Speaking at a community college in Warren, Michigan, Trump said: “We've just gotten started; you haven't seen anything yet." He suggested that he had made progress in reducing immigration, stating that encounters between immigration officials and undocumented immigrants at the southern border have decreased to around 7,000 in March 2025, down from 140,000 in March 2024, according to a BBC report (30 April).
We asked commentators what senior leaders' focus should be within their first 100 days of the role, and how success should be measured.
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New senior business leaders should not rush into big projects or decisions in the first 100 days of their role, said leadership coach Zena Everett.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “The pressure to rush into [a situation that creates] a massive impact in the first 100 days is – with the notable Trump exception – largely confined to the history books. I’ve seen leaders launch new and often unnecessary projects far too early in order to look good; all they did was upset their teams who were already at capacity and became angry that they weren’t listened to. Those leaders were rumbled quickly and exited.
“Unless an organisation is in crisis, successful leaders should spend their first months taking stock, asking what the company needs them to be, and discovering what they need to put in place to maximise success.
“Short-term metrics like cashflow and revenue trends may not reflect the groundwork that the leader is putting in for sustainable growth. A more realistic measure in the early stages is if people across the organisation are on board with the strategy and know the purpose of the business. Good talent will stick around; that indicates leadership effectiveness.”
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The value of US stocks plummeted as a result of Trump's introduction of far-reaching tariffs. However, inflation has eased, under Trump, and energy and mortgage rates are down also, according to the BBC’s report.
Long-term leadership success should look quieter at first, suggested Nick Petschek, European managing director at leadership consulting firm Kotter International.
He said: “The most effective leaders don’t rush to impose their vision, they take time to understand the organisation, build trust, and surface untapped potential. Signs of staying power include thoughtful decision-making, a focus on systems over stunts, and a genuine effort to build coalitions across the business. Leaders who prioritise alignment, who listen deeply, and who resist the urge for hasty action tend to deliver the most lasting value.
“The difference between quick actions – making sweeping changes to be able to point towards 'first 100 days' successes – and deliberate actions is that quick actions presumes that the leader knows best, even about an organisation that they haven’t been part of, or that they are just beginning to learn about. Deliberate actions – taking the time to learn and understand the organisation – means that the leader knows and realises that they might be bringing in new ideas, but that there are also a lot of dormant or latent ideas that may be already in the organisation that just need to be activated. Early assessments of new leaders should measure their strategic intent and context-building for long-term success, rather than immediate 'wins' or quick actions taken to align to an arbitrary timeframe.”
