W07 - The First 90 Days

I recently read The First 90 Days and want to discuss a few points that resonated with me.

It all comes down to adaptability.The author's research shows that, on average, a professional manager experiences a transition every 1.3 years. Each transition can be categorized into five situations, called STARS. Failures in role transitions often stem from either misunderstanding the fundamental demands of the situation or lacking the skills and flexibility to adapt. Most people have a "problem preference": they like solving problems they are good at and avoid their weaknesses. If you try to replicate success in a new role solely by repeating what worked in your previous role, you are refusing to change. All the principles and strategies in the book ultimately aim to increase adaptability.

Structured, multidimensional learning.The fundamental purpose of learning here is to gain "actionable insights." Insight means seeing the new environment clearly enough to judge easily what you should and should not do, enabling earlier optimal decisions and quickly reaching breakeven. Every transition requires adjustments to the learning structure; focusing on the wrong type of learning accelerates transition failure. For example, concentrating only on the technical aspects of the business without developing the cultural understanding, relationships, and information channels necessary to grasp the current situation.

The necessity of politics and culture.What is culture? Culture = underlying assumptions + behavioral patterns. It is a coherent set of patterns for communicating, thinking, and acting, grounded in shared assumptions and values. What is politics? Sun Yat-sen said, "Politics is the handling of public affairs." The biggest lesson I took from this book is to recognize the objective inevitability of political environments and cultural patterns—they are essential subjects for training adaptability.

Finally, I saw reviews saying the book is poorly structured and never provides an exact 90-day plan. I think that for VUCA-type problems you can have methodologies, but there will not be an SOP. If you wait for someone to spoon-feed you a plan, you may end up hearing, "Da Lang, it's time to take your medicine!".