Does anyone have a playbook for the first 90 days as a Director of IT? Do's and don'ts are welcome.


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Director of IT in Software, 201 - 500 employees
First congrats on the promotion. No specific playbook that I can share but I can say since you have been promoted someone saw a potential in you and things that you can perform that role, so start by trusting your skills and abilities a little bit more :)
It’s important to have clear expectations from whoever you report to on what they expect you to do at the role/position. If these are not clear I would suggest you schedule a meeting and ask directly what are the success criteria, what are you goals for first 90 days, first 6 months and one year. If you don’t know what the expectations are its hard to meet them.
To be more specific, it depends on many factors, like have you been promoted in the same department or promoted to run different department. I am assuming you were manager before, is the team the same or new? Will you be managing more teams etc. Based on that info more specific advice can be given.
CIO in Healthcare and Biotech, 201 - 500 employees
In the first 90 days I listen, watch and learn. If there are any quick wins or major issues that need resolving I would also jump on those to get them completed. Whilst I am listening and learning I am planning at the same time. This allows me at the end of the 90 days to share what my thoughts are with the team and start to take action.
There is no one playbook though as it depends on the company and its position. A start up may not have the time luxury or a large company that has major compliance issues also may not have time on their side but a company that is looking to grow and move may have the time to plan. This is where listening to the business changes coming are crucial.
CIO in Education, 201 - 500 employees
Don’t set amazing-yet-unsustainable expectations. Establish a good cadence.

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