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  • The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded

  • Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
  • Written by: Michael Watkins
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (136 ratings)

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The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded

Written by: Michael Watkins
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's Summary

The world’s most trusted guide for leaders in transition.

Transitions are a critical time for leaders. In fact, most agree that moving into a new role is the biggest challenge a manager will face. While transitions offer a chance to start fresh and make needed changes in an organization, they also place leaders in a position of acute vulnerability. Missteps made during the crucial first three months in a new role can jeopardize or even derail your success.

In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions - no matter where you are in your career. Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations, also addresses today’s increasingly demanding professional landscape, where managers face not only more frequent transitions but also steeper expectations once they step into their new jobs.

By walking you through every aspect of the transition scenario, Watkins identifies the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter and provides the tools and strategies you need to avoid them. You’ll learn how to secure critical early wins, an important first step in establishing yourself in your new role. Each chapter also includes checklists, practical tools, and self-assessments to help you assimilate key lessons and apply them to your own situation.

Whether you’re starting a new job, being promoted from within, embarking on an overseas assignment, or being tapped as CEO, how you manage your transition will determine whether you succeed or fail. Use this book as your trusted guide.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2013 Michael Watkins (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

What listeners say about The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mainly for Senior Managers

Most of the advise in this book is mainly/only applicable for people at fairly senior levels in an organization. The author frequently assumes that you will have people directly reporting to you, and often an assumes that your direct reports will have direct reports. There is also the assumption that you will have the role power to make changes to process and strategic decisions within your organization.

If the above applies to you, this book may be helpful. If you are more junior (as I am) their isn't much helpful advise in this book.

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3 people found this helpful

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very useful

easy to read
understandable
useful
applicable to nowadays
strait to use
make light for the underestimated part of business

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Should get a more dynamic narrator

It was hard for me to stay focus at some points as I find the narrator was drab.

Content is good. But missed a lot because I struggled to stay focus.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Bookmark needs more editing features

- Playback speed
- Don’t make the audio start all over every time you move the range

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Great learning experience

Very good insight. Liked seeing it formalized. Would recommend it if you just took on a new rôle regardless of level

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    2 out of 5 stars
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I can’t stay awake to judge this content

The reader is so droll that is impossible to get through this material. Audible should not have this author read his own material. It sounds like a 1950’s newsreel.

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A must read book

Perfect audio allocution. Book is a must read for transition strategy and better understanding of why people succeed where others dont.

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Maximizing any work transition

lots of tactical information to make any career transition easier. I like how the book talked about identifying quick wins, key influencers within an organization, and team development.



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Great book, audiobook even better for previous readers

While this is a fantastic read, I found it a bit tougher to be 100% grasping at ALL the concepts the book provides through an audio recording. While perhaps 80% effective as an audiobook, I would’ve liked the chart comparisons and examples more on-paper. As is the case with many professional reads, certain concepts become obtuse, relying on a fair amount of organizational behavior language, coupled with an incredibly professional/academic tone/angle the book is known for. I would still recommend this audiobook to all, although readers of the printed book might benefit the most.

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The perfect companion book when in transition

Lots of great insights and work sheets. Opened my eyes to a number of mistakes that I made in the past and taught me how to avoid them in my current transition. A book to come back to on a regular basis as you grow in your career.

Loved it

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  • Vipul Gautam
  • 2016-03-25

Missing access to tables and charts

The audible version does not provide me access to the multitude of charts and tables that the author talks about. Those are the core of any action one can take after listening to this book. Amazon should atleast provide a PDF with those tables and charts.

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139 people found this helpful

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  • Leo
  • 2016-02-16

Very practical book

This is a very practical book, filled with tools that can be put to practice the moment you're done with it. The examples that it presents are very useful in tiying up all the theory it adresses.

I've read reviews that complain the audio book makes reference to graphs and charts not available in the audio format. Though this is true, they can be downloaded as PDF in audible.com

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48 people found this helpful

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  • R. Lewis
  • 2013-12-14

Excellent Content, But....

Where does The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great book if you are looking to move up in your career following a new position. Beware though, that it makes many references to the charts, tables, graphs, lists, and figures contained within the actual book. Unfortunately, the audiobook does not come with these images which I felt were extremely important to the application of the book. It would be great if a pdf was provided which contained these items, but instead, I had to go out and buy the physical book as well. If you can find your way around this issue, it is well worth it. It does a good job of creating a visible plan for you to follow to ensure your success and upward mobility within a company. Don't wait until after you get the job to get this book though. I wish I would have read it before I even got the position to be able to go in with a legitimate plan and purpose. Instead I got it six weeks after I started which still helped tremendously.

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48 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Andrea Williams
  • 2015-04-07

Good book, but may need paper version

Contains a lot of great ideas, but makes many references to worksheets or visual information that is not available in audio format.

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31 people found this helpful

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  • Tony
  • 2017-06-19

Great book to accelerate transitions(PDF Included)

Would you consider the audio edition of The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded to be better than the print version?

The audio edition is excellent. I listened to it in the car though, and wanted to take notes while I listened. Lots of valuable information. I might listen again and jot down notes and look at the graphs more intently.

What other book might you compare The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded to and why?

The Power of Habit, Good to Create, Built to Last. All similar self-help / increase productivity at work / increase ability to transition books.

Any additional comments?

Great audio book. Now comes with the PDF of charts and worksheets, you might have to visit the audible.com site and look at your book library. For me the PDF is in plain sight. Very useful.

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  • Bradford Smith
  • 2019-10-21

Full of “Yeah sure” obvious fluff

If “Be sure you have a transition plan and development coaching plan in place to set the foundation for early discussions” is helpful, you’ll love this book. The Effective Manager book which I read just before this one was so, so much better. Full of non-obvious actionable advice like, “Evidence shows that you will be most effective in delivering results and retaining top talent if you have 30 min 1-1s each week where directs talk first.” And so much more. None of that found in The First 90 Days. Narrator had a great voice though.

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8 people found this helpful

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  • Keepin it real
  • 2016-03-01

No charts or tables in the audio version

They are referenced quite a bit, but aren't available. And, the audiobook costs more than the printed version.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • sunrise
  • 2015-04-20

Good stuff...

I found this read to be a hard read but the information worth putting up with the dry reading. It was very informative and helped me see where I could have improved in previous employment. I would recommend this book to a friend.

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  • J.
  • 2015-02-04

Good Content/ Dull Narrator

The content was good, and the way the tables were read in this audio flowed well with the entire reading of the book. The narrator's voice was a bit dull/boring and didn't seem to fluctuate very much.

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  • PC
  • 2013-12-03

Not worth the time`

I am genuinely struck by the content of this book, as it tries to codify all the procedures that one needs to take in order to soft land into a new organization.

Let's assume you are a newcomer to a school in a new neighborhood. The book tells you to go make good friends with peers, build relationship with teacher, and if there's someone who tries to bully you, you need to make allies to help you through the hardships.

I bet one can actually make a gigantic flow chart out of this book, as it has endless list of
- if A do X
- if B do Y
- if C do Z
and so on..

Granted human interaction is difficult to learn through book, I wonder how senior managers, the intended audience of this book, would have managed to reach their current level had they not known these simple rules and guidance upon joining an organization fresh out of school.

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4 people found this helpful

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