From Individual Contributor to Strategic Leader: Your First 90 Days as a New VP

Daniel Carter

Hey everyone, welcome to The Velocity Executive. I’m Daniel Carter, and I’m here with leadership pioneer, Todd Curzon. Today, we’re diving into what really matters in those first 90 days when you land that new VP role—especially if it’s your first one. It’s, like, suddenly your whole job goes from handling your own stuff as a manager to this whirlwind of stakeholder meetings, managing, what, five times the number of people, and trying to sound like you totally belong in a room full of execs who’ve all been there forever. It’s a lot.

Todd Curzon

You’re absolutely right, Daniel, and, uh, I’ll be honest—I remember that shift, right? It’s not just “work harder” anymore. You have to think way bigger, your teams are bigger, and the stakes... well, they’re not just about missed deadlines. It’s business results, budget responsibility, people looking up to you for direction, sometimes hundreds of folks. I messed that up a few times early on, actually. But we’ve got some frameworks and, you know, real practical tips for dialing in your executive presence, building influence—especially when you’re not the only one calling the shots.

Daniel Carter

Yeah, and for anyone listening who’s headed up a $5M or $50M division, or maybe got tossed right into a big cross-functional initiative—this is the stuff you’re gonna want in your toolkit. We’ll dig into the mistakes to avoid and, well, the playbook that gets you out of “just do more” mode and into real strategic leadership territory.

Todd Curzon

And, look, if you’re feeling that imposter syndrome or, uh, maybe you’re realizing half your old habits just don’t scale anymore, you’re actually in the right place. That’s what we’re all about.

Daniel Carter

Alright, Todd, let’s wrap this up for now. Stick around for the full episode—we’re lookin’ forward to having this conversation with you. Thanks for joining me, Todd.

Todd Curzon

Wouldn’t miss it, Daniel. See you all next time!