When a new leader comes on-board, the first days/weeks will create many and varied impressions. This is my thoughts on some priorities for a new leader.
1. Meet with and talk to the people in the group or organisation you are now leading. Even just a 5 minute chat goes a long way to making an initial connection which can be built upon. Don’t leave it six months to have your first real conversation with someone. And don’t let the first time you talk to someone be a request to do something.
2. As the new leader, be mindful of those that try to become your personal adviser early on. They may have a personal agenda, or can be plain wrong. As the leader you need to decide who the reliable, trustworthy people are.
3. If you’re going to pick on small rules and processes early on, you won’t succeed in making your authority clear to those who don’t follow the rule/procedure, because you haven’t earnt their trust. But, you will also disappoint those that do follow the rules and were hoping for a broad thinking leader.
4. Probably more important early on than later in your leadership time, make sure you explain your decisions. Explain your reasoning, and in particular explain the history as you understand it, just in case those people in point 2 feed you some untruth and you base your decision on it.