Hit the ground running with early change impact – the first 30 days
Starting a new change assignment is both exhilarating and demanding. Whether joining a new organisation, stepping into a project, or leading a transformation, those first 30 days are pivotal. They set the tone for credibility, relationships, and impact. Three seasoned professionals – Barb Grant (Principal Change Advisor, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi), Kelly Petitt (Senior Change Manager, Lendlease), and Lynsay Gallacher (Senior Manager, Organisation Change & Training, Cognizant) – share how they approach this critical period.
Making Sense of the Work
Barb Grant emphasises that the first month is about becoming a sense-maker. She frames it around four powerful questions:
- What do we think we are doing here
- What are we actually doing
- What do people think we are doing
- What should we be doing
Barb stresses that the variance between these perspectives can reveal major risks. Misalignment often explains confusion, wasted effort, and resistance. Her approach combines both overt signals (business cases, project plans, benefits profiles) and covert signals (organisational culture, media perception, survey results).
She warns that projects are sometimes perceived as far bigger than they are, or conversely, sold as transformational when they are only incremental. Identifying and correcting those misconceptions early allows Change Managers to bring stakeholders back to reality.
Reading Change Readiness
Kelly Petitt approaches readiness through three lenses:
- Personal perspective: She treats her own onboarding experience as a diagnostic tool. Were systems and processes efficient? Was she welcomed properly? Even her job title and placement in the organisation chart give clues about how change is valued.
- Project perspective: The key question is whether change has a voice. Are rituals inclusive of change? Is there a risk register? Does the Project Manager treat change as equal? These indicators reveal whether change is embedded or an afterthought.
- Organisational perspective: Kelly looks for maturity across areas like data governance, KPIs, process mapping, and learning and development. Weakness here often signals that previous changes have not stuck.
Lynsay Gallacher adds that sales-cycle involvement is a strong indicator of maturity. If people advocates are absent from early conversations, it suggests the organisation sees change purely through a financial or technical lens. She also examines who plays multiple roles. A Project Manager doubling as a Change Manager signals that change is under-resourced.
Building the Right Network
Lynsay stresses the importance of connecting with people quickly. The starting point is the immediate project team, but the goal is to map out influence across the business. She advises asking each contact: Who else should I be speaking with? This branching method quickly builds a stakeholder grid.
Being proactive is crucial. “Don’t wait for people to come to you,” she advises. Securing a seat at the table and advocating early prevents change from being sidelined as a “forgotten sibling.”
Tools and Frameworks for Early Wins
When asked about tools, Barb outlines a core set of deliverables she aims to complete in her first month:
- Who’s who in the zoo: both the formal organisation chart and the informal influence map
- An elevator pitch: a crisp way to explain the project’s purpose and outcomes
- Heat maps: visualising stakeholders by influence and impact
- Change on a Page (A3): a graphical one-page summary showing what is changing, who is impacted, why, and how
For measuring impact, she uses IMPOST – categorising change by how many hours it takes for end users to adopt it. This provides a more objective scale than subjective labels like “high” or “low” impact.
Lynsay takes a flexible approach, blending models such as Kotter’s change steps for vision setting and ADKAR for engagement. She highlights the importance of early alignment on success criteria to prevent derailment later.
Adding Value While Learning
Kelly acknowledges the pressure to add value fast but cautions against rushing. She balances three pillars:
- Knowledge building – getting curious and filling gaps
- Stakeholder engagement – listening, connecting, and understanding perspectives
- Delivery – providing tangible outputs such as a Change Canvas or stakeholder maps
She argues that the most powerful step is aligning on a shared definition of success early on. Without it, stakeholders will judge value against inconsistent expectations.
Lynsay adds that the first 30 days are not about big wins but about laying the groundwork for future impact. Small steps and early alignment create credibility and confidence.
Building Credibility Quickly
Barb advises saying “yes to the offer” in the early stages. If asked to help facilitate a difficult stakeholder conversation, she jumps in. These small contributions build visibility and trust. Later, once deeper into delivery, boundaries become more important.
Both Barb and Lynsay stress that incremental wins matter most. Connecting two disengaged stakeholders or clarifying a project scope can be as valuable as delivering a large artefact in the early days.
Tackling Behavioural and Mindset Shifts
When it comes to influencing behaviours, Barb emphasises granularity. Broad statements about culture are less useful than specific, scenario-based examples of what needs to change and how.
Lynsay underscores the power of co-creation. Involving stakeholders in shaping behaviours gives them accountability and commitment.
Kelly highlights patience. Not every stakeholder will come on board immediately, but listening, understanding their story, and creating open dialogue are key to eventually winning them over.
Actionable Takeaways for the First 30 Days
From the panel’s discussion, Change Managers can take away these practical steps:
- Start as a sense-maker, testing assumptions and aligning perceptions
- Use your own onboarding as a readiness diagnostic
- Map both formal structures and hidden influence networks
- Secure a seat at the table early and build stakeholder relationships proactively
- Deliver early artefacts (heat maps, change canvases, A3 summaries) to create clarity
- Define success metrics upfront with key leaders
- Build credibility through small, tangible wins
- Address behaviours with specific examples and co-creation
Why This Matters
The first 30 days are a unique window. They define how stakeholders see you, how much influence you hold, and how quickly you can establish trust. As Barb, Kelly, and Lynsay highlight, success is not about sweeping transformations in that first month. It is about curiosity, clarity, and connection.
For Change Managers seeking to accelerate their impact, these insights provide a practical blueprint. To explore the full discussion and hear the panel’s advice in their own words, visit the member hub for access to the complete session.
🎬 Members can watch the webinar on the MEMBER HUB
🤔 Not a member yet? Now is a great time to JOIN HERE NOW
