I'm starting a new role. As many of you have in the past or likely to do in the future, setting up a 30-60-90 plan may mean the difference between setting yourself up for success or on a meandering path. In fact, the average time it takes leaders to become a net positive to the organization is 6 months. But what if you could accelerate that timeline. Would it set you on a path to internal stardom? Will it set you up as a high performer?
Starting at a new company can feel like this:
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I first came across the concept of the first 90 days from Michael Watkins’ book The First 90 Days where he focused on accelerating leadership transitions. In fact, he shows that the typical leader with 18 years of experience has been:
Promoted 4 times
Joined a new company 3-5 times
Moved between business functions 2 times
Moved between business units in the same company 2 times
Moved geographically an average of a little more than 2 times
In fact, that’s 13.5 major transitions per leader or about one ever year and a half! INSANE how much change is demanded of us as leaders.
Watkins talks about the “breakeven point”. This is the point at which you become a net positive contributor instead of the person that continues to learn from others. In short, you are giving more than you are taking. Remember, we want to accelerate the point at which we breakeven. Instead of 6 months, how about 3 months? Here’s one way of thinking about it.
According to the Watkins Survey “transitions into new roles are the most challenging times in the professional lives of leaders”. In fact, first impressions are critically important. Your decisions, actions, and behaviors will determine whether you are on the right track or the wrong track.
At the bottom of this newsletter you’ll get access to a 30-60-90 day plan I recently used for an interview process.
30 Days: focus on learning
Onboarding and familiarization with company culture, values, goals, and processes
Understanding of the current Revenue Operations landscape and challenges
Introduction to key stakeholders, including sales, marketing, finance, customer success, and product teams
Review of the existing processes and identifying areas for improvement
Setting goals for the first 90 days in alignment with the overall company strategy
When and where possible: achieve quick wins
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. ~Will Rogers
Also, as a RevOps leader at a startup it’s critical you understand the business systems architecture. Here’s a slide from the paid template. What’s on your critical path? Those systems should be your P0s. Prioritization is one of the most important skills a RevOps leader must have. There is only so much money, talent, and time to go around. Your surface area is limited so be judicious on the battles you pick.
Below, in this particular interview process I believed the following capabilities were non-negotiable:
Marketing Automation
CRM
Data (initial data and ability to continually enrich)
Revenue intelligence (the ability to listen to the field and provide real time feedback via enablement and management)
Slide 3/13 from the template
60 Days:
Establishing a detailed Revenue Operations roadmap to achieve the goals set in the first 30 days
Implementing new processes and tools to optimize revenue generation
Collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution of RevOps strategies
Analyzing data and metrics to identify performance gaps and opportunities for improvement
Developing and implementing a training program for team members on new processes and tools
90 Days:
Measuring the impact of the RevOps initiatives implemented in the first 60 days
Continuously optimizing processes and tools to ensure optimal revenue generation
Developing relationships with key stakeholders to ensure alignment and collaboration
Identifying and prioritizing new initiatives to drive growth and improve efficiency
Presenting progress reports to senior leadership and seeking their feedback for further improvement.
A word on Quick Wins
I will be on the lookout for quick wins. Let’s give quick wins a formal definition.
Quick wins are small, achievable and measurable goals that can be accomplished within a short period of time.
These wins are designed to produce fast and tangible results, build momentum, and increase team confidence. They are often prioritized in order to demonstrate progress and success early on in a project or initiative.
I won’t know what these will be until I get into the new company but they’ll likely fall into the following categories:
Improving processes that directly impact revenue or customer satisfaction
Look for redundant fields to eliminate
Reducing costs by streamlining processes or automating tasks
Look for overlapping processes that take too much time. Slash or shrink these processes and give time back to the team.
Implementing tools that increase efficiency and productivity
Establish an intake process for issues from the field
Improving communication and collaboration between teams
Review operating cadences and set agendas for meetings that currently do not (no agendas are a NO-NO!)
A Word on Building Your Learning Plan
The first 30 days are critical to establishing your learning agenda. I’ve seen many a revenue operations team member come in and immediately implement “what they know”. But you’ve just joined a new company, what do you really know? Rather than coming in like a “bull in a china shop” it’s best to establish a learning agenda.
Learn the processes
Learn the systems (as mentioned above)
Meet the people
Learn the priorities
So start figuring out what you want to learn. Ask your manager and peers what you believe you should know to be successful. Don’t take things at face value either. Ask critical questions. I love this graphic from Watkins’ book. It illustrates where I can learn from.
Wish me luck
I start the new job Monday. Wish me luck.
If you’re hiring a new team member…
If you’re also taking on a new role…
If you’ve recently been promoted…
I’d love to hear and learn from you on your own First 90 Days.
Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
1/ If you’re looking to further develop your Revenue Operations knowledge sign up for my courses in partnership with the RevOps Co-Op.
→ Unleashing ROI course. A ten-week virtual, live instruction RevOps course designed to level up your RevOps Impact (R.O.I.). Lessons from my career scaling from $10M to $100M+. Join 50+ alumni. https://www.revopscoop.com/learn/unleashing-roi-course
→ Sales Ops Masterclass. A six-week virtual, live instruction SalesOps course designed to take your sales operations skills to the next level. https://www.revopscoop.com/learn/salesops-masterclass
2/ Promote your Revenue focused startup to a newsletter with over 900 tenacious revenue leaders. My eventual goal is to shift this to a completely free newsletter for my readers through sponsored ads. Reply to this email if you’re interested in receiving a media kit to learn more.
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