Module 2/4 26 min
Days 31–60: the right kind of early win
Step 1 / 2·Four criteria for a good early win
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Learning objectives — after this module you will:
- Choose the right kind of early win
- Avoid work that looks attractive but costs credibility
- Credit the people who helped
Learn ~12 min
Four criteria for a good early win
Choose the first piece of work on criteria, not on impulse.
Choose and avoid
| Choose | Avoid |
|---|---|
| A small, regularly irritating problem nobody has had time to fix | A six-month project needing several departments to agree |
| Something squarely inside the remit you were given | Something in someone else's remit, even if they are slow with it |
| Something with before-and-after data to compare | Something that only 'improves morale' or 'raises awareness' |
| Something your predecessor started that you finish | Something that repudiates your predecessor's whole approach |
Never take work someone else is planning to do
Even if you do it faster and better, what you get is a colleague who feels encroached upon in your first month. That cost outweighs the value of any early win.