What I’d Teach a New Department Head in Their First 30 Days
So far in my career, I’ve stepped into the role of department head three times. Each transition meant taking over a team and a set of processes I didn’t fully understand yet and each time, I learned a little more about where to focus in these critical first weeks.
In my very first leadership role, I made some mistakes early on. I believed I had to lead primarily through technical excellence, setting the example by doing. But leadership isn’t simply a promotion. It’s a transformation (as I wrote here).
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| Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash |
During my most recent career transition, I approached things a bit differently (and applied some of my learnings from my past career transitions). By applying that, I gained a clearer understanding of what truly matters when stepping into a new department head role.
Let’s get into it.
The 7 things a new department head should do in their first 30 days
- Read.
- Become part of the team.
- Learn from your team.
- If you come from an operational or technical role: keep at least one “deeper” topic.
- Set up an operating model.
- Set up support mechanisms.
- Optimize.
Now let’s look at these topics a bit more closely.
1. Read.
Most leadership roles depend on knowledge. Not so much on deep operational knowledge, but on knowledge from a broader scope:
- What processes exist?
- Who are the experts for which topics?
- How do department topics connect to the bigger picture and how are they linked to the company’s strategy?
In most leadership roles in the corporate world, there is some kind of documentation. Sometimes it is structured, sometimes less so. But almost everywhere there is at least some documentation.
From the moment I decided to move into the new role, I started gathering documents, information and links (SharePoint sites, Confluence pages) and dedicated a few hours every day to reading.
While reading, I also made notes (because that’s the best way for rembering).
This really helped me create a better picture of the core of the job beyond what I was told by the hiring manager (the managing director).
How to apply this in practice: If possible, get information to read even before day 1 and prepare for your new role so you can start with a knowledge head start.
2. Become part of the team.
Leadership isn’t a pure knowledge job. It’s much more about understanding the team, the dynamics and the inherent talents of each person.
You don’t get that simply by reading job descriptions (although you should do that as well see 1.). You get it in coffee breaks or in the five minutes before everyone has arrived at a meeting.
Try to get to know your peers and your team as quickly as possible. What motivates them? What are they excited about? Do they have kids?
And don’t try to remember everything. Write it down. Trust me: these notes are very valuable. Nothing makes you more empathetic than asking about a colleague’s child (and remembering their name).
How to apply this in practice: In the first 1–2 weeks, get to know your peers and your team as well as possible.
3. Learn from your team.
This is the real-life extension of (1). The quality of written documentation differs from company to company, but nothing beats understanding how processes really work from the people doing them.
Depending on your team size, this may take time, but schedule 1:1s or sub-team meetings for every major process and ask them to walk you through their daily work.
If you start delegating tasks (which you will), ask them to walk you through the first steps they take. As a department head, you often act as a provider of tasks or direction, so understanding their process is key.
How to apply this in practice: After getting to know your team (I’d say around week 3), engage with their processes. Don’t approach this as a micromanager. Just be curious about their work.
4. Optional: keep at least one “deeper” topic.
This is optional, but important. It is especially important if you’re moving from a more operational role into leadership.
I personally need some depth in my work. In leadership roles, tasks tend to become broader and less deep. You become more of a decision-maker with a wide overview rather than having deep expertise in one area.
This can be challenging.
What helped me is preserving some deep work in my calendar. I block one deep work session per week and actively protect it from being overwritten by meetings.
How to apply this in practice: Keep one deeper topic and dedicate about two hours per week to it (and ensure that you block off the time in your calendar).
5. Set up an operating model.
Once you’re familiar with the processes you’re responsible for, start building your personal operating model.
What do I mean by that?
A set of tasks, reports and meetings that structure how you work on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
There are many ways to do this, but I like time-blocking as a starting point to give my calendar structure. For documents, I use a lightweight PARA-based system and for notes, I’ve iterated over the years and adapted my system to my current role (here’s a current status of the system I am using).
The key is to identify your main areas of responsibility and build your operating model iteratively. Don’t aim for a big-bang solution as it will be most likely obsolete after you understand the processes and important areas better. Instead, start small and let it grow organically.
How to apply this in practice: Set up initial time blocks in your calendar. Start with a simple folder structure and let your note-taking system evolve. Begin in week 3 and start iterating.
6. Set up support mechanisms.
As a department head, you can quickly be flooded with information while juggling multiple responsibilities. That’s why support mechanisms are essential.
These can range from simple Outlook rules to delegation or even AI-based workflows. Use whatever best supports your operating model.
For me, the most effective support is knowledge-based. That’s why I developed my own productivity system, LENS (I’ll write more about it in the future if you’re curious).
How to apply this in practice: View your operating model as something evolving. Regularly ask yourself where you can improve your personal workflows. I’d start focusing on this in week 4 and again: iterating.
7. Optimize.
Optimize the processes in your department. But don’t do it on day one, and don’t do it without your team.
As someone new in the role, you don’t yet have tunnel vision, which helps you spot improvement opportunities. But be careful of the Dunning–Kruger effect: don’t overestimate your expertise - the true experts is those team members being in the departments years before you joined.
By simply asking your team why things are done the way they are, you’ll often uncover opportunities for improvement. Sometimes it even helps team members to recognize the oddity of some of the process and proactively wanting them to change.
At the same time, don’t wait too long. Over time, you may develop your own blind spots. Staying curious and maintaining a learning mindset helps to prevent this.
How to apply this in practice: Be curious. Don’t micromanage. Lead with empathy. Aim to make your department a little better every day.