90 is a luxury

You no longer have 90 days to transition. In this age of instant gratification and intense competition, waiting for the 90^th day to reach your breakeven point is driving a stake in your career. Back in the days when changes weren’t happening at the rapid pace as today, a 90 – 100 days plan cycle worked. Heck, even I read the book on the First 90 days by Watkins and swore by it. The basic principles are still fantastic, the time period just isn’t!

Look around, almost everyone is in a constant state of transition. Technology is hitting us harder and faster than we ever thought it would. There’s always someone new on the team and the soaring talent gap ain’t going to slow down that pace. You’ve got to play more than just one role. Your KRA’s are expanding beyond control and changing every 90 days. Wait what? You read that right! The new age is propagating setting 90 day goals as opposed to yearly ones. Now how do you fit in a 90 day transition plan into that?

Heard the term ‘hit the ground running?’ There’s just no other way to do it. It’s easier when you are switching companies. You get the time to prepare for the interview to get to know more about the firm. With the information overload on the internet, it would be crazy not to research your company well before your first conversation. Build on that once an offer is rolled out. Ask for frequent calls with your hiring manager and others in the organization if it’s not already planned. Spend a good 30 days before you join so that once you are in, you can cut down the time to 60.

Get to know the org structure, culture and management quirks beforehand. Yes, a lot will be gathered once you are in but with resources such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor available, you have little excuse to not have done your homework. Reach out to people in your network who work for your new organization, speak to them, ask questions and lots of it. This is bound to give you a good kick start.

For those who are moving within the organization, you’ve already got the culture. Now hound the guy whose shoes you will be filling. Watch the way he works, walks and talks. See his faults and plan how to not repeat them. & these are just a few that you can do. You get the gist, right?

90 days to reach your break even point is a luxury one can’t afford anymore. 60 is the new 90! Or is it 45?