The First 90 Days Are Won in the First Ten

Stepping into the role of Executive Director at a nonprofit is one of the most exciting — and most overwhelming — transitions in your career. You're expected to lead immediately, but no one gives you a roadmap.

The First 90 Days Are Won in the First Ten changes that. This practical guide gives you a clear framework for your critical first ten days — helping you gather essential information, build early trust, and avoid costly mistakes before you start making changes.

• 🔄 The Stabilize-See-Listen framework — a three-part approach that keeps you from changing things before you understand them
• 💰 The 10 most critical finance questions — What restricted funds exist? Who signs checks? What's the real cash position? Ask these in week one, not month three.
• 🏥 The 10 most critical clinical/program questions — What services are we actually providing? What outcomes are we tracking? Where are the gaps?
• 🤝 Your first 10 relationship meetings — who to meet with, what to ask them, and how to build trust without making premature commitments
• 🚫 The "Do Not Change Yet" list — how to identify what's working (even if it looks broken) so you don't undo something important in your first week
• 🚨 Crisis triage protocol — how to tell the difference between "this needs immediate attention" and "this can wait until I understand the context"
• 📋 Day 10 Board Chair Summary — a simple four-part framework for your first formal update: top risks, next 30-day priorities, red flags, and what support you need from the board

Most new EDs learn by trial and error — discovering problems too late and spending months backtracking from early mistakes. This guide helps you gather the right information in the right order, so your first 90 days are built on a foundation of clarity, not guesswork.

Whether you're starting Monday or thinking about an ED role in your future, this book gives you the structured approach that turns overwhelming transition into confident leadership.