01 / Assess
The two-minute scorecard
Find the move to start with.
Free playbook · For first-time C-suite executives
“I need to prove they made the right call.”
Own the seat
before the
verdict forms.
The First 100 Days C-Suite Playbook gives you the six moves your CEO and peers are quietly scoring, a two-minute scorecard that shows where to start, and 18 actions for this week.
Your CEO and peers form their view of you in the first three months. Your results take six. The playbook is built for the gap in between.
Dr. Linda CuretonFormer CIO of NASA
Bill TingleEnterprise CIO, CIDO and CTO
Get the playbook. Free.
A clearer read on your first 100 days.
Plus: a free Roadmap Session with Dr. Linda Cureton, former CIO of NASA. A diagnosis of where you stand, then your 100-day roadmap in writing.
Built to use in 5 minutes. Nobody calls you unless you book.
Inside the playbook
Scorecard · Situation read · Weekly moves02 / Diagnose
Read the situation
Diagnose before you act.
03 / Act
18 moves.
This week.
Start with your lowest-scoring area.
Your first 100 days, in numbers
The judgment arrives
before the results do.
92%
of external hires, and 72% of internal ones, needed more than 90 days to reach full productivity.
McKinsey · Executive transitions · 201868%
of executive transitions come apart on politics, culture and people.
McKinsey · Executive transitions · 201811%
of early exits come down to technical skill. The rest is coachability, emotional intelligence, motivation and temperament.
Leadership IQ · Study of 20,000 new hiresSo the first 100 days is a judgment window, not a delivery window. The six moves are the things being judged.
The six moves
Six questions the room
is answering about you.
Each move in the playbook answers one, with a tool you can use this week.
01Do they understand what they walked into?+
1. Diagnose before you act
The situation read, and the three people with influence the org chart hides
Days 1 to 3002Are they delivering what we hired them for?+
2. Contract the mandate
A one-page draft of success at day 100 and day 365, with three non-goals
Days 1 to 4503Do we want them in the room?+
3. Win the peers
The peer map: blocking power against warmth, and the two meetings to book first
Days 15 to 6004Can they see their own team?+
4. Assess the team
The seventh question: can this team tell you the truth?
Days 1 to 10005Does anything run without them?+
5. Build the rhythm, pick the win
The ten-day decision list, and the five tests for your first win
Days 45 to 9006How do they act when it goes wrong?+
6. Stop doing the old job
The old-job hours count, and "take a beat, then respond
Every dayPromoted from inside or hired from outside? Every move has a track for each.
The right moment
Built for you if
- You're in your first C-suite role, or starting one in the next 90 days.
- You lead any function: CFO, COO, CIO, CTO, CMO, CHRO, CRO or GM.
- You want to know what's being judged, not another generic 100-day plan.
Experience behind the playbook
Written with people
who have held the seat.
Dr. Linda Cureton
Former CIO of NASA
Four C-suite technology roles · Doctoral research on executive leadership · Author, The Leadership Muse
Her stories run through all six moves, starting with her first executive role, which she calls one of the hardest jobs she ever had.
Bill Tingle
Enterprise CIO, CIDO and CTO
35 years in enterprise technology leadership as CIO, CIDO and CTO.
Adds the corporate and boardroom view: priorities, peers, and what the board listens for.
Before you begin
A few fair
questions.
Is it really free?+
Yes. Your name, work email, company and title. That's all.
Who's behind it?+
Spexalink, a matchmaking platform that connects senior leaders with practitioners who have held the seat. The stories come from Dr. Linda Cureton and Bill Tingle.
Are you selling something?+
The playbook stands on its own, and the Roadmap Session is free. After your roadmap, if you want Linda alongside you for the rest of the 100 days, that's a paid engagement priced to your situation. There's no obligation either way.
What is the Roadmap Session?+
Two free sessions with Linda. First a diagnosis of where you stand, built from your scorecard. Then your 100-day roadmap, in writing. It starts with a 15-minute brief with AJ, Spexalink's founder, so Linda walks in knowing your situation.
Will someone call me?+
No. We email you the playbook. A call only happens if you book one.
Start with what matters
The verdict forms by week 14.
Start with the scorecard today.
Two minutes tells you which move is yours. The playbook tells you what to do about it this week.
Send me the playbook