Onboarding For Sustained Success

Posted by Admin on Nov 8, 2011 in Blog Posts | 13 comments

In a survey by the Corporate Leadership Council, an average of 50% of newly hired executives quit or were separated within the first three years.

Transitions from the outside are much harder because executives from outside are: 1) not familiar with structure, informal networks and communication, 2) not familiar with the culture, 3) unknown and have less credibility than someone from within, and 4) simply viewed as outsiders.

Years ago, on the day a new executive (or any new hire for that matter) began work, it was customary to hand him or her a stack of HR forms, send them off to the standard orientation presentation or tour, and hope for the best. But today, in our fast-paced, global, customer-focused, economically challenged, and increasingly technical world, it takes much more to get a newly hired manager or executive up to speed and ready to add value to the enterprise. It is time to drop orientation from the workplace vocabulary and replace it with “ONBOARDING”.

The concept of onboarding implies the existence of a customized strategy for bringing a new person on board, with education around fundamental questions such as:

• What are the vision, mission, values and culture of this organization?
• What are the goals of the organization, department, and position?
• What is the role of each department and function, and how are they expected to work together?
• How do I and my responsibilities affect the department and the company?

BEST PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING

To position any newly hired executive for success, it is important that the organization prepares in advance, and continues to support the new individual throughout the first several months (and beyond). Depending upon the level of the executive, and the role to be played, consider an eternal executive coach for the person, with expertise and experience with effective onboarding processes. A coach, who is objective and skillful, can greatly assist with the individual’s assimilation into the organization, along with serving as a competent, and detached, sounding board for the new executive. In addition:

1. Develop a clear game plan for each hire.
   1. Before any newly appointed executive starts, take time to review the individual’s responsibilities for appropriate changes.
   2. Determine what the person will need to know in terms of company goals, organization, history, products, locations, customers, competitors, department objectives, policies and procedures, organizational norms, and team dynamics. Most importantly, insure that both short and longer term expectations are defined.
   3. Formulate and share a detailed plan for each day of the person’s first week; including time with other executives, introductory meetings with key stakeholders either separately or in small groups, and individual meetings with staff members to review roles and responsibilities.
   4. Insure that all technical and support systems are lined up and available for use from the first day. Make sure the person has what will be needed to function effectively, including someone to explain how it all works.
   5. Consider assignment of an in-house mentor for the new executive over the first six months. The mentor should be an experienced individual, typically at the peer level, with the knowledge and confidence to offer guidance regarding organizational culture and systems during the critical initial months in the new role.
2. Include all relevant departments. While the HR function typically controls the onboarding process, many others departments will likely have a critical impact on the individual’s success. When planning your process, make sure to include meaningful time with all key departments. Onboarding a new executive is a shared responsibility, with an expanded scope of involvement.
3. Clarify expectations from day one.
   1. Vague goals produce vague results; goals should be clear and set upfront.
   2. Set performance expectations and establish performance milestones at the one, three, six and twelve month points.
   3. Discuss the performance management process, compensation opportunities and career development programs and processes.
   4. Be candid regarding the challenges and problems which will be encountered regarding the company, the team, the marketplace, customers and competition
4. Take advantage of technology and networking. Explain what is available to the new executive on the company website, e-learning modules, PDF files, social networking opportunities.
5. Provide early and frequent feedback. Through formal and informal feedback processes, ensure that new hires stay focused on the right priorities and prevent bad habits from developing. Also, the process should promote a two-way dialog which allows the new executive to share perspectives and suggestions for improvements.

Leathers Milligan & Associates possesses significant experience in designing and implementing effective organizational onboarding programs. Our team of executive coaches is available to work with newly hired executives to insure a smooth and productive transition to new roles and responsibilities.