First 90 Days as CIO - Lessons from a New Leadership Role

I joined Julius Silvert as CIO in January. Here's what the first 90 days taught me about taking on a new leadership role.

Listen Before Acting

The temptation is to come in with solutions. Resist it. Spend the first 30 days listening: to your team, to business stakeholders, to customers. Understand how things work before deciding what to change.

I conducted one-on-ones with every IT team member. Met with every department head. Shadowed warehouse operations. Rode with delivery drivers. The business context shapes everything.

Quick Wins Matter

Credibility comes from results. Find problems you can solve quickly - ideally things that have annoyed people for years. We fixed a persistent VPN issue in week two. Simple problem, easy solution, but it had frustrated remote workers for months. Instant goodwill.

Don't Change What Works

Not everything needs improvement. Our S2K ERP is old, but it works. Our warehouse processes are manual, but they're effective. Some things can wait. Focus energy on what matters most.

Build Relationships

Technical skills got me hired. Relationships will determine success. Invest time in understanding what business leaders need, what keeps them up at night, what would make their jobs easier. IT exists to serve the business.

Document Everything

Institutional knowledge lives in people's heads. Start documenting immediately. Every system, every process, every dependency. You'll need it later, and your team will benefit from the clarity.

The 90-Day Assessment

At day 90, I delivered an assessment to leadership: current state, gaps, opportunities, and a proposed roadmap. No surprises - I'd been socializing findings all along. The plan got approved. Now the real work begins.