First Level Leader

First 90 Days Guide – New American Express People Leaders

May 2012
First 90 Days Guide

Introduction
Congratulations and welcome to your new people leader role!
At American Express, we believe it is a privilege to lead others. We also recognize that
leading people requires a special skill set and it‟s important to provide you the right level of
support and guidance during your transition. This guide provides tips, tools, and
resources for the first 90 days in your role as a new people leader.

In this guide, you will find key learning resources and actions that address 5 core
objectives:

1. Develop a Learning Plan

2. Establish a relationship with your leader
3. Get to know your team
4. Build your network
5. Understand your role and Business Processes

Additionally, the following templates and tools are included to support you throughout
these activities:
•Learning Plan: template • Mentor Meeting: discussion topics

•Leader Meeting: discussion topics • Meet & Greet Interview: template

•Team Meeting: discussion topics • Leader reflection questions & topics

•Peer Buddy Meeting: discussion topics • Quick Links to resources & tools

Your leader will be a key partner in creating a development plan that is tailored just for
you. At American Express, we believe 70% of your learning comes from relevant on-
the-job learning in your day to day, so your leader will work closely with you on how to
apply the right on the job activities for the greatest learning and most immediate impact.

We encourage you to take every opportunity to learn, stretch yourself, ask the right
questions and listen hard, regularly seek feedback from your team, leader and others and
remember that people leadership is a privilege. Enjoy your journey!

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First 90 Days Guide

Objective 1: Establish your Learning Plan

You are now a leader of people– congratulations! As you begin your new role, below are
recommended learning activities and resources to help you get organized and start strong
in your new position.

Have previous leadership experience? Whether you have led people in other organizations,
or in another capacity such as a project or consultant team lead, leading at American
Express will likely be a different experience. Take the time to review these materials, and
while some may serve as “refreshers” the majority will give you insight to the unique
responsibilities and privileges of leading at AXP.

Activity To Do’s
Create your  Work with your Leader to create your F90 Day Learning Plan
F90 Days using the My First Learning Plan template in the Tools &
Learning Plan Templates section of this guide. Select the relevant activities in
each of the 5 Focus Areas in this guide and add to your plan.
Register for  Enroll in the AXP First Things First: Learn to Lead Program
Learn to Lead  Complete the first 5 components of the program to help you
Program understand your role as a leader and the required mindset shift :
1. Program Launch Module
2. Leader Mindset Self Study
3. Ken Chenault & Sameer Sharma Leadership Insights
Weeks 1-4

4. EQi Assessment
5. Sign up for the Leader Mindset Debrief Session

If new to AXP:  Discuss with your leader the timelines to complete required
complete mandatory enterprise training such as, compliance, information &
Mandated security, anti money laundering, etc
Enterprise
Training
If new to  Discuss and plan for any Leadership Training requirements for
Business Unit: your business or department.
complete  Identify any specific business unit training available to learn
Business Unit/ about your functional role and responsibilities
Functional
Training

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First 90 Days Guide

Objective 2: Establish a Relationship with your Leader

As a new or transitioning People Leader, it is critical that you understand what is

expected of you and how to best relate with your new leader and the business. Set up
regular meetings with your leader to discuss goals and expectations, and what additional
support your leader can put in place to help you.

Activity To Dos
Understand  Meet with your leader to develop your understanding of your role
Leader expectations and start building your business knowledge . Use the
Expectations recommended discussion topics outlined in the My First Leader
and Goals Meeting template attached in the Tools & Templates section of this
guide.
 Ask your leader to walk you through the American Express
Leadership Model, Leadership Competencies, Employee
Engagement & Leadership Philosophies.
 Discuss with your leader if there are some early wins in order to build
credibility and create momentum with your team.

Get Systems  Get Access to the systems you will need to use. Your leader or
Weeks 1- 3

Access department assistant may have already started this process with
technologies. ie. Equipment, IDs, systems, etc
 Become familiar with the Outlook, Office Communicator, Live
Meeting, etc.
Identify your  Have your leader assign you a mentor and peer buddy. This should
Buddy/Mentor be someone who is an experienced People Leader that you can
learn from.
 Meet with him/her at least once a week to discuss key business
topics & questions, challenges, ask for advice and share how you
are feeling about your new role. You can also arrange opportunities
to observe this person conducting meetings or 1-2-1s. Use the My
First Peer Buddy Discussion Template & Mentoring Discussion
Topics to support your discussions
 Also set up weekly meetings with your leader to discuss what you‟re
learning and reflect on your progress. Use the Reflection Template
in the Tools & Templates Section.

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First 90 Days Guide

Objective 3: Get to know your team

To integrate well into your new team and quickly establish yourself as their new leader,
you should start to build openness and trust immediately upon your arrival. Discuss best
practices with your leader and complete the following activities.

Activity To Do’s
Get to know  Hold 1-2-1s and focus on getting to know each member of
your team your team. Get to know their strengths, opportunities, working
members. style, interests, etc. Also share with them key points about
you and your leadership style and preferences.
Weeks 1- 3

Establish how  Conduct your first team meeting and discuss important areas
you and the of team dynamics, getting to know each other and how you
team will work will operate as a team, establish expectations. Use My First
together. Team Meeting Template in the Tools and Templates section
to help you.

Understand  Review each individual team members last performance

team and reviews, development plans, scorecards, goals, etc to get a
individuals thorough overview of overall performance.
performance  Engage team in problem solving performance issues/pain
results & metrics points and identify some quick wins to remove obstacles.

Understand your  Complete the People Leader Overview

role in  Leverage the conversation starters and questions conduct a
Employee
Weeks 4-6

“What Motivates You” conversation with each of your direct

Engagement reports.

Understand how  Identify how each member of your team likes to be rewarded
individual and and recognized and find out what is important to them.
teams are  Learn how your leader and peers provide rewards and
rewarded and recognition to team members.
recognized
 Complete AXP RewardBlue recognition program training
tutorial on the Square.

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First 90 Days Guide

Objective 4: Build your Network

In addition to building relationships with your leader and direct team, you should also
reach out to peers, leaders, colleagues and key business partners to establish and
strengthen those working relationships.

Activity To Do’s

Establish  Identify your support team members and learn the business,
relationship culture and how to gets thing done in your dept. Who are your
with your “Go To” resources? Ie, administrative items, technology &
support team technical support, training, human resources, etc
Weeks 1-4

members  Who are your department Subject Matters Experts?

Identify Peer  Set up some time with your peers. Learn about their leadership
Network experiences as a people leader, how do they approach their role,
responsibilities, how they prioritize their day to day work, what
challenges have they faced, ask for tips on how to be successful

Build key  Ask your leader for guidance in identifying the right contacts to
business begin building key business partnerships and the best way to
Weeks 4-8

partnerships contact the interviewees and to schedule time on their calendar.

 Be sure to include individuals with technical expertise, cultural,
political and business knowledge you will need to accomplish
your work.

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First 90 Days Guide

Objective 5: Understand your People Management Role

There are a number of key tools and resources that will support you with some of the
people management requirements of your leadership role. Complete these activities to
help you learn about them.
Activity To Do’s
If new to AXP:  Complete the Global Orientation program on the Square to learn about
Weeks 1- 4

Get to Know American Express; Who We Are, What We Do, and How we have
American become one of the world‟s most respected Service Brands.
Express

 Learn about the People Management processes and systems. You will
Understand HR need to ensure you understand how to manage employees or perform
People other PL functions. Review related sites on The Square for an
Management overviews & tutorials. The Square > My Life & Career > People
Processes Management
 PMP Modules
 Recruitment- Hire for My Team
 Onboarding New Employees Tools & Resources
 Review Policy Center for your market
 Review People Management functions
 Compensation & Benefits, Rewards & Recognition, etc
Complete HR  Complete WBT on CareerTrack System. CareerTrack Performance &
Systems Talent provides a new, one-stop, paperless system to link goals,
Weeks 4 - 12

Training development plans, performance reviews, talent assessments and

talent profiles together.
 Complete PeopleTrack System Training which is the single system of
record for employees for managing workforce transactions.

Overview of  Review the video and resources available on the Recruitment Site. Its
Recruitment everything related to recruitment at American Express. How to fill a
Functions role, apply for one or refer a candidate all in the same place.

Understand the  Explore American Express Global Diversity & Inclusion strategy, tools,
AXP Business and training resources to understand AXP D&I priorities and Your Role.
Imperatives of  BlueWork is the new brand for flexibility at American Express. It‟s how
Diversity and work gets done at American Express by focusing on the winning
Inclusion combination of workstyles, work arrangements, workspace, and
workplace technologies which drives great flexibility for our employees
while effectively utilizing our workspace Square>My Life & Career>My
Career & Development>BlueWork

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First 90 Days Guide

My First Meeting Tools & Templates

1. Learning Plan: Template

2. Leader Meeting: Discussion Topics
3. Team Meeting: Discussion Topics
4. Peer/Buddy Meeting: Discussion Topics
5. Mentor Meeting: Discussion Topics
6. Meet & Greet Interview: Template
7. Reflections Questions & Topics
8. Quick Links to Resources & tools
First 90 Days Guide

My First Learning Plan

The first 90 days in role is about exploring, meet and greets, beginning to orientate self to
AXP culture etc. Create your individual plan in partnership with your leader that is specific
to your needs and in alignment with the recommended actions outlined in this guide.

Timeline Activity Objective Partner

Wk 1

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 First 90 Days Guide

My First Leader Meeting

In your first meeting with your leader, think through what you would like to share about yourself
and what you‟d like to know about them, their expectations of you and responsibilities. Below
are suggested questions to explore.
Leader Discussion Topics
Getting to Know each other:
 What motivates me and keeps me engaged in my work?
 What style of communication and leadership do I best respond to?
 What expectations do I have of my leader?
 What type of coaching and support do I need now?
 What can you tell me about your leadership style? (e.g. philosophy, on accessibility,
empowerment and risk taking, decision making, coaching )
 What is your preference for how communicate with you and when?
 What is your approach to learning and development in the team?
Understanding My Role as a People Leader:
 What are my goals? How do these goals align to your goals and the organization goals?
 Who are our key customers? What products or services do we provide? What customer
opportunities do we have right now?
 What are the major challenges we face?
 Where do we fit into the overall structure of American Express Who are the senior leaders of
our business unit? (connect all the way to the CEO, Ken Chenault)
 What is the culture like? What will help me better understand the culture? What challenges will
I face?
 Who are the key players in our business/staff group unit?
 Who are my colleagues and what are they responsible for?
 How do we interact with our customers?
 How do we interact with other American Express departments/employees? e.g. Do we conduct
work through conference calls, face to face meetings, via email?
 What expectations do you have of me? What is critical to me being successful here?
 What opportunities do you see for me to establish some early and quick wins?
 What do you see as being my core learning plan priorities given the First 90 Day guide
recommendations and the Learn to Lead education experience?

List additional topics for discussion_______________________________________________

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 First 90 Days Guide

YOUR 90 DAY KEY ACHIEVEMEPLAN

My First Team Meeting
In your first team meeting, you will want to begin to build a strong foundation and quickly
establish yourself as their new leader. There are key areas that are crucial for a team
working together as a collaborative unit and it will be best to start there.
Team Discussion Topics
Share information about yourself and spend time getting to know each other.
 Tell the team about yourself: background, personal interests & hobbies, leadership philosophy
& expectations.
 Describe your personal and professional motivators: what keeps you engaged in your work?
 What is your workstyle ? Share your style in other areas such as: communication, handling
conflict, coaching, collaborating & decision making?
 Share the expectations you have of the team.
 How will you get to know the team?
 What is your vision ? What are your short and longer term objectives for the team?
 Share your strengths and opportunities as a leader. How are you addressing your
opportunities?
 Share your Leader Learning plan and describe how the team can support you?

What else would you like to share?

Engage the Team in discussion on:

 Ask the team what else they would like to know about you.
 Discuss team operating principles. (for example, View constructive conflict as healthy, If you
don‟t get it; seek clarity
 How often will the team meet as a group and how are the agenda s planned?.
 What are the major challenges facing our team ? What ideas or solutions does the team have to
address?
 What is the culture like? What will help me better understand the culture? What challenges will
I face?
 What expectations do you have of me? What advice do you have for me to be successful
here?
 How can you earn and build their trust?

What else would you add?_________________________________________________________

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First 90 Days Guide

My First Peer, Mentor, Buddy Discussion

A Buddy will assist you acclimate to your new

environment and your new role. He/She will be
accessible for questions and conversations that may arise
over the next several months.

Below are a few trigger questions to help get you started

on your journey with your relationship with your Buddy:

Discussion Topics
 What is a typical day like?
 What regularly scheduled team meetings are there?
 What types of communications does the team typically use?
 What information resources will be helpful to me to acclimate to my new position?
 What is the culture like? What do I need to know to help me better understand the culture?
 Who are the key players in our business unit? Who are my colleagues and what are they
responsible for?
 How do I get resources and information I may need ?

 What is your overall area of responsibility?

 What are the major challenges?

 How do you see us working together?

 Who are some of the more influential people in the department?

 What do you think will help me to be successful here?

 Are there any watch-outs I should be aware of?

What Else? _________________________________________________________

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 First 90 Days Guide

My First Mentor Discussion

Your first meeting with devote time for getting to know each other as well as discussing and planning the terms
of your mentoring relationship. Summarize your expectations for the mentoring relationship and address the
logistics of your meetings by discussing these questions:
 How should we work together? How often should we meet? Where should we meet?
 What is the best way to stay in touch between meetings?
Mentoring Discussion Ideas
Here„s a list of discussion topics that could be of benefit when discussed between mentors and mentees:
 How do you inspire or influence others
 How do you position your ideas, proposals, and positions so that they„ll be heard?
 How do you stand up for what you want?

 How do you practice Inclusive Leadership

 What criteria do you use in making key decisions
 During decision-making when do you delegate? How do you delegate?
 How do you build a high-performing team? How do you “collaborate‟?

 “Risky Business”
 How do you foster new ideas and make them happen?
 How do you assess and evaluate how much professional risk to take?
 How do you increase your effectiveness in identifying and managing risks?

 What is your leadership point of view

 What are the essential characteristics of effective leaders?

 Career Development
 How do you navigate a complex organization?
 How do you help team members reach their career goals? How do you develop your best talent?

 Virtual Leadership
 How do you effectively lead workers who aren„t in the office (telecommuters, remote offices, etc.)?
 How do you lead teams/members across different geographies, cultures and time-zones?
 What economic, technological, or business trends do you see in your industry/profession, and what impact do these
trends have on business strategies as well as individual career choices?

 The Global Market

 How is the global economy impacting our industry and organization?
 How do you stay informed of global changes?
 How do you renew focus and energy in your team/members across cultural boundaries?

 Change Leadership
 How do you keep up with the rate and acceleration of change in the company?
 How do you keep people aligned, engaged, and resilient in the midst of rapid change?
 Tell me about your skills in change management. What techniques do you draw upon to help both yourself and others
through the change process?
 How do you help your team win through change?
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First 90 Days Guide

My First Meet & Greet Interview Template

Your interview plan will help you make connections and start to build your network. Reach out to
leaders & colleagues in your business group and adjacent businesses to establish and strengthen
working relationships. Below are some initial questions to consider to start the process:

Discussion Topics
 What is your overall area of responsibility?
 What are the major challenges?
 How do you see us working together?
 Who are some of the more influential people in the department?
 What do you think will help me to be successful here?
 Are there any watch-outs I should be aware of?
What Else?
Meet & Greet Objective/Topic Priority Interview Additional partners to connect
Date/Time with on this objective
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:
Name:
Role:
Contact Info:

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First 90 Days Guide

Reflect on your TRANSITION: Put It All Together

An essential part of your development is checking your progress. It is sometimes only when we
stand back and reflect that we realize we have learned and developed. Identifying the
progress/developments you are making will give you confidence, and help you think about how
you apply this further. It will also help you see the overall picture of your development, and where
you need to focus next.
You should be checking your progress every week in your one-to-ones with your leader. You can
also have these discussions with your peers if this helps. In these meetings you should be
discussing things like:

Discussion Topics

 How are you feeling about how things are going?

 How have your addressed some of your immediate learning priorities? What else do you
need to consider?
 What take-aways do you have from your completed interviews?
 What insights into the organization do you have from your leader/buddy/meet and greet
interviews?
 Who are your key business partners? What are they expecting from you? How can you
best help them achieve their goals and objectives?
 What are the expectations of your leader and the overall organization?
 What support do you need from your leader?
 Overall, what are your key learnings/insights from your first 90 days?
 What if anything do you need to do differently?

Add additional topic considerations:

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

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First 90 Days Guide

Quick Links to TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Introduction to American Express
American Express New Employee •The Square >> My Life & Career >> My Career & Development >> Global Orientation
Orientation

American Expresss.com •American Express credit Cards, Rewards, Travel and Business Services

Mandatory Enterprise Training •The Square>>My Tools>>Mandatory Enterprise Training

***Code of Conduct Training •The Square > My Tools > Mandatory Enterprise Training > Programs > Code of Conduct
** All New Employees must complete Code of Conduct Training within first 30 days of employment

American Express Business •Amex Customer Journeys' Training – An interactive, web based, business training curriculum. Provides an overview of
Knowledge products and service through the eyes of our customers.

-Economics of Card •The Square>>Staff Groups>>Finance>>Finance Virtual University>>News and communications>>What is New on
Fundamentals FVU>>2009 What is New>>Basics of Card Economics Training – Updated

Performance Management •The Square>>My Life & Career>>My Career & Development>>Performance Management
Process (PMP)

CareerTrack System •The Square > My Life & Career > HR Tools & Applications > CareerTrack Performance & Talent

Leadership Development •Square>>My Life & Career>>My Career & Development>>Leadership Development

Leadership Model & •The Square > My Life & Career > My Career & Development > Performance Management > Leadership Competencies
Competencies

Leadership Insights •The Square > My Life & Career > My Career & Development > Leadership Development > Leadership Insights

Business Fundamental Skillsoft •The Square > My Life & Career > My Career & Development > Learning > Business Fundamentals-Web Based Training
Web based Training

American Express Coaching & •The Square>>My Life & Career>>My Career & Development >>Leadership Development>>Recognize & Influence
Feedback Performance>>Feedback and Coaching

PARAS •The Square > My Life & Career > My Career & Development > Performance Management > Coaching and Feedback

Leader As Teacher •The Square > My Life & Career > My Career & Development > Leadership Development > Help My Employee Develop >
Be a great Leader As Teacher

Diversity & Inclusion •The Square>>Staff Groups>>Human Resources>>Global Diversity & Inclusion

People Management HR Processes

People Management – •The Square > My Life & Career > People Management
Compensation & HR Processes

U.S. Payroll •The Square>>My Life & Career>>My Money>>Salary & Payroll
International Payroll •The Square>>My Life & Career>>HR Tools & Applications>>International Epayroll

Global Employee Policies & Forms •The Square > My Tools > Global Policies
•The Square>>My Life & Career>>Form Center

HR Self Service •The Square > My Life & Career > HR and Employee Online Services (EOS)

Employee Online Services – HR The Square > My Life & Career > HR and Employee Online Services (EOS) > Contact EOS
Support

Global Recruitment Site •The Square > My Life & Career > Recruitment

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First 90 Days Guide

Quick Links to TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Employee Information & Resources

Learning Management System •The Square>>HR Tools & Applications>>My Learning

My Benefits •The Square > My Life & Career > My Benefits

My Tools •The Square>>My Tools

Employee Programs •The Square>>My Life & Career>>Employee Programs

Employee Reward & Recognition •The Square > My Life & Career > RewardBlue
RewardBlue

•Intro to The Square - AXP Intranet •The Square >> About The Square

•Acropedia -Amex Acronyms •The Square>>My Tools>>Acropedia+

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