Acme Co · People & Development

Your First 90 Days at Acme

A structured plan for new employees and new managers. The first 90 days are not about proving yourself — they are about learning fast enough to contribute with confidence. Use this guide to stay oriented and build momentum.

Week 1 · Everyone

Week 1 Conversation Starters

The most valuable thing you can do in week one is ask good questions. These prompts work for any role — use them with your manager, teammates, and cross-functional partners in the first five days.

With your manager

Questions "What does a great first 30 days look like to you — what would make you say 'that was a strong start'?"

"What's the one thing about this team or company that took you longest to figure out — that you wish someone had told you sooner?"

"How do you prefer to give feedback? Weekly, in the moment, or a mix?"

With teammates

Questions "What are you working on right now that you're most excited about?"

"Is there anything the team has tried and moved away from that I should know about before I suggest it?"

"Who else at Acme should I talk to in my first month who you think I'd learn a lot from?"

With cross-functional partners

Questions "What does my team do well from your perspective — and where do you wish we were stronger?"

"What's the best way to work with you? How do you like to receive requests or collaborate on projects?"
  • Take notes in a running doc — you will reference these conversations later
  • Don't optimize for impressing people in week one; optimize for listening
  • Say "I don't know yet" freely — it's expected and respected in week one
  • Get all system access, logins, and tool setup done by end of day 3
Days 1–30

Learn the System

Your job in month one is to become a fast, accurate learner — not a fast producer. Resist the urge to ship before you understand context.

  • Complete all compliance and security training by day 5
  • Read the last 3 months of team meeting notes, decision logs, or Slack archives
  • Shadow at least 3 cross-functional meetings (product sync, design review, standup) as a listener
  • Map your team's key stakeholders: who are they, what do they own, what do they care about?
  • Understand how your team ships: branching strategy, review process, deploy pipeline
  • Identify the one person on each adjacent team who is your go-to contact
  • Set up your 30/60/90 expectations explicitly with your manager by day 10
  • Complete your first assigned task — however small — with high quality and on time
30-day check-in agenda "I wanted to share what I've learned so far and check in on whether I'm prioritizing the right things. Here's what I understand about how the team works... [summary]. Here's what I'm still unclear on... [gaps]. Does this match your read?"
Days 31–60

Deliver Your First Win

By day 60 you should have shipped something meaningful — not a big project, but something that demonstrates your judgment, not just your execution.

  • Identify one high-value, well-scoped contribution you can own end-to-end
  • Ship it: complete, tested, documented, communicated to stakeholders
  • Write a brief post-mortem or retro note — what went well, what you'd do differently
  • Attend and contribute (not just listen) in at least one planning or strategy meeting
  • Give one piece of written peer feedback without being asked
  • Identify a potential mentor — someone 1–2 levels above you whose work you respect
  • Start a running "wins doc" — a private list of things you ship, for review season
Days 61–90

Establish Your Reputation

By day 90, your team should have a clear mental model of what you're great at and what you're working on. Reputation is built from a pattern of behavior — not one big moment.

  • Have shipped multiple items; at least one was proactively proposed by you, not assigned
  • You are the first point of contact for something specific — a system, a feature area, a skill
  • You've given feedback in a code review, design crit, or spec review that improved someone's work
  • Reached out to your potential mentor and had a first conversation about your goals
  • Updated your manager on your career goals and how you want to grow at Acme
  • Completed your 90-day check-in: documented what you accomplished, what you learned, and what your next 90 days look like
90-day check-in framework Share a one-page doc with: (1) What I shipped, (2) What I learned about the team and company, (3) Where I add most value, (4) My goals for the next quarter, (5) One thing I need from you to be more effective.
Days 1–30

Listen Before You Lead

The most common mistake new managers make is changing things before they understand them. Month one is a listening tour. Earn trust by demonstrating curiosity, not authority.

  • Schedule 1-on-1s with every direct report in week one — no agenda, just listening
  • Ask each report: "What's working well on this team? What would you change if you could?"
  • Ask each report: "What does a great manager do for you? What does a bad one do?"
  • Read through existing performance reviews and growth notes for each report (if accessible)
  • Map all cross-functional dependencies: who does your team serve, and who serves your team?
  • Understand the team's current commitments and delivery risks before making any changes
  • Do not reorganize, change processes, or make personnel decisions in month one
1-on-1 listening tour script "I'm not here to tell you what I'm going to change. I'm here to understand what's already working, what's not, and what you need from me. I'll listen a lot and talk a little this month."
Days 31–60

Set Expectations and Remove Blockers

By month two, your team should know how you work, what you expect, and that you are effective at removing obstacles — the core value of a manager.

  • Publish your "working with me" doc: how you prefer to communicate, give feedback, and make decisions
  • Establish a regular 1-on-1 cadence with each report — weekly or bi-weekly, never cancel
  • Remove at least one meaningful blocker for a team member (a process, a dependency, a decision)
  • Identify your highest performer and have an explicit conversation about their growth goals
  • Identify any performance concerns early — do not wait for review season
  • Understand the promotion criteria for each report's current level; know who is close
  • Deliver your first piece of structured feedback to each report — specific, behavioral, actionable
Days 61–90

Build Trust and Establish Your Management Style

By day 90, your team should feel like they have a manager — not a placeholder. You should have formed real views about the team's strengths, risks, and what it needs to grow.

  • Complete 90-day check-in with your own manager: what you've learned, your read on the team, your priorities
  • Have a career development conversation with every direct report — where do they want to go?
  • Identify your top retention risk; take a concrete action to address it
  • Shipped a meaningful team win — a project, an improvement, a resolved risk — that you can attribute to the team
  • Introduced one team process change (small) based on what you heard in the listening tour — and explained why
  • Know which of your reports you would promote in the next 6 months and what they still need
  • Have a relationship with your skip-level manager and understand their expectations of your team
90-day team feedback request "I've been here 90 days and I want to know how I'm doing as your manager. I'll send a short anonymous survey — I want honest answers, not polite ones. Your feedback will shape how I work in the next quarter."