50% of transitions in leadership positions fail. Ouch.

No, it was not a typo: half of all transitions in leadership positions fail within 18 months. The reason for this is almost as cruel as the stats: executives don’t meet the expectations created when they were hired or promoted. But is this an unavoidable sentence?

Too many companies just don’t calculate the impact of transitions in the business, people and organizational culture. According to a global research conducted by HBR with executives experiencing transitions, only 50% of the companies work on the strategic alignment between leaderships, teams, and stakeholders. If we consider culture assimilation, only 29% have some type of plan.

Have you seen this scene before? The executive is very well prepared technically-wise but has no idea of how to navigate the company politically, how to influence the culture in a positive way, how to build relationships, take decisions, achieve results. Consider that extra detail – the pressure to generate value in the shortest possible time – and the article title is explained.

But consider the best side of this story: what have the other 50% of executives been doing so right? What can you do to make your own transition a positive experience?

1. Create a shared view of the business

According to McKinsey’s research, executives in career transition have a hard time in getting organizational buy-in and a real alignment with stakeholders. This is a simpler mission when: One, the executive deeply understands the segment, strategy, and operation; Two, the executive develops relationships and coalitions with those who can help spread the new vision.

2. Define short, medium, and long-term deliveries

It seems obvious, but sometimes executive and company are not on the same page when it comes to the position’s priorities. If this is the case, the leader will support the team for months in projects that don’t generate the value expected by the organization. Define your possible quick-wins and try to differentiate important projects from projects that can wait a little more.

3. Take the time to get to know your team

An in-depth assessment is essential to generate confidence and to create a high-performance team. Knowing each one individually, you can understand who adds to the company, who needs development in some points and who doesn’t contribute as expected. Eliminate as much bias as possible: try daily interactions to build your own perception. Also, complement your diagnosis after considering opinions from other interfaces and the HR department. 

4. Immerse yourself in the company’s culture

According to McKinsey’s research, executives consider culture the most difficult point to assimilate in the transition process. It makes sense, considering that a good deal of the organizational culture can’t be found in reports. The culture is simply experienced though mindsets, non-explicit behaviors, and unconscious social patters. The challenge for the new leader is to seek a balance between adapting and proposing the necessary changes.

Understanding each of those needs is the first step towards an efficient and trauma-free transition project. Build your own plan and don’t worry about being definitive. Just be open to whatever needs arise. Question as much as necessary, revisit your priorities, adjust the communication. And welcome to the happy side of the statistics.