Your first 90 days as a manager, planned: what to do, say and decide each week
A complete system for taking over a team, whether you were promoted from within, hired from outside or handed a second team. Open the ZIP, type your start date, and the first quarter is laid out with a file for every step.
- A 10-chapter e-book teaching the Listen, Line Up, Land method, with a worked case running through every chapter
- The 90-Day Command Centre: a 13-sheet Excel workbook with a plan by week, listening tour, themes tally, stakeholder map, team snapshot, work audit, early win scorer, logs and dashboard
- 5 fillable PDF forms and 8 Word templates, including 17 first-week messages, 36 scripts for hard moments and 30 AI prompts
- A Start Here map, 4 printable cheat sheets, a 54-event calendar file and a 44-task CSV for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
First 90 Days as a Manager · Bodhih Pro Kits · 71 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
What should a new manager do in the first 90 days?
Agree written expectations with your manager before day one, spend days 1 to 30 listening with the same questions for everyone, use days 31 to 60 to set three priorities and a working agreement, then deliver one early win by day 90. The First 90 Days as a Manager kit from Bodhih Training supplies the files for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read What to Do in Your First 90 Days as a New Manager.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Nobody showed you how
A 2023 Chartered Management Institute study with YouGov found that 82% of people entering management had no formal management or leadership training. You were promoted for being good at a different job, and the instructions for this one never arrived.
The blank 90-day plan
Your manager asks for a plan. You open a document, type a heading and stare at it. Free templates give you three empty columns marked 30, 60 and 90 and no idea what belongs in them.
Yesterday's peers, today's team
People who shared lunch and complaints with you now report to you. One of them wanted the job. Nobody has said any of this out loud, and every day it goes unsaid it gets heavier.
The urge to fix things in week one
You can see what is broken, and you want to prove yourself. Changing things before you understand them is one of the quickest ways to lose a team's goodwill, and it is hard to know which fixes are safe.
Guessing what your boss wants
"A smooth transition" is not a measurable expectation. Without a written agreement, you find out what mattered at the review, when it is too late to do anything about it.
Hard moments with no words ready
A pay request in week two. Tears in a one-to-one. A star with another offer. These arrive without warning, and the first thing you say tends to be remembered.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the Friday before you start. You open the Start Here map, circle your door, and type your start date into the Settings sheet. Forty-four actions rearrange themselves around that date. The expectations form is printed and the hour with your manager is in the calendar. You already know what the first morning holds.
Now it is week three. As you add another conversation to the Listening Tour sheet, the Themes Tally updates and you notice something: the problem you assumed was top of the list is third. The real one has come up in more than half your conversations. You have changed almost nothing yet, and you know more about this team than you did in three years beside them.
Imagine day 45. Three priorities sit on one page that your manager has seen and corrected. The team has written its own working agreement. You have scored six early-win candidates, and the one you would have picked by instinct came last. When someone asks for a pay rise in the corridor, the words are already in the script library, rewritten in your own voice a fortnight ago.
And then the day 90 review. You bring the form, the Dashboard and the one-pager. You say what was agreed, what happened and what slipped. Whether you start with the e-book tonight or the workbook on Monday morning, the files are the same ones you will carry into that room.
22 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
First 90 Days as a Manager (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here map
The whole first-quarter job as twelve steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
90-Day Command Centre workbook
Thirteen-sheet workbook: plan by week, listening tour and themes tally, stakeholder map, team snapshot, work audit, early win scorer, risk and decision logs, manager expectations and a dashboard.
Expectations agreement with my manager
Three-page fillable form: your readiness check, then the six-part agreement on results, decision rights, ways of working and review dates.
Handover checklist from my predecessor
Three-page fillable checklist for a 90-minute handover covering people, work in flight, commitments, money and access, and landmines.
Listening-tour interview sheet
Two-page fillable sheet for one listening conversation: the five questions, theme tags and your five-minute debrief. Print or copy one per person.
Team member first conversation sheet
Three-page fillable sheet for each person: the first one-to-one, the reset conversation for former peers, and the day 60 to 85 development conversation.
30-60-90 day review
Three-page fillable review, one page each for day 30, day 60 and day 90, with your self-assessment and two feedback questions for your manager.
Introduction scripts and first-week messages
17 ready-to-edit messages for your team, manager, peers, former peers and customers, from before day one to day 90.
My operating manual: how I work
One-page template that tells your team how to work with you: availability, how to bring problems, feedback, known flaws and interruptions.
90-day plan one-pager for my boss
Ready-to-send one-page plan with three priorities, measures, early win, risks and asks, plus the Friday five-line weekly update template.
First team meeting agenda and facilitation notes
Timed agendas with facilitation notes for three sessions: the first team meeting, the week five playback and the working agreement session.
Script library for early hard moments
36 scripts with exact words for former peers, first decisions, performance, emotions, awkward requests, your manager and other teams.
Team working agreement
One-page agreement your team can adopt in a 60-minute session: meetings, response times, decisions, raising problems, cover and review.
Worked example pack: Priya's first 90 days
The main forms and templates shown completely filled in for one composite case, so you can see what good looks like before you write your own.
AI prompt pack for new managers
30 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by stage of the first 90 days, each with what to paste in and what to check before using the output.
Day-by-day first week
Printable plan for Monday to Friday of week one, with five rules, the five listening questions and what not to do.
Leading former peers: do and avoid
Quick reference for managers promoted from within: what changes, do and avoid, the reset conversation and what to do if it gets hard.
Decision card: change it now, later or never
If-this-then-that card for the changes you are tempted to make, plus the four decision types.
Ten derailers in the first 90 days
Mistakes-to-avoid card: ten common derailers, the early sign of each, what to do instead and a Friday self-check.
90-day plan calendar
54 calendar events covering Day Zero and all 13 weeks, each naming the file to open. Import into a new calendar and move the dates to your start date.
90-day task board import
44 plan actions as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with phase, week, owner and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 22 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 63 pages
- Workbook
- 13 sheets with sample data, formulas and a dashboard
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- New managers and team leads of roughly 3 to 25 people, from the week before they start to day 90
The Quarter Nobody Trains You For
Why the first quarter goes wrong for capable people, and the Listen, Line Up, Land method in one page.
Three Doors In
Promoted, hired from outside or handed a second team: the trap behind each door and how the job itself has changed.
Before Day One
The 90-minute handover and the one-hour expectations agreement, held before day one to head off first-month surprises.
Week One
The first-day note, a 40-minute first meeting, your one-page operating manual and a diary full of first conversations.
The Listening Tour
Five questions for everyone, written down the same way and counted, so the month ends with evidence instead of impressions.
People, Work and What Not to Touch Yet
Two inventories, people and work, and a rule for what to change now, later or never.
Your Boss, Your Peers and Your Former Peers
Mapping stakeholders, keeping your manager informed, and saying out loud what changes with former peers.
Lining Up
Turning themes into three measurable priorities, a one-page working agreement and clear decision types.
Choosing the Early Win
Scoring candidates on five tests, halving the scope and giving the team ownership of the first visible result.
Stars, Strugglers and the First Hard Moments
Specific recognition for strong performers, four checks before judging a struggler, and holding lines for sudden moments.
Landing
The weekly rhythm, one development goal per person, your own energy and the day 90 review.
Day 91
What exists on day 91 that did not exist before, and how to rerun the system next quarter.
Ten Derailers and the File That Prevents Each
A one-table summary of ten first-quarter mistakes and the file that prevents each.
Using AI Assistants with This Kit
Three rules for using AI assistants safely with the prompt pack.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- First 90 Days as a Manager: 10 chapters, 2 appendices and 6 hand-drawn figures (PDF)
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Map: the job as 12 steps with the file to open at each, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheet
- 90-Day Command Centre workbook (13 sheets): Start here, Settings, 90-Day Plan with 44 sample actions, Listening Tour, Themes Tally, Stakeholders, Team Snapshot, Work Audit, Early Win Scorer, Risk Log, Decision Log, Boss Expectations and a Dashboard with 19 live measures and a chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Expectations agreement with my manager: readiness check plus the six-part agreement
- Handover checklist from my predecessor: people, work in flight, commitments, money and access, landmines
- Listening-tour interview sheet: the five questions and a five-minute debrief
- Team member first conversation sheet: first one-to-one, reset conversation and development conversation
- 30-60-90 day review: one page each for day 30, day 60 and day 90
Word templates
- Introduction scripts and first-week messages: 17 ready-to-edit messages for team, manager, peers, former peers and customers
- My operating manual: how I work (one page)
- 90-day plan one-pager for my boss, with the Friday five-line weekly update
- First team meeting agenda and facilitation notes: first meeting, week five playback and working agreement session
- Script library for early hard moments: 36 scripts
- Team working agreement: one page your team can adopt in an hour
- Worked example pack: the main forms filled in for one composite case
- AI prompt pack for new managers: 30 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Day-by-day first week
- Leading former peers: do and avoid
- Decision card: change it now, later or never
- Ten derailers in the first 90 days, with a Friday self-check
Calendar and import
- 90-day plan calendar (ICS): 54 events for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- 90-day task board import (CSV): 44 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Hold a structured handover and agree written expectations with your manager before day one
- Run a first week that answers what the team is really asking: will you change everything, will you be fair, are you still human
- Conduct a listening tour with the same five questions for everyone, and count the themes instead of guessing
- Decide what to change now, later or never using a three-question card, and log the reasoning
- Say out loud to former peers what changes and what stays, including to the colleague who wanted your job
- Set three priorities a stranger could verify, and adopt a one-page team working agreement
- Choose an early win with a weighted scorecard and give the team ownership of it
- Walk into your day 30, 60 and 90 reviews with a self-assessment, a dashboard and a one-page plan
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
The First 90 Days: New Leader Transition
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentFirst-Time Manager Readiness Assessment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentLeading Former Peers
Take the assessment →JobularyA development plan that survives week six (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 1
Whichever door you used, the job itself has changed in the same way, and this is the part that catches good performers out. Until now you were paid for your own output. From Monday you are paid for the output of other people. The skills that got you promoted, speed, expertise, being the one who fixes it, are now the skills most likely to get in your way. Here is a test. When something goes wrong in week two, watch your hands. If they reach for the keyboard to fix it yourself, you are still doing your old job. A manager's hands reach for a calendar invite and a question. It feels slower. For the first month it is slower, and it is still the right reach.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| The plan | Three blank columns headed 30, 60 and 90 | 44 dated actions by week, each naming the file to open, recalculated from your start date |
| Listening | "Meet your team" as a bullet point | Five fixed questions, an interview sheet, a tracker and a tally that ranks the themes |
| Hard moments | General advice to be empathetic | 36 scripts with exact words and what to do next, plus 17 first-week messages |
| Choosing a first project | Pick something visible | Five weighted tests, a score and rank for each candidate, and a rule to halve the scope |
| Your own manager | Rarely mentioned | Expectations form, tracker sheet, one-pager, Friday note and three review pages |
| Seeing what good looks like | Empty templates | Sample rows in every sheet and a worked example pack following one composite case from day zero to day 90 |
| Where it works | Assumes a US office | Written for offices, shifts, sites and remote teams in any country, with reminders to check HR, policy and local law |
Made for you if…
- First-time managers and team leads about to take over a team, or in their first weeks
- People promoted from within who now lead former peers and friends
- Experienced professionals hired from outside to lead an established team
- Managers handed a second team on top of their own
- Supervisors in retail, healthcare, operations, IT services, shared-service centres and the public sector
- Founders and small-business owners who have just made their first team lead, and HR or L&D teams equipping new managers
Probably not for you if…
- Senior executives taking over a business unit or a company: this kit is built for teams of roughly 3 to 25 people
- Anyone looking for legal guidance on contracts, probation or dismissal: the kit teaches good practice and points you to HR, company policy and local law
- Readers who want leadership theory without tools: nearly every page ends with a file to open
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Day one is coming either way. Have the first quarter laid out before it arrives.
Open the Start Here map, type your start date into the Settings sheet, and send the invitation for the expectations conversation. Whether you begin with the e-book this evening or the Command Centre on Monday, the first hour is already planned.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
New Manager, Day One (e-book)
The companion read for first-time managers.
Difficult Conversations Kit
Scripts and planners for the hard conversations.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
First 90 Days as a Manager: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat should a new manager do in the first 30 days?
Mostly listen. Agree expectations with your own manager, meet every team member one to one, ask everyone the same five questions, and audit the work you have inherited. Change only things that are causing harm today, are small or easy to undo, and have been checked with the people affected. The kit's Listening Tour sheet and decision card cover this stage.
Is this kit useful if I have already started the job?
Yes. Type your real start date into the Settings sheet and the plan shows which week you are in. If you pick it up in weeks two to six, do the expectations agreement and the listening tour in a shortened form first, then continue from the current week.
How do I manage people who used to be my peers?
Hold a short reset conversation with each one in the first week and say plainly what stays the same and what changes. Treat friends exactly like everyone else on work, leave and information, and speak privately and early with anyone who applied for your role. Chapter 6, the former peers cheat sheet and six scripts in the library deal with this.
How do I measure my starting point as a new manager?
AssessAll offers three assessments that match this kit: First-Time Manager Readiness Assessment, The First 90 Days: New Leader Transition, and Leading Former Peers. Take one in week one as a baseline and again at day 90, and bring both results to your review. The links are on the Start Here map. The assessments are separate products and are not included in the kit.
How do I turn the 90 days into a longer development plan?
Chapter 10 has you agree one development goal with each team member, and the same approach works for you. The Jobulary guide 'A development plan that survives week six', linked on the Start Here map, shows how to build that goal into a plan you keep using after the first quarter.
Does it work outside an office, for shifts or remote teams?
Yes. The first-week plan, meeting agendas and one-to-one guidance include versions for shift teams, shop floors, wards and remote colleagues, such as a twenty-minute walking one-to-one and standing versions of the team sessions. Examples in the e-book come from retail, healthcare administration, manufacturing, software services and finance operations.
Does the kit give legal or HR advice about performance and dismissal?
No. It teaches good practice for early conversations, including a first performance conversation using the Situation, Behaviour, Impact model from the Center for Creative Leadership. Formal performance management, probation and dismissal rules differ by country and employer, so the kit tells you to check with your HR team, company policy and local law before any formal step.
Which software do I need?
The workbook opens in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice and uses no macros. The forms are fillable in Acrobat Reader and most PDF apps, or can be printed. The Word templates open in Word or Google Docs, the calendar file imports into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and the CSV imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Is this based on a well-known book about the first 90 days?
No. The Listen, Line Up, Land method, the tools and all wording are original to Bodhih Training. Where the kit uses widely known ideas, such as situational leadership, OKRs, the Eisenhower matrix or the SBI feedback model, it describes them in its own words and credits the source.
Can I use the kit with my team, or for several new managers?
The personal licence covers your own use, including running the sessions and sharing the working agreement and your operating manual with your own team. To equip several managers, or to use the kit in a company programme, email solutions@bodhih.com for a team or company licence.
What is the refund policy?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. The exceptions are corrupted files that are not fixed within 3 working days, duplicate charges, or failed delivery.
How much does First 90 Days as a Manager cost?
₹1,299 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $34 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
