Rethinking the 90-Day Plan: How to Build a Realistic Onboarding Timeline
Consider:
“Every role, team, and company is different. Your timeline should be too.”
Research by Egon Zehnder with nearly 600 externally hired senior leaders found that almost 60% took six months or more to reach full impact and nearly 20% took over nine months.
A 90-day plan is a useful early framework - but it can also create unrealistic expectations and pressure, anchoring your success to an artificial deadline.
Here’s a better approach: treat your timeline as something to be discovered, not predetermined.
Start with a reality check: How long will it actually take to learn, build relationships, and earn trust?
Make the timeline a shared conversation: Use it to align expectations with your boss, board, or team. Who can help you define what good looks like?
Design for flexibility: Assume things will evolve. How can you account for uncertainty without being vague?
Anchor to outcomes, not days: What decisions do you need to be ready for? What outcomes will show you're gaining traction?
Adapt as you go: How long will it really take to be fully effective in this unique context?
Your Personal Onboarding Success Blueprint
Thought provoking questions in four key areas of onboarding. Take the quiz and plan important next steps.
Every role, team, and company is different. Your timeline should be too.
Want to develop a timeline that’s right for you? Explore advisory options:
