Ensure success
A study published in the Academy of Management Journal looked at 264 new employees and found that the first 100 days of employment are crucial for building rapport with management and co-workers.
Without support or direction, employees often don’t end up staying with the company past four months. That’s why for us, onboarding is one of the most important parts of what we do.
Beyond any company induction, our experience tells us that the most successful hires have a clear understanding of their development plan and how they will fit into a ‘new’ culture together with a deep understanding of how easily the candidate will successfully navigate the first 3 to 6 months of the new job.
Many companies are aware of the benefits of onboarding new employees as opposed to simply training them. With adequate support from leaders, new hires tend to feel more positively about their job and work harder.
We place many senior executives into appointments, it is rare for a client to have what might be deemed as a full induction programme. Yes, there are often off the shelf programmes, but they aren’t really tailored for people joining at a senior level.
It is also difficult for senior people to know who to turn to. There is a mentality that senior people should be able to work it out for themselves. That isn’t always the case, we are all people after all.
Here are some ways you can ensure your new senior executive is successful.
External coaching
External coaching is one way that senior leaders can have someone to talk to during the first 100 days, someone who can help them get their plans in order and to ensure that they get their messaging right.
Mentoring
Although mentoring is similar to coaching, giving someone to talk to and discuss thoughts and ideas, it is longer-term. Mentoring can continue way past the onboarding period to ensure continuous success.
Engaging with the culture
It’s important for the exec to assess and understand the values, beliefs and attitude within the business early on.
Aligning with stakeholders
Ensuring your new senior executive has the support of bosses, peers and other colleagues will help to make the transition smooth. Set up meetings early on to encouraging relationship building.
On-demand video
Normally your onboarding material is an informal combination of meetings, handbooks and notes. Have you thought about a tailored program for new executives? Some companies are using video – incorporating all relevant info to bring senior executives up to speed as quickly as possible.
You can view more about James Cumming our change and business transformation specialist here.
Keen to understand more about our ‘first 100 days’ programme and the impact it has on new joiners? Get in touch with me directly james@refind.co.uk.