The First 100 Days: Leading with presence, not performance

Everything had gone to plan. You did the work. You got the job. Now what?

Everyone talks about the first 100 days in a new leadership role — but no one talks about how overwhelming that time can really be. That’s true for any leadership role, from a newly elevated Fortune 500 CEO to someone in their first management role at a small business.

I recently helped a high-profile executive prepare for a new leadership role in a different state. The hiring committee had bought into his vision, his goals, and his leadership style. On paper, it looked like the perfect fit.

But by the end of Week One, he was already overwhelmed. By Day 15, isolated.

The inbox was full. The calendar was packed. And despite his clarity going in, the pressure to perform quickly started replacing the purpose that got him there in the first place.

If he hadn’t walked into the role with a clear, strategic 100-day plan, he likely would’ve defaulted to survival mode. Instead, he had a strategy that helped him stay focused, grounded, and proactive.

There’s a lot of hype around “hitting the ground running.” But here’s the truth: Speed without strategy leads to misalignment. And misalignment can cost you trust, clarity, and momentum.

In nearly every leadership transition I’ve seen, four common blind spots show up early. In a world obsessed with speed and visibility, grounded leaders choose a different way. These four anchors won’t just get you through the first 100 days — they’ll shape the kind of leadership that actually lasts.

1. Presence Before Performance

Before you lead a team, shape a strategy, or cast a vision — pause. Not to prove, but to become present. Real leadership begins in awareness: Who are you becoming? What’s driving you? What’s the bigger story beneath the noise? The pressure to perform will be loud.

Performance without presence leads to burnout, disconnection, and shallow impact. Presence, on the other hand, builds trust. It creates space for truth. It reminds you why you’re here.

Then comes the silent thief: impostor syndrome. It sneaks in when leaders try to mimic others instead of leading authentically. You might feel pressure to fit into the existing culture, but don’t let the culture dictate his leadership style. Take the time to understand the culture deeply, then guide it toward a healthier version that honors your true voice. 

2. Listen Before You Speak

In his first 100 days, your words matter less than your posture. Every room you enter is holding tension, expectation, and unspoken history — like a table already set before he arrives.

Don’t rush to fix. Don’t rush to impress. Ask better questions. Stay curious. Let people feel heard — especially the ones who rarely are. Listening is more than strategy. It’s how leaders build trust, and how teams reveal truths.

3. Build Trust, Not Influence

People can feel the difference between someone who’s performing what they think leadership looks like, and someone who’s consistently leading. In the first 100 days, great leaders don’t just say the right things — they do them. That’s how cultures shift — not with slogans, but with daily choices that build credibility.

Here’s the reality: no one leads alone. Every great leader needs great managers and a culture that empowers them. Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s about building a system where trust runs deep, execution is shared, and accountability is everyone’s job.

4. Protect the Culture, Not the Calendar

You were brought in to lead, but you also inherited something. Maybe it’s healthy. Maybe it’s broken. He needs to pay attention to what’s already growing beneath the surface: how people treat each other, how conflict is avoided or handled, how truth moves (or doesn’t).

If your calendar is full but the culture is toxic, you’re not leading. You’re managing chaos. The culture will either support your leadership or silently erode it. Either way, it’s shaping your impact, whether you’re paying attention or not. The best leaders build environments that support long-term resilience over short-term results.

In that recent executive transition, his 100-day plan included one non-negotiable: stakeholder engagement.

His team created a list of key internal and external people to meet with. But he didn’t stop there. He did his own research to identify additional voices he might not think to include: staff at all levels, community leaders outside the usual circles, and stakeholders with honest opinions about the organization.

He looked for themes. He asked consistent questions across every department, so he could identify patterns, blind spots, and culture gaps. He wasn’t just introducing himself as a new leader. He was listening for insight. Listening for truth. Listening for what might be broken, and what might be beautiful if it were better supported.

Externally, the goal was trust-building, but also truth-finding. Those conversations reflected racial, cultural, and generational diversity — because if your leadership plan is built only on what insiders say, he’s leading an echo chamber.

The most effective leaders know that a big part of the job — especially in those first 100 days — is putting out fires. The key to success beyond those 100 days, though, is not to react to problems, but understand the patterns behind them. By the end of those first 100 days, you should have a much clearer picture: What fires remain? Where do they keep flaring up? And why haven’t they been addressed until now?

Sometimes, the fire points to a system failure. Sometimes, it exposes a leadership gap. Sometimes, it reveals a culture that avoids conflict. Whatever the root cause, you need to pay attention to what’s burning and decide whether you’re just managing problems, or truly leading change.

There’s a real temptation in the first 100 days to prove yourself. To perform. To justify the hire and show you belong.

But the most grounded leaders don’t lead from performance. They lead from clarity, purpose, and conviction. They know who they are, and they stay aligned even when the pressure mounts. They don’t just want to look good in the role. They want to be effective for the people they serve.

And that kind of leadership? It doesn’t happen by accident. It takes preparation. Reflection. Courage.

The first 100 days can define or derail your leadership. Don’t just perform. Lead with clarity, presence, and purpose — and build the kind of leadership that lasts.

About the Author
Henry Sanders is the CEO of Madison365, founder of the 365 Leadership Summit, and an executive coach who helps leaders navigate transitions, build trust, and lead with lasting impact — not just surface-level performance.

Just stepped into a new leadership role — or preparing for one? Start with a free 15-minute Leadership Audit: a no-pressure session designed to help you clarify your next 100 days and lead with presence, not panic.

To schedule your session or learn more about executive coaching, email Henry@365nation.com.