When most people step into a new leadership role, they feel pressure to prove themselves immediately.
The board wants results.
The team wants direction.
Stakeholders want answers.
The temptation is to move fast, make changes, and demonstrate value right away.
According to leadership experts Neill Marshall and Kurt Mosley, that instinct is often exactly what causes leaders to fail.
In this week’s episode of The Route to Success, Marshall and Mosley shared lessons gathered from decades of executive search work and more than 10,000 executive interviews. Their research focused on one critical question:
What separates leaders who succeed during their first 90 days from those who struggle?
The answer surprised me.
It is not intelligence.
It is not experience.
It is not even vision.
It is the ability to listen, understand culture, and earn trust before making major changes.
The good news is that these are skills every leader can develop.
The Biggest Leadership Mistake: Misreading Culture
One of the most powerful insights from the conversation was simple:
Leaders rarely fail because they are incapable.
They fail because they misread culture.
Many leaders enter a new organization and immediately start fixing problems. They restructure teams, change processes, and launch new initiatives.
On paper, their decisions make sense.
The problem is they often do not understand why things exist the way they do.
Every organization has formal systems and informal systems. There are relationships, traditions, histories, and unwritten rules that shape how work gets done.
Ignoring those realities can destroy trust quickly.
Conduct a Listening Tour:
Before making major decisions, schedule conversations with team members across the organization.
Ask questions such as:
• What is working well right now?
• What frustrates you most?
• What should never change?
• If we are successful in one year, what will be different?
Write down recurring themes.
When the same issue appears repeatedly, pay attention.
Patterns reveal priorities.
Move Quickly to Learn, Slowly to Decide
Marshall and Mosley shared a principle borrowed from legendary basketball coach John Wooden:
“Be quick, but don’t hurry.”
Many leaders confuse movement with progress.
They rush to solve problems before fully understanding them.
Instead, great leaders move quickly to gather information and deliberately when making decisions.
That distinction matters.
You can spend your first few weeks meeting people, observing operations, reviewing data, and asking questions.
That is productive action.
What you want to avoid is making major organizational changes before understanding the consequences.
The 30-Day Observation List:
Create a running document titled:
“What I’m Seeing”
As you observe challenges, opportunities, and concerns, write them down.
Do not immediately solve them.
At the end of 30 days, review the list and identify:
• Which issues appear most frequently
• Which issues affect the most people
• Which issues can be solved quickly
This helps separate symptoms from root causes.
Trust Is Built Through Small Actions
One of my favorite stories involved a hospital CEO named Richard Parks.
When he started his new role, he temporarily moved into the hospital while his family prepared for relocation.
One evening he mentioned that the resident physicians’ mattresses were uncomfortable.
The next day he secured approval, rented trucks, drove to Costco, and replaced them.
No committee.
No announcement.
No strategic initiative.
Just action.
The result was immediate.
Employees saw a leader who listened and acted.
The lesson was not about mattresses.
It was about trust.
Trust grows when people believe their concerns matter.
Find One Small Win:
During your first month, identify one issue that:
• Matters to employees
• Is easy to solve
• Demonstrates responsiveness
Examples might include:
• Improving office equipment
• Updating outdated software
• Adjusting meeting schedules
• Fixing communication bottlenecks
Small wins create credibility.
Credibility creates momentum.
Visibility Matters More Than Most Leaders Realize
People are always watching leaders.
Not just during meetings.
Everywhere.
Marshall shared a story about a CEO who arrived at work, parked his car, and quietly picked up trash in the parking lot before entering the building.
He never mentioned it.
He never turned it into a lesson.
Yet employees noticed.
Soon people were arriving early to make sure the grounds were clean before he got there.
The CEO did not change behavior through speeches.
He changed behavior through example.
Walk Slowly:
Many leaders rush through hallways, moving from meeting to meeting.
Slow down.
Spend ten minutes each day walking through your organization.
Ask questions.
Say hello.
Observe.
Listen.
Presence builds trust faster than emails.
The Power of Going to Them
Another leadership lesson that stood out involved a CEO who met with 242 leaders during his first 90 days.
The remarkable part was not the number of meetings.
It was where they occurred.
He met people in their offices.
Not his.
That small decision changed the dynamic.
By entering their space, he communicated respect and curiosity.
He removed barriers and encouraged open conversation.
Reverse the Meeting:
For your next five one-on-one meetings, go to the other person’s workspace instead of inviting them to yours.
Notice what you learn.
Notice what changes in the conversation.
People often share more when they feel comfortable.
Set Expectations Before Problems Arise
Boards and stakeholders naturally want results.
The challenge is balancing urgency with patience.
Mosley explained that effective leaders often establish expectations before they begin making changes.
They communicate:
“My first 90 days will focus on learning, relationship building, and understanding culture.”
This helps reduce pressure while creating space for better decisions.
Create a First 90-Day Statement:
Write a short paragraph explaining:
• What you will focus on
• What success will look like
• Why listening comes first
Share it with stakeholders early.
Clear expectations reduce misunderstandings later.
Take Snapshots Along the Way
One of the most practical concepts discussed was the idea of taking organizational “snapshots.”
A snapshot captures where things are today.
The purpose is simple.
People forget.
Six months later, teams often lose sight of how far they have come.
When leaders document starting conditions, they create a clear baseline for measuring progress.
Create a Leadership Snapshot:
During your first month, document:
• Employee turnover
• Key performance indicators
• Financial metrics
• Team morale observations
• Major challenges
Review these every quarter.
Progress becomes easier to see when you know where you started.
Leadership Is About Earning the Right to Lead
The strongest takeaway from this conversation was also the simplest.
The first 90 days are not about proving you are the smartest person in the room.
They are not about demonstrating expertise.
They are not about showing everyone how much you know.
They are about proving that you understand the organization.
Trust comes before transformation.
Listening comes before strategy.
Relationships come before results.
The leaders who succeed are rarely the loudest.
They are the ones who ask thoughtful questions, pay attention to small details, follow through on commitments, and earn credibility one conversation at a time.
Whether you are a CEO, executive director, manager, consultant, business owner, or team leader, the lesson is the same:
Slow down long enough to understand before you try to change.
When people trust that you understand them, they will often follow you anywhere.
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