Pressler recognized that it would be premature in the first hundred days to develop a comprehensive strategic plan - and even if he did, it might be wrong. But he knew that in an organization of 165,000 employees, he needed to find a way to set a direction and motivate the people.

So the art is to find the right balance between setting a direction and keeping practical.

Finding the right balance between creating a compelling picture of where you plan to lead the organization and not becoming prematurely locked into a plan of action is one of the most important ways to make the most of your first hundred days. Think not about developing your strategic plan but about crafting your strategic agenda.

One of the key talents of any leader is the ability to identify the truly critical issues and establish a short list of top priorities to keep people focused. It is important to make the complex simple. We don’t mean simplistic, but easy to comprehend and take action on.

The short-term agenda should:

• Link to your business assessment, so that people understand the rationale;

• Identify the core initiatives you intend to launch and explain why they are important;

• Address short-term issues while not detracting from the long-term directions for the organization;

• Be built as a joint effort with your team; and

• Incorporate an explicit plan to address cultural issues and barriers to change.