The New Leader's Paradox: To Act Fast, You Must First Earn the Right
Consider:
“The pressure to act in the first 90 days is real. But a reaction is not a strategy.”
Every leader stepping into a new, high-stakes role faces the same push: do something big, and do it fast.
This push can come from many places, the board, your new team, the organization - but it is also counterweighted by a pull from those who worry about change. That is, while some may expect fast action, others may fear it.
This nuance is not always apparent to new leaders and the pressure to act can outweigh the discipline of bringing folks along. Indeed, in this pressure-filled "first 90 days," the unspoken assumption is that speed equals credibility. To act is to be decisive. And to be methodical is to be slow.
This pressure is systemic. As Rima Alameddine, Worldwide President, Peripheral Intervention at Becton Dickinson (BD), noted in a conversation with me, this pressure is often as internal as it is external. “I wonder if there's any other company that is not asking, pressuring for results soon… but even when a company is more patient, it doesn't mean that the leader is.”
This "action bias" shrouds a new role, creating a cognitive fog that can lead to critical early missteps. We feel compelled to make our mark, to implement a new structure, or to change a product roadmap, often before we understand the situation and have the right political and social capital to make big moves.
But what if this entire framing is wrong?
Based on my research and deep conversations with executives on the Land and Lead Podcast, I’ve found that the most effective leaders manage this pressure by reframing it. They don’t ignore the need for action. Instead, they embed their first moves within a more deliberate process I call “earning the right to act.”
This isn't about inaction. In a high-stakes role, your mere presence is an action—a signal that change is coming. Earning the right to act is about ensuring your first overt actions are strategic, thoughtful, and sustainable, illustrating movement to those pushing and intentionality to those pulling. Across my conversations with leaders like Wade Allen (President, Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill), Larry Cassesa (President, ABICOR BINZEL), Chris Odegard (President, Chief Merchandising Officer, and part owner, Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply), and Rima Alameddine, a clear, three-part framework emerged for how they navigate this paradox.
1. The Diagnostic: Listen Before You Move
The first impulse under pressure is to talk—to present your vision, to give direction. The first act of wisdom, however, is to listen. This isn't passive, meet-and-greet listening. This is active, diagnostic listening. Gathering data, mapping informal networks, and understanding the "why" behind the "what."
Wade Allen described this as a non-negotiable first step. “I took 90 days to listen,” he told me. “I know I have to move quick... but I'm going to listen. I'm just going to hear the team.”
This diagnostic period is critical for avoiding the "revolving door" syndrome. As Wade discovered by asking about his predecessors, the most common failure was that "they pretend to know our brand before they actually get to know our brand. And they just start making moves."
That, for Wade, was the "red flag." His listening tour was his first strategic act. It was a clear signal that his tenure would be different—based on evidence, not ego.
This sentiment was echoed by Larry Cassesa. “You really have to take time to learn, understand, [and] focus on that before you start implementing and making changes.” For Larry, this learning extended beyond the team to the market position and customer base, allowing him to see the full system before intervening in it.
This period of deep listening is the foundation of your right to act. It provides the data you need to ensure your first move is the right one, not just a fast one.
2. The Currency: Build Trust Through Presence and Humility
Listening builds understanding. That understanding is the raw material you use to forge the single most important currency of leadership: trust. Without it, you have no right to act. Any change you try to implement will be met with friction, resistance, or, worse, superficial compliance—particularly by those who don’t feel brought along. Larry Cassesa put this starkly. As an "agent of change," he said, “there are plenty of times where you’re seen as the enemy… So there’s a lot of things you have to do to at least earn their trust and respect.”
How is this trust earned? Through relentless presence, consistency, and a willingness to be human. Chris Odegard framed this as a constant, active process. “You’re constantly building trust through all your actions, or you’re not,” he explained. For him, the key wasn't infallibility—it was accountability.
“Having the humility to just admit your mistake and own it and learn and grow from it… That’s the most important thing. They want you to succeed, they just don't want you to succeed at their expense. They want to be able to succeed with you.”
This is a sophisticated insight. Trust isn't built by having all the answers; it's built by demonstrating that you are a credible and reliable partner who has their team's best interests at heart.
Other leaders, like Rima Alameddine, follow a different order of operations. She grants trust from day one. “If you’re part of my team…you have my trust from minute zero,” she stated. “Don’t break it.” This is a powerful move that immediately establishes a high-trust, high-accountability culture.
Whether trust is earned or granted from the start, the maxim holds: Trust is the non-negotiable prerequisite for meaningful change.
3. The Output: Reframe Quick Wins as Strategic Signals
This brings us back to the "quick win." Leaders who have earned the right to act treat quick wins differently. They aren't random acts of speed to appease stakeholders. Instead, quick wins are redefined as strategic signals.
A strategic quick win is an action, born from listening and enabled by trust, that signals three things:
"I have listened, and I understand what matters."
"I have the competence to solve a real problem."
"This small win is a down payment on the larger, long-term change we will do together."
Rima Alameddine captured this duality perfectly. "You really need to focus on... maybe there are quick wins that build credibility or that allow you also to lay the foundation for the long term.”
Wade Allen’s approach was identical. His 90 days of listening were punctuated by finding "little wins along the way." This, he said, “built credibility with the existing team… and it also built credibility with the two CEOs.” These weren't "big behemoth... visceral moves" but strategic, thoughtful acts that demonstrated competence and built momentum.
This is the key. Your first moves shouldn't be about rocking the organization; they should be about settling it, demonstrating that a capable, empathetic, and strategic leader is now at the helm—one folks want to follow.
The Deliberate First Stride
The pressure to act in the first 90 days is real. But a reaction is not a strategy.
The most successful C-suite leaders I've studied and advised understand this distinction. They resist the push of frantic activity, acknowledge the pull from folks who need a guide, and balance these to create a deliberate, sequential process of earning their mandate.
They move from Listening (the diagnostic) to Trust (the currency) to Strategic Wins (the output).
This process isn't about being slow. Rather, it’s about being effective. It's how you ensure your leadership doesn't just make a quick splash but creates a lasting, positive impact. It’s the critical difference between a high-impact tenure and becoming another statistic in the leadership revolving door.
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