THIS WEEK
An executive called me recently. He was 60 days into a complex new role, and felt like he was tanking his career.
He wasn't incompetent. He actually had the best credentials in the room.
The board expected visible change, so he hit the ground running.
Within two months, he launched two initiatives, restructured the team, and changed several core processes.
The work was solid.
And the logic was clear.
But the room went cold.
He was confused:
"I'm delivering exactly what they asked for," he told me, "but they don't trust me."
Key stakeholders were questioning his judgement.
The more he delivered, the more doubt he seemed to create.
THE REALITY CHECK
Many executives enter new roles under intense pressure.
They feel a clear mandate for change. Their instinct is to demonstrate competence through visible action and fast decisions.
But when credibility has not yet been established, early action often creates doubt instead of confidence.
And resistance instead of support.
The usual response (and why it falls short)
The logic feels sound: deliver results, show expertise, execute.
But in early transitions, performance does not exist in a vacuum.
It is interpreted through context.
Each early decision becomes a test:
Does he understand what matters here?
Does he know what they don’t know yet?
Is he listening or just acting?
When the answers felt uncertain, even his good work generated doubt.
What actually builds credibility
To turn the situation around, we shifted his focus.
Here are the three things that matter in high-pressure transitions:
1. Diagnose first
Spend your first 30-60 days understanding the environment, not changing it.
Meet with key stakeholders. Ask what worked, what failed, and why.
Figure out who actually holds the power and who is just loud.
2. Make fewer, more deliberate moves
High-visibility action invites high-visibility scrutiny.
One well-timed decision builds more credibility than three premature ones.
Restraint in launching initiatives signals confidence, not hesitation.
3. Name the pressure directly with key stakeholders
Acknowledge the mandate without rushing to fulfill it.
Saying, "I know there's an expectation for change, but I'm taking the time to understand what will actually work here," builds trust.
Transparency about your process reduces anxiety about your judgement.
The cost of getting this wrong
Executives who misread this dynamic mistake activity for credibility.
They over-deliver on initiatives and under-deliver on trust.
The pressure to prove yourself won't disappear.
But when you recognize this early, you shift from proving what you can do, to proving you understand what should be done.
