How the Smartest CEOs Start

The hardest part of a CEO transition is finding the right balance between listening and learning versus acting. How fast is too fast? How slow is too slow?

Do you come in and take immediate action to make things better and have an impact? Or do you keep your powder dry while you move around the organization listening, engaging, and learning?

I have had these conversations with every CEO I have worked with, often several times over and again:

Should I take my time and learn the organization?

Yes.

But if I move too slowly, do I run the risk of the board getting rid of me?

Yes.

Do people need to feel the impact of a new CEO?

Yes.

But do I run the risk of losing people because I move too fast?

Yes.

So, what should I do — be patient or go fast?

… Yes!

The hard truth is that it is impossible to answer the final question definitively. There is no answer that is always right, all of the time. Unfortunately, the CEO role is full of paradoxes, contradictions, and judgment calls — especially when you’re in transition.

The decision about how fast to go — and what to focus on — will be heavily influenced by the organizational context you face. Sometimes, the situation will dictate that you can’t wait — for example, in the context of a turnaround or when joining an organization in crisis. In other scenarios, it will pay to slow down or scale back your actions.

But from my privileged position of sitting alongside CEOs in transition (and not being one of them), it is easy to answer the question about how fast to move. The answer is, of course, you should act as fast as you can, once you have learned what you need to learn to make good decisions.

Some general principles can help you navigate this complex and high-stakes balancing act in your CEO journey. Not all will apply to you, but they should help you understand the scenarios where you can slow down while still showcasing your intentions as a new CEO — and situations where you have no choice but to go big or go home.