The First 100 Days at the Top: A Strategic Onboarding Plan for an Externally Hired CEO

Andrew Stahl
1 day ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 hour ago

Meeting with people in suits reviewing contracts at a wooden table. Papers, pens, and documents are scattered. Focused, professional mood.

So, you just hired a CEO, someone who is completely new to the company. You want them to achieve early wins, build stakeholder trust, and integrate into your company culture. What can you do to support those goals?

This article offers recommendations for the new CEO’s early wins.

Promote Clarity and Alignment

Your new CEO will only be successful if they understand the company’s goals. It may be helpful to provide a document that clearly states metrics, such as:

KPIs like revenue, cash flow, customer acquisition and retention, employee satisfaction, and innovation.
Tasks- Although CEOs should have an idea of their tasks beforehand, running through basic to-dos can be helpful. These can include a cadence for work meetings, a communication plan, and project management.
Decision Criteria: The new CEO should understand how decisions are made, what criteria are considered, and all the processes involved.

This type of clarity breeds decisiveness, a trait that makes CEOs 12 times more likely to be high performers. Develop this document with other executive stakeholders for the best results.

Customer Facing Wins

A change in the executive staff may cause anxiety among customers and clients. Will they receive reliable service? How will the changeover impact their relations with your business?

There are various things a CEO can do in the early days to allay these fears. For example, they may:

Arrange Customer Calls and Visits: The CEO may want to call customers and clients or even visit them at their locations (depending on the nature of the business), to discuss arrangements moving forward. Hopefully, they can reassure them that any changes that occur will be for the better.
Go Public: Establishing a public presence can also help. Consider creating social media posts and website articles that introduce the new CEO, explain their values, and outline how they plan to improve the company.
Get Press: While self-generated publicity is always good, you can add credibility with third-party press. See if you can get media outlets to interview the new CEO or publish press releases about what their new leadership brings to the company.

Matriculate with the Company Culture

Four people collaborate around a white table with laptops, tablets, and notes. Focused discussion in an office setting; graph visible on paper.

Customers won’t be the only ones concerned about how a new CEO will impact the company. Employees and board members may also experience anxiety. It is up to the CEO to assure everyone that their jobs are secure and that the company culture will be upheld.

Here are some useful strategies:

Meet with Employees: Hold meetings with workers to gather their feedback. Find out what needs improvement at the company. Show them you acknowledge their concerns and are dedicated to improving things.
Establish an Operating System: An operating system likely already exists at the company. If not, create an effective one that makes employees feel involved and heard. If a system is in place, determine if it can be improved.
If It Ain’t Broke…: Generally, this is the best attitude to take when joining a new business. Stakeholders may get anxious with a lot of change. Rather than coming in with an attitude of ‘fixing everything,’ determine what really needs improvement and leave the rest alone.

Play for the Win with Actionable Insights

Building strong relationships is recommended, but the best thing an executive can do in the first 100 days as a CEO is to demonstrate how they plan to improve the business. They should create an updated business plan that includes:

Issues the Company Needs to Focus On: Identify areas that could use improvement, whether in R&D, revenue, or customer service.
Demonstrate Actionable Insights: Explain how you will support improvement in these areas, offering a clear, actionable, and doable plan. Include details on why your plan will work.
Use Metrics: Increase transparency by including the gains you expect to see and how they will be measured.
Offer Updates: After 100 days, you should be closer to reaching your goals. Provide ongoing updates to build trust and transparency, and to ensure you are an asset to your organization.

Stahl Recruiting Can Help You Find a CEO That Fits Your Business Needs

If you want to hire a CEO who will make a great impression in their first 100 days, you need to hire smart. Stahl Recruiting can help.

We have years of experience with executive talent acquisition for the rail industry. Our team can assist with the talent search, hiring, and CEO onboarding, ensuring a seamless process. Our honesty, integrity, and strong ethical standards support smart hiring decisions.

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