Summary of Michael D. Watkins's The First 90 Days is a handbook for the executive in transition. It provides lessons and examples for the optimal way to successfully enter a new company, position, or role. Above all, making a strong transition in the first 90 days can be the difference between long-term success in that role and a spiral into failure that can haunt an executive’s reputation wherever he or she may go.

The first 90 days are best when approached as a period of learning and analysis instead of action. For a new executive, early initiatives loom disproportionately large to new bosses, colleagues, and employees. As a result, leaders in transition should use this time to secure early wins, learn about what supports the status quo, and develop a clear idea, together with higher management and employees, of what success will look like in each person’s individual role…