First Impressions Are Final

First Impressions Are Final

After writing about the critical traps that catch new as well as experienced CEOs (Critical Traps for First-Time CEOs and Critical Traps Even Experienced CEOs Shouldn’t Fall Into), many of you reached out with questions about specific challenges. One question came up repeatedly: "How do I establish the right leadership presence in those critical early months?"

Let me share what I've learned after 20 years of watching CEOs succeed - and struggle - with this exact challenge.

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A CEO I know got the feedback from his stakeholders that he was distant after a few months in office. He was confused and a little hurt. He felt he was not distant, but he cared about the team a lot.

He was, however, focused on getting the strategy right quickly. In his first months on the job, he spent most of his time working relentlessly on the strategy, in small meetings with direct reports or in his office. He rarely walked the floors. He didn't often attend team events. He was so focused on "doing the job right" that he forgot people were forming lasting impressions of who he was as a leader.

After this feedback, despite significant effort to be more visible, the "distant" label stuck. First impressions had become permanent reputation.

This is something we see repeatedly: CEOs often don't realize that their first 90 days aren't a warm-up period. They're the foundation for how people will describe them for years.

A CEO's first 90 days aren't a warm-up period. They're the foundation for how people will describe them for years.

Why Those First 90 Days Matter So Much

As a functional leader, you had time to build your reputation gradually. Maybe you stumbled early on. That was okay - people's impressions evolved as you proved yourself.

As CEO, that grace period doesn't exist.

From day one, everyone's watching you and forming judgments. Your employees are deciding if you're the right leader. Your board is assessing whether they made the right choice. Your competitors are looking for signals about your approach.

The impressions people form in those first interactions are remarkably resistant to change. Once someone decides "she's strategic but doesn't care about people" or "he's nice but indecisive," that becomes how they see you. Forever.

Many a CEO will try for years to overcome the impression he's created in his first month. Many never fully succeed. The brand is set early on.

What Dimensions People Judge Fast

In my experience, people form impressions of new CEOs along three dimensions - and they do it fast:

Can this person actually do the job? 

People assess this through your early decisions, how you handle your first crisis, whether you ask smart questions, how you process information. One strong decision or one smart observation can establish competence. One confused moment can create lasting doubt.

Can I trust this person?

People watch how you treat people, whether you keep commitments, how you handle bad news, whether you take responsibility or deflect blame. Character impressions form through small moments more than big decisions.

Does this person care about me and my work? 

People assess this through visibility, whether you're accessible, if you remember names and details, how you respond in human moments. This is where some strategic CEOs fail - they focus so intensely on competence that they forget to establish connection.

The brand you build is the intersection of these three. And it happens fast.

The brand you build is the intersection of these three. And it happens fast.

What Actually Shapes Your Brand

What matters in those first 90 days:

Where you spend your time

Your calendar is a signal. If you're always with your CFO, people conclude finance matters most to you. If you rarely visit operations, they assume it's not a priority.

If you want to signal: "This person values the whole organization, not just the executive suite.", spend your first few months meeting individually with the top 50 people in the company - not just direct reports, but key technical experts, relationship owners, culture carriers, and the broader organization.

How you handle bad news

The first time someone brings you a problem, your response sets a pattern for years.

If you respond to bad news in your first month by asking: "How long have you known about this? Why am I just hearing about it now?", people will stop bringing you problems early. They will try to fix things first, and you will only hear about issues when they become crises.

If you respond: "Thanks for bringing this to me. Let's figure it out together.", problems will reach you early while still small.

Those two responses will create completely different information flows for your entire tenure.

Small acts of respect

How you treat support staff. Whether you're on time for meetings. If you remember people's names. Whether you look at your phone when people are talking.

These small signals shape your brand as much as big decisions. CEOs might lose credibility not through strategic mistakes but through consistent small acts of disrespect.

Your consistency

Are you the same person every day, or does your mood swing? Inconsistency creates enormous anxiety. People start managing around your moods instead of focusing on their work.

Imagine a CEO who is thoughtful and inclusive on good days, sharp and dismissive on stressful days. Their team never knows which version they’ll get. They will soon become cautious and guarded, and your brand might become "brilliant but unpredictable."

Your first crisis

Everyone's watching how you handle this. Do you stay calm? Do you blame others or take ownership? Do you include people or decide alone?

Imagine a CEO faces a customer crisis in his first month. Instead of hiding it or spinning it, he calls an all-hands meeting, explains what happened, takes responsibility, and lays out the fix. That moment will establish his brand as "transparent and accountable" more powerfully than any speech could do.

Why casual comments become company strategy

This all sounds like nitty-gritty detail stuff. In a way, it is. But in another, it isn’t. What makes this especially challenging as CEO is that your actions get amplified in ways you can't control or even see.

As CEO your actions get amplified in ways you can't control or even see.

You make an offhand comment about cost management in a hallway conversation. Within 48 hours, it's traveled through the organization as "the CEO's top priority." Projects slow down. People start second-guessing spending. You spend the next month clarifying that cost management is one priority among many - but the damage is done.

You skip one town hall because of a legitimate board conflict. By the end of the week, the rumor is "the new CEO doesn't care about employees."

You spend extra time with one executive because they're facing a complex challenge. Others notice and conclude that person is "the favorite" or their function matters more.

This amplification means you have to be dramatically more intentional than you've ever been.

This amplification means you have to be dramatically more intentional than you've ever been. That casual leadership style that might have worked as VP doesn't work at the CEO level. Everything matters now.

So, What Should You Do?

Define your intended brand before you start

Get clear: How do you want to be described six months from now? Not vague words like "strong leader" but specific descriptors like "decisive yet inclusive" or "strategic but cares about people."

Write it down. Use it as a filter for decisions in your first 90 days. Before you skip that team event or send that terse email, ask: does this align with the brand I'm building?

Be intensely visible early

In your first 90 days, err on the side of too visible rather than too invisible.

In your first 90 days, err on the side of too visible rather than too invisible.

Yes, you're busy. Yes, you need to learn the business. But building your brand requires visibility.

Walk the floors. Attend team meetings. Show up at company events. Have coffee with people at all levels. Schedule it like any other priority.

Check your brand at 90 days

Get 360-degree feedback early on. Create a safe way for people to tell you how you're actually showing up. The gap between your intent and their perception is always larger than you think.

Using someone external to gather this feedback might help. People are more honest when they're not talking directly to the CEO.

If you don’t like the feedback you get, change your approach, and the feedback will change, too.

Remember: Patterns become permanent

The way you handle your first crisis becomes "how the CEO handles crises." Your first people decision becomes "the CEO's approach to talent." Your first strategic choice becomes "the CEO's style."

Every early pattern is being watched, interpreted, and generalized. Make sure the patterns you're setting early on are ones you want to live with.

Make sure the patterns you're setting early on are ones you want to live with.

My takeaway

Your first 90 days as CEO aren't a learning period before your "real" tenure begins. They are the foundation of your entire tenure.

The leadership brand you build in those 90 days - intentionally or accidentally - becomes your permanent reputation. Changing it later is incredibly hard.

So be intentional. Be visible. Be consistent. Check your brand early. Adjust quickly when there's a gap between intent and perception.

Your people are watching from day one. Make sure what they see is what you want them to remember.

Your people are watching from day one. Make sure what they see is what you want them to remember.

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Marion Heil is the founder and managing director of Board+CEO Advisors. She is based in Vienna.

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If you're preparing for a CEO transition and wondering about what to watch for in those critical first months, just reach out. After 20 years of working with executives through transitions, we've learned that the best leaders are the ones who seek input early, not the ones who wait until they're struggling.