Carlyle’s task: Build for success in 90 days or less

Business theories hold that the first 90 days are make-or-break for new hires entering leadership roles. Even more so when the previous job-holder was dramatically fired and the position is under microscopic scrutiny.

So what can new Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle do in the next 90 days — or before the end of the regular season — to lay a foundation for success?

“He needs to come in with a clear vision and articulate that to the team confidently: ‘This what we’re going to do and this is how we’re going to do it,’ ” says Gordon Bloom, an associate professor of sports psychology at Mcgill University.

“And he needs to follow that plan whether it’s successful or not, because if he starts veering in different directions you’re going to see a lot of blips on the radar screen.”

Top-down decisions from senior management — like bringing in a new coach — are not always effective, says Julie Stevens, a professor in Brock University’s department of sports management. Carlyle needs to make sure changes to the team come from the bottom up.

“He needs to press the reset button,” Stevens says. Each player needs to be given a clear role, and know what they need to contribute so they can become the “initiators of change rather than the implementers.”

Carlyle will already have discussed the goals for himself and the team with Leafs general manager Brian Burke, a good strategy for any new hire, says Ann Pegoraro, the director of Laurentian University’s school of sports administration.

Even so, the coach has a lot of learning to do and little time in which to do it.

“He’ll be sleeping very little in the first 90 days,” Pegoraro says.

The task for any new leader is to evaluate and leverage his assets — in Carlyle’s case, his players and his relationship with the GM.

Carlyle made a good first move by making up with winger Joffrey Lupul, with whom he had strained relationship in Anaheim, Pegoraro says.

And since Burke is closer to his players than many GMS, he and Carlyle can balance roles.

“Carlyle can come in and be the tough taskmaster,” she says.

But the coach still faces a delicate balancing act, cautions Norman O’reilly, a sports business professor at the University of Ottawa. One of the rules of thumb for new leaders is to make your mark slowly while absorbing the work culture.

“Internally, people don’t like drastic changes . . . and Carlyle needs the team and the other coaches to be loyal to him and senior management to support him,” he says.

The key is not to be driven by the expectations of fans and the media, says Dan Mason, a sports management professor at the University of Alberta.

“The Leafs are a bit of an anomaly because the pressure placed on the coaching staff, the team and the management to show success makes it a difficult environment to work in,” he says.

Carlyle was hired on a three-year contract, but with just over a month remaining in the regular season he likely won’t get 90 days to establish the roots of his legacy. If he does, that just means the Leafs are in the Stanley Cup final.