templates and checklists to keep you on track. In particular, it made me think about areas I would probably have overlooked.

While the aim of the book is to be deliberately concise, occasionally more information would have been helpful. For example, the book simplifies the topic of leadership into three factors a leader should do: set a clear direction, deliver results and bring people with you. I like that – a good framework to help build your plan around, and yet, I was left looking for more detail in these areas.

In leadership and management, being effective early in a new appointment is critical to success. With the practical guidance and useful advice in this book, you can accelerate your performance and effectiveness. As the title of the book suggests – don’t just get promoted, get promoted again.

Reviewed by Tina Kinirons

First 100 Ltd