The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded

Michael D. Watkins's wealth of experience, coupled with his extensive body of work, has significantly contributed to his ideas presented in The First 90 Days. His journey through academia and consulting, paired with his dedication to understanding leadership transitions, has laid the foundation for this work. Originally from Canada, Watkins began his academic journey by studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Later, he studied Business and Law at Western University. He completed his education with a Ph.D. in Decision Sciences from Harvard University. Through his multifaceted career as a teacher, writer, and thinker, Watkins has made an impact on the fields of leadership, negotiation, and organizational change. He refers to his own experience throughout the book, adhering to the rhetorical category of “ethos” which aims to demonstrate the speaker or writer’s authority. The First 90 Days represents the culmination of Watkins's practical experiences and research.

The fusion of his academic background with real-world consulting enabled him to test his ideas, ensuring that they were not just theoretically sound but also effective in practical situations. By observing leaders grappling with transition challenges in various industries, Watkins was able to enhance his framework, making it adaptable to a wide array of scenarios and providing a comprehensive approach. This underpins the action-oriented narrative methodology of The First 90 Days, as well as his authoritative and often didactic narrative voice. After conducting research and making observations in both academic and management contexts, Watkins recognized that while there were plenty of resources about leadership and change, there was a clear gap when it came to a comprehensive guide tailored specifically for dealing with the challenges of leadership transitions. His identification of this gap through academia and consulting lays the foundation for his specific focus on “the first 90 days” of a leadership role.

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter is one of his most prominent contributions to the field of leadership. This book serves as a comprehensive manual designed for leaders dealing with the challenges of transitioning into new roles and delivers pragmatic strategies and valuable perspectives. Watkins’s pragmatism characterizes the book’s content and tone; he writes in a clear and simple way and uses real-world examples and experiences to emphasize the realistic nature of his advice.