The First 100 Days: Leadership Isn’t About Answers
When a new CEO takes over, the world expects immediate answers. But leadership doesn’t begin with decisions. It begins with direction – and with the ability to listen, learn, and set the rhythm that others can move with.
The corner office may be new, but the room is already full – with expectations, legacy, pressure, and politics. Every new leader steps into a moving train. The smartest ones don’t try to pull the emergency brake. They tune in.
In Denmark alone, we’ve seen a surge of new top-level appointments this year: Novo Nordisk, Ørsted, DLG, Danske Commodities, Orkla Denmark. These are not just ordinary transitions. They happen in a time where the public sees leadership not just as execution – but as symbol, signal, and synthesis. The CEO is no longer just a manager. She’s a narrative. A cultural node. A compass.
And yet: The first 100 days aren’t about fireworks. They’re about frequency. The ability to pick up on what matters. To ask before answering. To speak with care, not perform with urgency.
A recent Harvard Business Review article offers a useful frame: build your team, engage your stakeholders, define direction, protect your focus. But it’s still too clean. Too global. Too corporate. In our work with new leaders – in government, in agencies, in business – we’ve found something simpler. And more human.
Five patterns return, again and again:
1. Your leadership brand is already speaking
You’re being read from day one. How you listen. Who you meet. What you react to. The tone you set isn’t about PR – it’s about presence.
2. You need situational intelligence
What’s the real structure of influence here? Where are the blind spots, and where’s the hidden power? Leadership starts with mapping, not messaging.
3. The story must carry direction
People need to hear a why. Not in vague mission-speak, but in a way that connects to daily work. The best leaders aren’t selling slogans – they offer meaning with muscle.
4. Small wins build real trust
Whether it’s a team reshuffle or a cancelled meeting series, early actions matter most when they carry symbolic weight. They show you mean it – without needing to shout it.
5. Communication is leadership
How you speak is how you lead. And when. And to whom. Good leaders talk less about themselves – and more in ways that help others understand where they fit in.
Look at Novo Nordisk’s new CEO, Maziar Mike Doustdar. He has trust. But he’s also facing massive external pressure – market expectations, ethical dilemmas, scrutiny. The urge to move fast is real. But his impact will depend less on what he says now – and more on what he chooses to ask.
Show up as the leader you want to be remembered as
It’s tempting to act quickly. But smart leaders resist the pressure to impress. They build alignment. They find the rhythm. They understand that silence can be a signal – and questions can carry more weight than declarations.
Leadership doesn’t start with certainty. It starts with clarity.
So, forget the “100-day plan.” Focus on your posture. Your presence. Your patience. As HBR puts it: “Are you showing up the way you intended — and would your team say the same?”
If the answer is yes, then the first 100 days are already a success.