And rather than investing in systems and processes to provide a fallback in case our managers are found wanting, it’s far better to invest in helping our team leaders do what we need them to, by 1) getting rid of ratings of “potential,” 2) teaching team leaders what we know about human growth, and 3) prompting them to discuss careers with their people in terms of momentum—in terms of who each team member is, and in terms of how fast each is moving through the world. This is harder, of course, than buying the latest piece of enterprise software and then imploring our people to use it, but it’s the right hard thing to do.

Let’s face it, no one, regardless of how experienced or talented, is equally adept at every aspect of a job. In any case, as Immelt points out, even if you are above average across the board, no leader has the time to concentrate on every aspect of the job, especially in the earliest days of a new position. Think about where your personal involvement will yield the most leverage and where someone else might do an even better job.

If time is tight, as in the case of a turnaround, you can save a little time by focusing on gaining the buy-in of key influencers. Not all of those key influencers may be a part of your immediate management team; there may be other people within the organization who act as gatekeepers or sounding boards or who perform other roles that affect the way the team operates. Ask others who the key influencers are within the company; patterns will emerge after as few as five conversations. Then concentrate your efforts on them for maximum gain on your own time and energy.

Plan your promises, and promise only what you can deliver. Once those goals are part of the public record, keep an inventory of evidence that supports your claim to have accomplished them. Without blowing your own horn, it can be helpful in those early months to call attention to the early successes that align with what you have already identified as priorities for the company’s success and growth.

Not all early actions may be happy ones, but they are worth emphasizing if they help the organization move in the direction you want. An example is the September issue of Bob Eckert’s company-wide intranet column “What’s On My Mind?” written five months after he arrived at Mattel.

Don’t be a perfectionist. Not everyone has to be convinced of the advantages of your agenda. Achieving the buy-in of key influencers will provide the leverage you need. You don’t even have to make the right decisions nearly all the time. The key is to make decisions and create an environment where you can see how things work out and make course corrections as necessary. Confront your own fallibility and keep moving forward. Success is as much about taking action and recognizing your mistakes and addressing them quickly as about striving for the ideal.