The NXT Big Thing - Vol. 1, No. 3 - July, 2006 - (Page 3)

First Hundred Days: Transitioning A New Managing Partner It may not be fair, but it's true: Your first few months as Managing Partner the time when you are just starting to grasp the totality of your new job may well turn out to be the most crucial in setting the stage for a tenure that hopefully should last for years. In spite of how well your peers might claim to know you, during those first few months, your formal decisions, informal behavior, and symbolic acts will be closely scrutinized. Everything you do and say will send messages, set tone, establish expectations, and communicate direction about what is of priority to you. While these first 100 days represent a unique window of opportunity, they also hold the potential of your being easily misunderstood. How quickly you move may have your peers categorizing your management style as either rash, purposeful, or indecisive. Whom you consult with, on your first decisions, will feed the notion that you're inclusive, authoritarian, or even playing favorites. People may rush to label you as fair or arbitrary; a visionary or a cautious bureaucrat. Some may even be looking to test your authority. Your initial decisions will shape perceptions of you that may last for years. In addition, the breakneck speed at which everything moves today will allow you little time to ease into your new role. A new managing partner always signals a feeling that change is in the air. The incumbent is often eager to tackle the most obvious and fixable problems. And, a sizable percentage of partners expect new firm leaders to make changes. So how can you, as a new leader, best take advantage of the change-friendly if not change- demanding climate? The findings of my ongoing managing partner surveys combined with my working knowledge of how 3 First Hundred Days: Transitioning A New Managing Partner - Patrick J. McKenna

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The NXT Big Thing - Vol. 1, No. 3 - July, 2006

The NXT Big Thing - Vol. 1, No. 3 - July, 2006