Diagnose a new role's situation type using the STARS framework before committing to an action plan.
Leadership & Management
Executive Onboarding and the First 90 Days in a Senior Role
Prepares newly appointed executives to diagnose their situation, build a structured transition plan and secure credible early wins during the first 90 days of a senior role.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A large share of externally hired executives underperform or leave within their first two years, and the pattern behind most of those failures is visible within the opening months: acting before diagnosing the situation, importing solutions from a previous role, or missing the political map of who actually needs to be won over. This course structures the transition using the STARS framework, which distinguishes a start-up situation from a turnaround, realignment or sustaining-success context, because each demands a different pace and style of action. Participants build a stakeholder map and cultural assessment before drafting a learning agenda, then convert that diagnosis into a 30-60-90 day plan that sequences early wins without overcommitting on incomplete information. The course also addresses the relationship management specific to senior transitions: negotiating expectations with a new boss or board, identifying the coalition needed to make change stick, and avoiding the trap of arriving with a fixed action plan before the organisation has been properly read. Participants leave with a personalised transition plan for their own new role and a method for resetting it at the 90-day mark.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Build a stakeholder map that identifies key influencers, sceptics and decision-makers early.
Draft a learning agenda that precedes and informs the executive's action agenda.
Negotiate explicit success criteria and expectations with a new boss or board within the first weeks.
Sequence early wins in a 30-60-90 day plan without overcommitting on incomplete diagnosis.
Build the coalition of support needed to sustain a change beyond the executive's own authority.
Review progress at the 90-day mark and reset the plan based on what the diagnosis missed.
Who Should Attend
Executives newly appointed to a senior leadership role from outside the organisation.
Internal candidates promoted into a significantly larger or different remit.
HR and talent teams designing structured executive onboarding programmes.
Boards and chairs supporting a newly appointed chief executive's transition.
Executive coaches supporting clients through a senior role transition.
Divisional directors taking on a turnaround or realignment mandate.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Diagnosing the Situation Before Acting
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Applying the STARS Framework to the New Role
- Classify the new role as start-up, turnaround, accelerated growth, realignment or sustaining success.
- Match leadership pace and style to the demands of the diagnosed situation type.
- Identify the risk of applying a playbook from a previous role to a differently classified situation.
- Revisit the STARS classification if early evidence contradicts the initial assessment.
Session 2Conducting Stakeholder and Cultural Assessment
- Map key stakeholders by influence and likely support for the executive's anticipated priorities.
- Run a structured listening tour of one-to-one conversations across functions and levels.
- Assess cultural norms around decision-making, hierarchy and risk before proposing changes.
- Identify unspoken rules that a newcomer would otherwise learn only after a costly mistake.
02Building the Transition Plan
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Setting a Learning Agenda Before an Action Agenda
- Draft a learning agenda of specific questions to resolve before committing to major decisions.
- Resist the pressure to demonstrate impact before the diagnosis phase is genuinely complete.
- Separate hypotheses formed from prior experience from evidence gathered in the new role.
- Set a defined point at which the learning agenda converts into a committed action agenda.
Session 2Building the 30-60-90 Day Plan and Early Wins
- Sequence a 30-60-90 day plan that moves from diagnosis to targeted action to broader change.
- Select early wins that are visible, achievable and aligned with the organisation's real priorities.
- Avoid early commitments that constrain options once the fuller diagnosis is complete.
- Communicate the transition plan's logic to the team so early actions are read correctly.
03Building Relationships and Political Capital
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Managing the Relationship with the Boss and the Board
- Negotiate explicit, shared expectations of success with a new boss or board within early weeks.
- Agree how and how often progress will be reported during the transition period.
- Surface disagreements about priorities with the boss early rather than after resources are committed.
- Adjust reporting style to match a new boss's preferred level of detail and involvement.
Session 2Building Coalitions and Identifying Key Influencers
- Identify the coalition of peers and influencers whose support determines whether change sticks.
- Invest relationship-building time in sceptics as well as natural early supporters.
- Use informal influence networks alongside the formal organisation chart to plan engagement.
- Recruit a small number of visible allies before announcing a significant change.
04Sustaining Momentum Beyond Day 90
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Securing Early Wins Without Overcommitting
- Deliver at least one early win that is credible to sceptics, not only to existing supporters.
- Communicate the reasoning behind an early win so it reads as evidence, not as a token gesture.
- Avoid promising outcomes that depend on decisions still outside the executive's control.
- Track which early actions built trust and which were read as premature or symbolic.
Session 2Reviewing Progress and Resetting the Plan
- Run a structured 90-day review against the original diagnosis and stated success criteria.
- Identify assumptions from the initial assessment that later evidence has disproved.
- Reset priorities and stakeholder engagement based on what the first 90 days revealed.
- Plan the next phase of the transition using the same diagnose-before-acting discipline.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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