So You’ve Got a New Boss
Here’s what to really expect in the first six months — and how to tell if they’re the real deal.
If you’ve ever had a job, you’ve lived through a change in leadership.
Maybe it was your direct manager. Maybe it was someone higher up. Maybe it was the person running the whole thing.
That feeling is always the same, isn’t it? It’s a knot in your stomach. Fear. Concern. A quiet panic about what happens next. All of that is normal.
We get so focused on whether we’ll still have a job that we skip the better question. What’s fair to expect from this new person, and when?
We want answers on Day 1. We want a fully formed vision and a promise that everything will be okay. But that’s not realistic. And it’s not how good leadership works.
There’s a rhythm to it. A timeline. Understanding it helps you manage the fear and know what to look for.
The First 30 Days: Listen and Learn
The first month is all about discovery.
A new leader has one job. Just one. Listen and learn.
They should be in full intake mode. That means lots of one-on-ones, team meetings where they talk less than anyone else, and simple questions that might sound obvious.
“Why do we do it this way?” “What’s the story behind this weekly report?” “What’s getting in your way?”
What shouldn’t you expect? Big changes.
A leader who starts changing things on day one is performing leadership, not doing the work of it.
And your role matters just as much. This is your chance to be a strategic partner. Think of it as Moving Day. You’re the house historian. Show them the load-bearing walls. Point out the ugly paint that isn’t structural.
I’ve seen this movie in newsrooms. A new editor walks in and wants to make their mark. They cancel a long-running column or blow up the story budget meeting. They don’t ask why it exists or who it serves. They just see it as a relic of the old way. The backlash comes fast. They lose the room before they even know where the bathroom is.
The 90-Day Mark: Diagnose and Deliver
Now we’re at the 90-day mark. The first quarter.
This is when listening turns into learning out loud.
By now, a good leader has mapped the landscape. They’ve met the people. They’ve spotted the patterns. They start testing what they’ve learned. You’ll hear their first observations. You’ll see them try small things.
You should also see a few quick wins.
These are the simple, visible fixes that make life easier for the team. They build trust. They show that someone is paying attention.
They say, “I heard you, and I’m here to clear the path.”
At this point, you also start to see who they really are. How they communicate. What they value. How they handle success.
What’s unrealistic? Expecting them to fix the big stuff. They’re still the doctor who has finished the exam. The surgery comes later.
I remember being at a broadcast station with this ancient system that tracked story assets. Everyone hated it. We complained about it for years. A new manager came in and just listened for a while. Six weeks later he said, “I can’t fix the revenue model yet. But I can fix this.” He swapped the system for a cheap, off-the-shelf tool. It probably cost almost nothing. It saved every producer an hour a day. That one move changed everything. It told the team, “I’m here to make your work better.”
The 6-Month Mark: Set the Direction
Six months in, the grace period is over.
This is where it gets real.
By now, a leader’s “why” should be clear. Why are they here? What problem are they meant to solve?
You should expect a strategy. Not a speech. Not a list of slogans. A plan.
This is when you see the hard calls. Teams get restructured. Old projects wind down. New ones start up.
You might not like the direction. That’s a different conversation. But there should be one. Ambiguity is the enemy now.
What’s not realistic is expecting perfection. This isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting gun. The ship should have a destination, and the captain should be steering.
I’ve worked in places where six months in, no one knew the priorities. Was it subscriptions? Was it video? Was it “community engagement”? When everything is a priority, nothing is. The best people leave first. The rest stay and spin in circles.
Now, in my current role building strategy, I’m living this from the other side. I know listening is where it begins. But I also know that at some point you have to make the call. You have to show the map. Without it, everyone is just wandering in the woods.
Giving Everyone Room to Breathe
So when the next new leader walks in, take a breath.
The fear you feel is real. It’s the cost of caring about your work. But you can manage it by setting your expectations.
Don’t judge them on Day 1. Don’t even judge them on Day 30.
Judge them on their questions in the first month. Judge them on their small wins by Day 90. Judge them on their clarity by Day 180.
That timeline gives you something solid to hold onto. It turns change from a threat into a process you can track.
And maybe most importantly, it gives both of you something you need.
Room to breathe.
Because in the end, good leadership isn’t about speed. It’s about sequence.
What’s the best (or worst) leadership transition you’ve ever lived through? Drop it in the comments — the stories we share about change are how we all get better at managing it.
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