Tandy has a no-nonsense element in his armoury.
“Steve is a man with thick skin and a tough attitude,” said Wales and Lions wing legend Shane Williams.
“He is a no-nonsense guy and exactly what Wales need. He will make the squad mentally tough, hard to beat.
“He needs to instil it in the squad they are good players, they need to forget about the past 24 months.
“It’s not an overnight fix and he’s realistic in what he wants to achieve. I have complete faith in him.”
Tandy’s style is also hands-on and he has created a relatable head coach figure.
Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn has talked about how Tandy has phoned players before squads have been announced to keep in touch.
Prop Archie Griffin says Tandy is “not a head teacher type”, who is trying to get more involved with the players and not have division.
Wales assistant coach Danny Wilson, who worked with Tandy in Scotland, described him as a “caring and relationship coach”, who had already “put his stamp on the environment”.
Tandy has also changed the squad’s working week.
“I’ve been lucky to have experiences in different environments so I was looking at things and seeking feedback on how players felt,” said Tandy.
“It’s not a reflection of the past, it’s more about where we want to go to just change things up and make it feel different.”
Tandy has also moved Wales’ changing room at the Principality Stadium, a home venue where Wales have not won in nine matches and more than two years.
“It isn’t about streaks, it’s more about the scope to redevelop and change that landscape and how we see that working,” said Tandy.
“It wasn’t about not winning for a certain amount of time, it’s more if we’re changing things and learning differently, that needs to be matched down at the stadium.”