An incoming CEO or leader needs to make sure they are learning and 'selecting' the right moves for their new environment.
That's according to Nigel Nicholson, a professor of organisational behaviour writing for hrmagazine.co.uk, who has outlined a number of top tips for leaders looking to 'make their strategy stick'.
For instance, one way to shake up the workplace is to be unpredictable. Once people can 'read and anticipate' a leader's moves, they can be out-manoeuvered, according to Nicholson. As a result, being unpredictable can be a powerful strategy.
In addition, Nicholson notes that the first few weeks of the job will find CEOs or leaders reacting to 'all kinds of unfamiliar stimuli'. However, this is a good thing as leaders can 're-discover' themselves as well as the new work encironment. This helps leaders to tear off the past and press ahead with the re-setting of a company agenda, for example.
Finally, leaders need to ensure they are developing themselves as well as the workplace.
"Leaders can become good at things they find uncongenial. It just takes hard, disciplined work," he said. "There is a narrow boundary between authenticity and self-indulgence. Leaders with power who have the luxury of being able to avoid this discipline may have to make even more effort to practice it."
Nicholson's advice follows his study suggesting that one in ten CEOs lack someone to tell them 'hard truths', cites ameinfo.com.