Free kit · Leadership and transition
First 90 Days Workbook for New Executive Directors: free 30/60/90 day plan template in Word and PDF
Get through your first three months as executive director without changing things too early or listening too long. The workbook splits the 90 days into four phases – listen, map, connect, set your agenda – with a listening tour, a stakeholder map, a first board chair meeting, a financial health check, a 30/60/90 day plan and a weekly early-warning log.
Word and PDF · 13 pages · For new executive directors
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What is inside
- Listening tour plan and questions. Who to meet in weeks 1 to 8, questions for staff, board members, your predecessor and funders, and the themes you heard.
- Stakeholder map. Each stakeholder rated for influence and interest, with how to work with them and a dated next step.
- First board chair meeting agenda. A 60-minute agenda for your first meeting with the board chair, a second meeting in week 2 and a record of what you agreed.
- Financial health check. Thirteen checks to mark Sound, Watch or Act now with the treasurer, your starting numbers and five questions to ask.
- 30/60/90 day plan. Two or three goals for each phase, four tests for a quick win and the leadership agenda you take to the board.
- Early-warning log. Ten minutes every Friday: seven warning signals, the action that answers each one and a 12-week log.
How to use it
- Weeks 1 to 2: listen before you lead: one-on-ones with every staff member, a conversation with your predecessor and two meetings with the board chair.
- Weeks 3 to 4: map the organization, walk through the finances with the treasurer and meet your top five funders.
- Weeks 5 to 8: meet partners, peers and major donors, and choose quick wins that prove you listened.
- Weeks 9 to 12: set your leadership agenda and present it to the board for alignment, not approval.
- Every Friday: ten minutes on your hours, the warning signals and one action.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word file is fully editable: change the weeks to fit your start date, the people on your listening tour and the questions you ask them.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for executive directors
Leadership Development Plan TemplateA two-page plan: three priorities, 70-20-10 activities and monthly check-ins
One-on-One Meeting and Delegation KitA one-on-one agenda and notes log, a delegation matrix with four levels of authority, a handover sheet and a first-conversation guide
Executive Director Burnout Self-CheckA validated seven-question scale, what the score means, next steps and a team check
With a new role, the plan is rarely where it goes wrong. The isolation is. A coach gives a new executive director somewhere to think out loud, away from the board that hired them and the staff who report to them.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
