The First Ninety Days Explored

Kevin hosts a design leadership podcast in Seattle, interviewing Nicole and Brittany about their early days managing teams.

The First Ninety Days Explored

True or false?

Brittany spent her first month running a listening tour across three departments.

• True
• False

Brittany introduced a quick wins plan on her very first day.

• True
• False

Nicole took over a product team in Austin.

• True
• False

Nicole spent her first month doing hands-on design work with her team.

• True
• False

Nicole never stopped designing and refused to create a team charter.

• True
• False

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Brittany: Honestly, I didn't. I realized that rushing into things wouldn't help me earn trust. I spent weeks just mapping the landscape and looking for ____ in our Figma workflows.
• Kevin: Nicole, you took over a much larger product team in Austin. Did you follow a similar path during your ____ ?
• Nicole: Barely any! I inherited a team that was drowning in technical debt, and their ____ were completely unrealistic. So, I rolled up my sleeves and shipped two feature updates in Figma.
• Kevin: Wow, that's bold. Weren't you worried about neglecting your ____ and the broader operating model?
• Brittany: That's fascinating. Did you notice any ____ that you needed to course-correct after that first month?

Sources: photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels