Answer: In a word, trust.  Whether you take over a small department or a large company, trust is the first thing you must establish.  Without trust, it’s very unlikely that you’ll learn the truth about what is really going on and what’s causing the underlying performance issues.

Start building trust by meeting with employees at all levels in your organization right away.  Use these meetings as an opportunity to gather information and to let them know that their ideas are valued.  Ask open-ended questions like, “If you were put in my role tomorrow, what would be the first three things you would do and why?” Or, “What are the three biggest barriers to our success, and what are our three biggest opportunities?”

Next, gather similar feedback from your internal customers.  This will give you the insight you need to develop measurable goals that will have the biggest impact. Then gather your team to share the goals clearly and openly.  Help the team deliver small wins and build momentum with a mantra of “Commit, Deliver, Repeat.”

Many of the best leadership insights are buried deep within the org chart and with customers who experience the impact of your broken system every day.  Establish trust early and continue to build it by tapping into your organizational intelligence.