Charmain Bogue
The Executive Transition Framework
Charmain Bogue | Washington, D.C.
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Why Transitions Fail More Often Than They Should Most leaders are promoted based on what they've done, not on whether they're ready for what comes next The skills that made someone excellent at one level are often the wrong skills for the next The transition gap is real, and preparation for it is rare
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The First 30 Days: Listen Before You Decide Resist the pressure to prove you're in charge by making early moves Map the stakeholders, the history, and the informal power structure Find out what people have been waiting for that they couldn't say before
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Days 31 to 90: Build Understanding, Not Just Relationships Relationships matter; understanding the work matters more Learn how decisions actually get made vs. how the org chart says they do Identify the two or three things that need to change and why
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The Day-91 Shift Nobody Plans For The grace period ends; the team shifts from "new person" to "my leader" Commitments made in months one to three will be tested now Leaders still in listening mode past day 90 signal uncertainty, not thoughtfulness
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What to Communicate and When Before day 30: your process, not your conclusions Around day 60: your early read and what you're prioritizing By day 90: your direction on the two or three things that matter most
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Managing Up During the Transition Your board or supervisor is watching too, with their own set of expectations Calibrate with them on what success looks like at 30, 60, and 90 days Surface concerns early; don't save bad news for the quarterly review
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Where Transitions Most Often Go Wrong Moving too fast on changes without enough stakeholder understanding Making the transition about demonstrating competence rather than building trust Not recognizing that the culture will test the new leader before it accepts them
What would success look like at the end of year one? If your answer and the board's answer differ significantly, that gap is the first thing to close.
Charmain Bogue | Washington, D.C. | charmainconsulting.com