Polonious Says:

1. Promote yourself. Make a mental break from your old job and prepare to take charge in the new one.
2. Accelerate your learning. Decide what is most important about the new position and develop a systematic learning plan to climb the learning curve as fast as possible.
3. Match strategy to situation. Diagnose the business situation and clarify its challenges and opportunities.
4. Secure early wins. Identify ways to create value and improve results to build personal credibility.
5. Negotiate success. Know your 'behavioral profile' and plan a series of critical conversations about expectations, style and resources for personal development.
6. Achieve alignment. Determine the means by which organizational structure can be tied to strategy and goals.
7. Build your team. Learn about their 'behavioral profiles'. Evaluate the available personnel and work towards 'square pegging', filling gaps where necessary.
8. Create coalitions. Identify where support is needed to achieve goals and determine how to build alliances.
9. Keep your balance. Work with a mentor. Establish a personal advice and counsel network.
10. Expedite broadly. Assist those around you in accelerating their own transitions.

(with acknowledgement to AIM)