On today’s Dear Heretics segment, Kelli and Nolan deliver candid, practical advice for Chief People Officers navigating their critical first 90 days, featuring real-world insights on building stakeholder trust, executing quick wins, and establishing strategic organizational influence.

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KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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LINKS:

For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00 ) Intro

(01:13 ) Three Core Goals for New CPOs

(01:41 ) Common Fail States to Avoid

(02:03 ) Over-Communicating with Your CEO

(02:23 ) Building Executive Relationships Beyond One-on-Ones

(02:58 ) Getting to the Ground Floor: The Modern Executive Approach

(03:19 ) The Colleen McCreary Method: 100 One-on-Ones in 90 Days

(04:26 ) Quick Wins and Board Relationship Strategy

(04:44 ) Four-Pillar Framework in Action

(05:34 ) Pre-Start Transparency: Setting Expectations Early

(06:40 ) The Four Pillars: Listen, Execute, Strategize, Build

(08:18 ) The Brutal Reality: 3X Speed for Three Months

(09:15 ) Sprint vs Marathon: Managing Energy and Family Expectations

(09:58 ) Reframing “S**t Shows” as Solvable Problems

(11:22 ) The Critical Importance of In-Person Time

(12:13 ) Sponsors: Ethena | Planful

(15:22 ) Building on Company Strengths vs Starting from Scratch

(16:31 ) Team Building Strategy: Know Before You Walk In

(17:47 ) Making “Unnatural” Efforts for Face-Time

(18:33 ) Build Your Scaffolding or Die: The Team Priority

(20:14 ) Ditch HR Speak: Talking Business, Not Corporate Vernacular

(21:47 ) CEO Shadowing: What It Really Means

(23:00 ) Real Partnership: Daily Communication and Quick Feedback Loops

(23:59 ) Sponsor: Metaview

(25:18 ) The Bait-and-Switch Problem in Executive Hiring

(27:10 ) Market Reality: Nine-Month Average Tenure Crisis

(29:21 ) Board Relationships and Air Cover Strategy

(30:10 ) Building Your Narrative: Board Meeting Preparation

(31:41 ) Documentation Strategy: Journaling and Whiteboarding

(32:09 ) Wrap

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