The first 120 days
make or break
a senior appointment.
50-70% of senior leader transitions fail.
The cost to the business is measured in lost momentum, departed talent, and millions in avoidable opportunity cost. This program exists to double your new leader's chances of success.
The highest-risk moment isn't the decision to appoint. It's the 120 days after.
50-70%
of senior leaders fail or underperform within 18 months
Harvard Business Review
$2.7M
average cost of a failed senior hire to the organisation
SHRM / CEB
90%
of leaders who receive structured transition support hit 3-year goals
McKinsey
When a senior leader fails to gain traction, the fallout is never contained.
A poorly supported leadership transition ripples across the organisation - and it starts with the people who made the appointment.
The organisation loses months of momentum
Top talent beneath them starts to leave
The cost of replacement compounds
As the appointer - your credibility is tied to their performance.
The Program
A 4-month system to set your leader up for success
Leader Xcelerator is a structured, coach-led transition program with two phases - designed to turn the highest-risk period into a launchpad for lasting performance.
Month 1
Ignite Day
A single intensive day where your new leader gains clarity on priorities, maps their team's strengths, identifies key stakeholders, and builds a 180-day action plan - accelerating by months what would otherwise take quarters.
Months 2-4
Propel Period
Three months of expert coaching, 360 feedback, and cross-functional stakeholder sessions - building the relationships, awareness, and momentum your leader needs to deliver results and earn trust fast.
What your leader walks away with
Clarity on priorities and leadership approach from day one
Deep insight into team dynamics, strengths, and gaps
Aligned relationships with key stakeholders across the organisation
360 feedback by month 3 to course-correct early
A concrete 180-day plan with built-in accountability
What changes when you invest in the transition
Accelerated credibility
Your leader earns trust and influence within weeks, not quarters.
Reduced appointment risk
A structured first-120-day system based on proven transition methodology dramatically lowers failure rates.
Faster organisational impact
Clear priorities, aligned stakeholders, and early wins that compound into sustained performance.
Retained top talent
Teams that trust their new leader stay. Teams that don't, leave - taking institutional knowledge with them.
Your confidence restored
Evidence that the appointment is working - visible to the board, to HR, and to you.
Built on proven principles
Leader Xcelerator is grounded in the first-120-day transition methodology established by Michael D. Watkins and the leadership acceleration framework developed by Ajit Kambil - former head of leader transitions at Deloitte Global for 23 years. Validated by decades of research from Harvard Business Review, McKinsey, and Gallup.
It is not a training course. It is a structured, coach-led transition system - designed to give your senior leader clarity, stakeholder alignment, and measurable early traction within their critical first months.
4 months
Structured transition program
Expert-led
Executive coach & facilitator
Proven
Based on 20+ years of research
Effective leadership transitions drive results.
Studies from Harvard Business Review, McKinsey, and Forbes show that structured transition support can double a leader's chances of success and:
90%
Greater likelihood their team will achieve 3-year performance goals
13%
Their teams can experience 13% lower attrition
5%
Their organisations generate 5% more revenue and profit than average
Leaders that struggle through their transition can see:
15%
Lower performance from their direct reports
20%
Higher disengagement or turnover
The studies show that when factoring the impact on performance, profit and reduced turnover, the ROI from transition programs can be:
+1000%
You don't get a second first 120 days.
Book a 30-minute strategic conversation to assess your situation, understand the transition risk, and determine whether Leader Xcelerator is the right intervention.
No obligation · Confidential · Senior-level discussion only