What should you focus on in your first 90 days as an EM?

Question

Accepted Answer

Your first 90 days are about **learning and earning trust, not making sweeping changes**. Listen first; you cannot fix what you do not yet understand.

## A simple 30/60/90

```text
DAYS 1–30   LISTEN
  • 1:1 with every report; ask about their goals, frustrations, history
  • Meet key stakeholders and peers
  • Learn how work flows, how decisions are made, what's painful

DAYS 31–60  DIAGNOSE
  • Identify the top 2–3 real problems (delivery, morale, quality)
  • Quick wins that show you listened (fix one annoying thing)

DAYS 61–90  ACT
  • Propose changes with the team, not at them
  • Set a few clear priorities and expectations
```

## Useful early questions

- "If you could change one thing about how this team works, what would it be?"
- "What should I be careful not to break?"

## Pitfalls

- **Reorganizing on day 5** based on first impressions.
- **Ignoring the prior manager's context** and repeating solved mistakes.

## Why it matters

Trust earned early becomes the capital you spend later on hard changes.

Move too fast and the team reads you as reckless; the change may be right but it will be resisted.

Listening first also surfaces the *real* problems, which are rarely the ones visible in your first week.