It may not be fair, but your first few months as managing partner – the time when you are just starting to grasp the totality of your new job – may well turn out to be the most crucial in setting the stage for a tenure that hopefully should last for years.

In spite of how well your peers might claim to know you, your formal decisions, informal behaviour and symbolic acts will be closely scrutinised during those first few months. Everything you do and say will send out clear messages, set a tone, establish expectations and communicate what is of priority to you.

While these first 100 days represent a unique window of opportunity, they also hold the potential of your being easily misunderstood. How quickly you move may have your peers categorising your management style as either rash, purposeful or indecisive.

Who you consult with on the first decisions you make will feed the notion that you are inclusive, authoritarian or even playing favourites. People may label you as fair or arbitrary; a visionary or a cautious bureaucrat. Some may even be looking to test your authority.

Your initial decisions will shape perceptions of you that may well last for years. In addition, the speed at which everything moves will allow little time to ease into your new role. It sounds trite, but the key to your success is to approach this crucial time in a systematic way.

A new managing partner always signals a feeling that change is in the air. The incumbent is often eager to tackle the most obvious and fixable problems. And, the majority of partners expect new firm leaders to make changes.

The following steps can help you, as a new leader, best take advantage of the change-friendly (if not change-demanding) climate.

Before the handover

Before you consider what might be your highest priority in the first days of your leadership position, you might want to think about the period leading up to your officially taking office – the stage I call the 'countdown period'.

To improve your chances of hitting the ground running, use the weeks – or months – between being confirmed as the new managing partner and actually taking the reins to schedule numerous meetings and consultations with key individuals as well as plan your first few weeks in office.

. Position yourself as a leader who is eager to listen to the opinions of your peers. Seek their guidance and welcome their advice and feedback. You will definitely want to meet with any partner who was also a candidate for your job to obtain their support and determine how you might utilise their continued involvement.

According to one new managing partner, the answers that you get to any questions that you pose to your colleagues will be significantly different before you officially take office as compared with what you will hear after you become the new managing partner.

. Build a working relationship with the departing managing partner. Spend time listening, seeking your predecessor's input and demonstrating that you appreciate his past achievements and the legacy that he is handing off to you. In many cases, your predecessor will remain active within the firm, returning to their practice – perhaps even continuing to sit on the executive committee.

Clash of egos

Meanwhile, you may want to cancel some initiative that this individual worked hard to put into place, or alter a strategic direction that this leader championed. It can all make for a rather awkward and potential conflict of egos. Yet most departing leaders care deeply about the firm and are willing to help their successor, even when that successor is convinced that a new direction is needed.

The departing leader's knowledge, insight, ability to anticipate problems and their internal contacts (favours owed them by other senior partners) can be invaluable. All they need is for you to appreciate their past efforts, show some empathy for what they may be going through emotionally as they retire from leadership and ask for their help.

. Create constructive dialogue with key thought leaders and power brokers in your firm. Many of these individuals may be members of your firm's executive committee. You need to meet with every member on a one-to-one basis, especially those who are your most influential or critical peers and those who may have a direct opinion and impact on your ultimate success.

It is wise to identify the 'board within the board'- that faction of partners on the executive committee that wield dis-proportionate power. If you have not served on the executive committee, been a practice group leader or interacted regularly with the firm's management prior to being elected managing partner, take the time to understand the internal power politics before you officially assume office.

To each of them, ask: What are the festering problems that this firm has not been able to deal with? What are the most promising and unexploited opportunities to improve profitability and enhance firm growth? Where would you focus your attention if you were me? Who has the most promising leadership potential in your practice area?

. Tie up any loose ends with important clients. You will want to meet with your most important clients to explain in person the transition you are making with your responsibilities and how it could likely affect the manner in which you will interact with this client in the future.

Try to deal with any sensitive problems before you take office. You may be faced with needing to remove an incompetent individual (administrator or practice leader) soon after assuming your new position, or having to wait a respectable time before taking remedial action.

An overlooked alternative is to have the executive committee or departing managing partner make the necessary changes in advance of your first day. In one case, the exiting managing partner convinced two dysfunctional practice group leaders that she and they should retire their leadership positions together to allow for new blood to flow freely through the firm.

Plug your gaps

Figure out what you need to know and learn it quickly. A number of managing partners have reported that they wish they had the chance to acquire some important skills or know-how before taking office.

The period before you officially take on the new job may be ideal to assess and compensate for any identified shortcomings. One managing partner told me that not fully understanding accounting was his mental block file: "I wish I had spent a couple of days away at a course learning how to interpret the intricacies of monthly financial statements."

Consider that there may be a wide range of methods available to you to address any shortcomings. You could take a crash course in a particular skill area; meet privately with an external industry executive or technical adviser; hire a personal coach or consultant; or be mentored by the former managing partner or current executive director.

Whichever route you choose, you must assess whether your past experiences and skills have prepared you or whether there are some gaps that you should address before actually starting the job.

. Establish your advice network. Those who have an interest in your success can provide vital feedback and counsel. And, if you have internal trusted advisers who enjoy credibility within the firm, they can be influential in serving as a sounding board, guiding your actions, supporting your positions and encouraging compliance to implement your agenda.

In a few instances (far too few, I believe) a managing partner has been known to look outside the firm, to obtain both impartial and experienced counsel, from accomplished business leaders who have often experienced similar challenges and have a feel for what works and what may not.

Patrick McKenna is a principal in Edge International.