The First 100 Days in Government

Your First 100 Days: Starting Strong as a New Leader in Government

As a new leader in government, you face an exciting yet daunting set of challenges: taking charge of a new organization; norming and forming your team; developing a substantive agenda and generating momentum behind it; figuring out how to get things done in government; and managing the tyranny of your inbox.

Getting off to a strong start in your first 100 days is crucial.  It can make or break your success in office. First impressions do matter, and you will be in the spotlight the moment you walk through the door.  Your first months in office will establish your credibility and reputation for getting things done – or not.  If you get off to a rocky start, it can make achieving successes later much more difficult.  During this period, it is important to establish priorities and develop key relationships with other leaders in the White House, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), other agencies, and on Capitol Hill.  This time also offers a unique and invaluable opportunity to mobilize your organization around a common vision and journey.  You need to capitalize on your "honeymoon" period when the organization is particularly open to your ideas and direction.  Meanwhile, time is of the essence: the average tenure of a political appointee is only 18 months.

Read entire piece in attached PDF.