By: Kevin Silva, MyNextSeason Advisor and Former Global EVP & CHRO, Voya Financial
After decades in HR, I’ve learned this: the first 100 days shape a leader’s trajectory more than any strategy document ever will. New executives feel pressure to deliver quickly, but the most critical work begins before they take action. HR is uniquely positioned to guide them through that transition—helping them understand the business, read the power dynamics, build trust, and form the relationships that will sustain them.
But, it’s not just about the individual or role. Only 29% of US organizations feel they adequately support leaders during transitions, according to McKinsey, This gap can leave companies at risk.
The most forward-looking companies are shifting their mindset to ensure leadership transitions are no longer viewed as a simple matter of onboarding and offboarding. Instead, it’s about the care of who is stepping in and who is stepping out, the stability of the organization, and the culture being built.
Start With What Drives the Business
Most new leaders arrive eager to act. HR’s first job is to help them slow down. Before diagnosing problems, they must understand how the organization actually creates value. How do we make money? What commercial questions matter most right now? And how does each person contribute to business performance?
Grounding them in these fundamentals provides the context they need. Culture, environment, and rewards systems matter deeply, but they are only meaningful when understood in service of the business.
Give Them the Real Organizational Map
Leaders cannot succeed without understanding how decisions get made and where influence sits. HR should give them a candid view of the system they’re stepping into—not just the org chart, but the people, relationships, and motivations behind it.
Every C-suite is a mix of strengths, deficits, and personal drivers. Executives don’t start aligned; they start with their own lenses and priorities. HR helps the new leader calibrate these differences and identify common ground to build on. This clarity forms the basis for a cohesive team.
Address Power Dynamics and Conflict Early
New leaders step into preexisting alliances, tensions, and histories. Not everyone welcomes change or a new voice in the room. HR’s role is to help them recognize these dynamics early and face them directly.
Conflicts don’t resolve themselves. Like a firefighter approaching a small flame, leaders must address issues while they’re still containable. Avoiding tension only allows it to spread. Understanding the motivations behind resistance—competition, recognition, values, and fears—helps leaders engage constructively and quickly earn credibility.
Invest Deeply in Relationships
Declarations of vision in team meetings matter, but trust is built one person at a time. Encourage leaders to spend meaningful one-on-one time with their peers and direct reports. Ask about their aspirations, obstacles, definitions of success, and hopes for the business.
The most effective leaders communicate a simple truth: “I am invested in your success, and our mutual success fuels this partnership.” When people feel understood and supported, followership takes root.
Lead With Humanity to Build Trust
People follow leaders they like and trust—not just polished or intelligent ones. HR should encourage new executives to show who they are as human beings, not just as authority figures. Transparency, sincerity, and humility go far. A leader who says, “I’m here with experience, but I’m still learning,” signals openness and invites others to contribute, innovate, and challenge assumptions. This builds psychological safety and credibility far faster than asserting expertise.
Assess the Talent Thoughtfully
By day 100, the leader should have an informed view of their team. HR can guide them in conducting an early talent inventory: Who is flourishing in the right role? Who needs development, recognition, or more resources? Who may be mismatched with the work?
This is not about replacing people; it’s about aligning talent with the business’s needs. Some individuals will need a bigger spotlight; others may need a different seat. The leader should emerge with a clear plan and accountability for acting on it.
Build Buy-In and Clarify Connection
A strategy without followership is just a document. HR helps leaders identify who is excited about their arrival, who holds influence, who has ideas to share, and who may be disengaged. Understanding these dynamics allows the leader to build a coalition around the work that matters most.
Finally, help them see—and reinforce—how work connects across functions. In a remote and technology-driven world, it’s easy for people to lose sight of how their work enables others. When leaders clarify these connections, performance accelerates and unity grows.
Be a Source of Encouragement and a Voice of Honesty
The CHRO is in the best position to observe and provide feedback to executive colleagues. Ensure the new leader hears specific, encouraging words about things they are doing well, and the positive impact their early actions are having. Similarly, the most effective CHROs demonstrate the courage and capability to provide specific constructive feedback if the new executive’s efforts need to be redirected or have an unintended negative effect. Don’t leave it to chance that they know what’s hitting well and what is not. Coaching and advising new executive leaders is job #1 for the CHRO—and effective feedback provision with a 4:1 ratio (positive to constructive feedback) is key.
Where Possible, Involve the Exiting Executive
How a leader enters an organization and how that same leader eventually leaves it, should be tied to a long-term plan. If those bookends are done properly, you end up with a well-trained and satisfied executive, as well as a positive alumni of the organization who feels they have a stake in their predecessor’s success. This provides a good experience all around, and an example that others can look to and say, “This is how leadership should work.” Those examples echo through a culture for years. And, they influence how people think about leadership and how they respond to it.
Success for Everyone
The first 100 days set the tone for a new leader’s success—and HR plays a critical role in helping them navigate this period. Thoughtful guidance during these early days benefits not just the leader but the entire organization.
