What's the right 90-day plan for a new family business CEO?

Three months, three distinct objectives. Month one is listening. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, has Gail Mitchell set this exact plan when she takes over Mitchell Industries. Month one focuses on understanding the team, key relationships, and where the company actually is. Month two is transition, formalizing the new authority and starting to make decisions. Month three is stabilization, locking in the new dynamic before any major changes. After the three months, the team gets together to formulate a longer-term plan. The discipline matters because most new CEOs feel pressure to prove themselves immediately by making changes. Premature changes alienate the team and signal that the new CEO doesn't yet understand the company. Three months of deliberate restraint earns the right to make the bigger moves later.