You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. But congratulations! You survived the first 90 days.
No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, and no onboarding plan survives the first day on the job. Helmuth von Moltke's Franco-Prussian War insight was that strategy is based on success of the tactics. On my return to full-time marketing, my first campaign inevitably would be to learn what I'd gotten myself into.
Whenever I take a new job the reconnaissance seems to get longer. There are many interviews; in one case the first review panel came only after beers with the team. (Fortunately this did not progress to tacos and tequilas.) As my circle of job coaches grows wider, I also get earfuls of advice before and after I accept the offer.
This time I also was armed with The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins' framework for how to hit the ground running. It struck a few chords—some reminders of jobs past, some warnings of jobs pending.
