How To Navigate Executive Transitions

I see executive transitions from 3 sides: (1) as the person stepping into the seat, (2) as the business covering a gap, and (3) as the founder or leadership team handing over.

Most transitions go wrong for the same reason.

Nobody owns the handover, so the new leader spends six months working out how the business really runs.

1. If you're the incoming exec: own your onboarding

The CEOs, founders and leadership teams I coach keep telling me that new CMOs take too long to understand how the business works. That leaves them with little impact for about six months. When onboarding is poor, CMOs also tend to be let go sooner than their C-suite peers. HR often leaves onboarding to the leadership team and the headhunter, so you have to run it yourself.

Start before day one. Use your notice period, or a couple of weeks if you're between roles:

1. Write down every concern and question. Rank them, decide who should answer each one, and decide when.

2. Research the people around the table. Find out how long each C-suite peer has been there. A leadership team that has worked together for years has very different trust dynamics from a newly formed one.

3. Ask for the documents. That means the department plan and OKRs, the annual plan, board minutes or investor updates, recent QBRs and the product roadmaps.

4. Meet people early. Book meet-and-greets with your team, ask for an informal exec dinner, and book a deep HR session on past issues and performance problems.

5. Decide whether to call your predecessor. This one is controversial. You'll hear their version, the company line and how the C-suite really works. Their experience won't be yours, but the context helps.

» I have two dedicated guides to help you: how to survive the first 90 days guide and improving your success as a CMO.

2. Your first 90 days: triage, trust, then fix the engine

In days 1 to 30, listen. Run a short listening tour, set up 1-2-1s and skip-levels, and find out how decisions really get made, because the org chart rarely shows it. Start the CFO relationship in week one. Open a workstream on "the big problem to solve" straight away, because every board hired you to fix something.

To earn credibility in the first 30 days, I recommend three moves:

- Cut or fix the bottom 20% of spend and reallocate it.

- Agree on a shared definition of success with the CEO and CFO, in language you both use.

- Walk into the next board meeting with a cleaner, simpler story.

In days 31 to 90, run the full audit, fix handoffs with Product and Sales, and start shaping org design and the hiring plan. Close with a formal 90 to 100 day review. It should show the results so far, the results you expect next, your audit findings and your progress on the big problem.

» Need more help here? Read my newsletter guiding you on how to own the first 90 days as the CMO

3. How you behave in the room matters as much as the plan does

New execs usually lose the room by acting like a department lead defending a function. The board wants an executive running the business. Know your CAC, LTV, ROI and margin every morning. Give updates in threes and avoid "defend and over-explain" mode. Hold weekly 1-2-1s with the CFO, COO and CPO so their objections come up in private and never in front of the CEO.

Build your PQ, which is political intelligence. "I don't play the game" doesn't stop the game happening around you. If you don't take part, you can end up pushed out of the business.

» Want to go deeper? Read my guide on how to handle misalignment as a CMO

4. If you're the business losing an exec: keep coverage until the new hire starts

Hiring the next leader often takes over six months, and C-suite notice periods are long. Other execs rarely cover a vacant seat well. They're already stretched, and they often don't know the discipline. Without cover, high performers leave, teams miss targets, and uncertainty spreads.

I've stepped into this gap three times. At JustGiving I replaced the exiting COO/CMO. At MyArtBroker I was interim CMO for 11 months, which included appointing a new MD.

At TrustedHousesitters I was interim CGO after the CPO left and a PE firm acquired the business. The pattern I follow has four steps:

1. Steady the departments.

2. Keep performance moving - build momentum after delivery.

3. Help with the hiring process - help department leads and their team understand what the company was, how to pitch what the company is now and what is changing into. Old ways of selling your company in this set up just won’t work

4. Hand over fully to the new leader, covering people, performance and short-, mid-, and long-term goals.

A planned handover also limits power battles when the new C-suite leader arrives.

» If you are struggling with your department leads or need an interim leader, read my rundown of interim executive solutions

5. If you're a founder handing over: draw the boundaries before the hire

Founders who were the de facto marketing, growth or product leader create friction from day zero when the boundaries are unclear. I coach founders through three levels for each activity or channel:

- Step In: you declare that you keep owning it.

- Step Back: you set a percentage of involvement and become a co-owner with the new hire.

- Step Out: you leave it completely and say when you want to be kept informed.

Write these into the job spec. A founder who keeps co-owning something they enjoy causes the most friction, because the founder's status will outweigh any job title the new exec holds.

» If you are a founder or entering a business with a founder who was the default department leader, my founders guide to removing yourself aka stepping in, stepping out and stepping up is a critical read

6. If the transition comes from an acquisition: expect leadership change

After an acquisition, plan for one or two C-suite leaders, or the CEO, to leave or be moved out. Expect the new owners to bring in "their people" quickly. Your reputation and influence rarely carry over to new bosses, so build those relationships from scratch.

When we went through this, a few things cut stress and anxiety. We ran weekly stand-ups with open Q&A and gave regular performance updates outside the reporting cycles. The local leadership team also had end-of-week sit-downs with temperature checks and honest feedback.

» Read my guide on: How to improve communications and operations post acquisition

If you're the incoming exec, focus on three things in the first 30 days. Map who really makes decisions, agree what success means with the CFO, and name the big problem you were hired to solve. Report against all three at day 90.

Which side of the transition are you on: stepping in, covering a gap, or handing over? I can help with a call, organise with me below