The Engineering Manager

New Company, Old Playbook?

A seasoned engineering leader shares a 90‑day playbook for transitioning into a new tech role, drawing on his recent CTO onboarding at Nordhealth after years at Shopify. The framework tackles the "expert beginner" paradox, emphasizing a listening‑first approach in the first 30 days, selective battle‑picking from days 30‑60, and delivering visible results by day 90. It also distinguishes transferable principles from company‑specific prescriptions and flags scenarios where rapid action is required. The guide blends personal anecdotes with research on effective leadership onboarding.