The First 100 Days on the Job

A recent study says 35 percent of new managers either quit or are fired within 18 months. The reason is probably because they bypass critical steps at the beginning of their tenure—steps that will set them up for long-term success.

For CIOs, in particular, there is a temptation to start burrowing down into the IT infrastructure and root out inefficiencies. But doing that ignores an important reality: Perceptions about a new executive are formed within the first 100 days on the job, and once they calcify, they’re difficult to change.

That’s why a new CIO—whether promoted from within or new to the company—should do the following four things to set the tone.