BTB15: The First 90 Days | Michael D. Watkins

Before the Bestseller


Today’s guest wrote The First 90 Days, which since its release in November of 2003, has sold    over 1.5 million copies. Mention The First 90 Days to anyone in a leadership, management, or HR role and they’ll nod while saying,  “I’ve read it and annotated it with highlights, writing in the margins, and my copies filled with sticky notes.”

It was on the Business Week’s best-seller list for 15 months.

The author, Michael Watkins, went from teaching Corporate Diplomacy at HBS to confounding a leadership development company, Genesis Advisers, where he’s worked with hundreds of leaders, including those at many Fortune 200 organizations to help accelerate leadership transitions within their organization.

Look on Amazon today and the book is consistently labeled a bestseller in some of the top Amazon categories, has almost 5,000 reviews, and even just a few days ago, was ranked in the top 700 books. The book’s been selling for over a decade and continues to do just that.

The First 90 Days has also been translated into 29+ languages, named top 100 best business books of all time by 800-CEO-Read, named the “onboarding bible” by The Economist, and was listed among Amazon’s Top Business Books to Read in a Lifetime.

I’m excited to chat with Michael about how he was able to craft, not just a timely message that resonated with so many people, but one that’s lived on for going on two decades.

Connect with Michael here
Get on the Genesis Advisors Newsletter here
Join IMD’s The First 90 Days Program here

Alex Strathdee
BeforeTheBestseller | AdvancedAmazonAds

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