You are now the person in charge. You might be in charge of a few people or hundreds of people. You may work in a small start up company or a large Fortune 500 Company. You may be the new leader of the entire business or a part of the business.

In all of these cases you have some thinking to do – and quickly.

Similar to your first impression on an interview or a sales call, there is a very brief period of time where you have the opportunity to set the tone of how you will be viewed. Try as much as you want to change this initial opinion around to another viewpoint, but you will have a very difficult time.

Numerous experts have said you essentially have ninety (90) days to set the tone of who you are all about in this new role. My viewpoint is more like thirty (30) days, if that.

This is why, more than ever, you have to be willing, ready and able to always learn and grow. When the opportunity presents itself you have to be ready, there will not be time to get ready, you must already be ready. Yes, continue to learn and grow – be ready.

Here are three tips to smooth out your navigation of the transition to leadership:

First: Recognize how others view who you are – meaning – if you are new to this organization are you open to acknowledging you do not know things or do you come across as if you know it all? If you are from within the organization will there be an assumption that you are going to be the same person you have always been? Who is…?

Second: Know yourself, really understand and recognize your own strengths and weaknesses. Build upon and work with your strengths and hire in – promote and lean in with others who have your weaknesses as their strengths. All areas of this process will be greatly enhanced by working with an experienced executive coach. This specific item, second on this list, is quite possibly the most difficult to undertake on your own.

Third: Odds are you had a specialty – maybe you were a leader on the Sales Team for years, or have worked your way up through the ranks of accounting and have been a CFO, or you have a technical background. In any of these cases now you must avoid being that expert now and permit your replacement to handle their area, and you learn more about the other areas of the business which you may not have spent as much time on before. There is an expectation that a leader is well versed and well rounded.

There is much work to do and these three tips are provided to put some wind in your sails. Contact Mitch to bring this entire transition to a new level for you and your organization.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive coach, trainer and speaker who adds value to a client base which spans the globe. He is based in Stamford, CT.