Your First 30 Days

What to Do (and Definitely Not Do) in Your First 30 Days

You made it through your first week. You’ve met the staff. You’ve done the empathy tour. People are cautiously optimistic that you’re not the axe-wielding destroyer they feared.

But now the clock starts ticking.

For your first 30 days, you need to get your arms around the org, build trust, and not accidentally make things worse.

The Hippocratic Oath of Interim Leadership:

First, Do No Harm.

Your instinct may be to fix everything right now. But here’s the truth: moving fast just to show you’re “doing something” often causes more damage than doing nothing at all.

What TO Do in Your First 30 Days:

✅ Listen like it’s your job. (Because it is.) Keep doing 1:1s, small group meetings, and open-door drop-ins. You're still in intake mode.

✅ Map the landmines. Get clarity on finances, programs, and politics — what’s sensitive, what’s salvageable, what’s toxic.

✅ Ask dumb questions. You’re still the “new guy” — use that cover while you can. It disarms defensiveness and surfaces hidden problems.

✅ Meet the power players. Get time with board chairs, key donors, funders, and partners. Ask how they see the organization’s strengths and challenges.

✅ Communicate frequently and transparently. Let people know what you’re learning, what’s still unclear, and what’s coming next — even if the answer is “I don’t know yet.”

✅ Score some quick wins. Fix a nagging workflow issue. Approve something staff have been waiting on. Show you're responsive and paying attention.

What NOT to Do in Your First 30 Days:

🚫 Don’t make structural changes yet. Resist the urge to reorganize departments, rewrite job descriptions, or “streamline” everything before you understand how it works.

🚫 Don’t start a rebrand or strategy refresh. You don’t need a shiny new vision. You need stability. Save the big ideas for month two or three.

🚫 Don’t fire anyone unless absolutely necessary. Yes, even if they’re underperforming. You need context, not chaos. (Caveat: toxic behavior is a different story — document and address it.)

🚫 Don’t overpromise. Don’t commit to things just to make people like you. That “yes” could backfire spectacularly later.

🚫 Don’t try to be the hero. You’re not here to save the organization. You’re here to steady it. Hero complexes usually end in burnout (yours or everyone else’s).

The Goal of Month One:

Stabilize. Understand. Build trust. Avoid landmines. Create a sense of calm.

That’s it. That’s the work.

By day 30, people should feel like the adrenaline is fading, the ship is slowly turning, and someone competent is at the wheel.

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