How to Win Your First 90 Days as Head of Growth

Whether you’re stepping into a head of growth role for the first time or preparing for one, your early moves will set the tone for everything that follows.

And they’re harder than they look.

The pressure to deliver quick results is real. But chasing short-term wins without understanding the full system behind growth is a trap. You might improve a few metrics in isolation, but you risk building on a shaky foundation. Worse, you can end up reinforcing tactics that don’t scale.

Over the last couple of decades, I’ve stepped into many companies as an interim head of growth. My goal in those roles is to make meaningful progress within 90 days and often wrap up the engagement entirely within 3 to 6 months. That means I need to quickly diagnose, align, and execute. I can’t afford to spin my wheels or spend weeks “getting up to speed.”

So I’ve developed a system. Not a rigid checklist, but a flexible, battle-tested sequence I adapt to the situation on the ground.

Before I agree to join a team, I share a customized 90-day plan with the CEO. This serves two important purposes. First, it’s often a major selling point, giving the CEO a clear understanding of what I plan to do and why I plan to do it. Second, it helps align expectations so I’m less likely to be assigned work that doesn’t fit into the bigger picture. Of course, some off-plan tasks will still come up, but there tends to be far less of that when I’ve come in with a clear, strategic roadmap from day one.