The first six months of a new senior appointment are crucial to the success of the manager and the wider business. Diane Coolican, Managing Director at Redsky Learning, shares her top tips on how newly-appointed senior level positions can hit the boards running.
Senior appointees are required to make an immediate impact and deliver results, whilst still learning the culture and process of the company. The value of implementing measures to fully integrate the new recruit into the company cannot be underestimated. Despite an increased awareness of the concept of Executive Onboarding over the past few years, leadership turnover continues to be a problem for big companies, with 40 percent of new leaders failing in the first 18 months, and positive onboarding experiences reported for less than a third of executives worldwide. I have found that effective onboarding programmes are the best way to tackle this.
Organisations tend to have high expectations of new senior recruits and what they can do for their business. Likewise, those recruits are usually keen to demonstrate their abilities quickly. New employees may have a wealth of experience and benefits they can bring to their new role, but are often not equipped with the simple tools that they need to navigate their way around the business. Organisations must ensure that recruits are given an onboarding induction so that, when coupled with their existing skills, they have the best chance of succeeding.
Development of leaders at all levels can be an extremely effective way of integrating high level appointments, so that they can put their experience into action.
There are five key points which organisations should consider on appointing senior executives to ensure they are supported within their new position and that their first six months turn into future success. Companies should remember that all employees are different with varying levels, strengths and experiences which deviate from the current integration and development programme. Organisations that work with business leaders to create bespoke and targeted onboarding plans will be the most successful in quickly and seamlessly integrating senior employees into the business. It is also crucial that companies identify the image and impact they want the employee to create, prior to joining and ensure that the onboarding programme matches this vision. Company strategy should be embedded within the onboarding programme. Typical programmes are often haphazard and disconnected from the company’s wider aims and objectives. Organisations need to identify their business needs ensuring that both long and short term goals are part of the onboarding programme and are included in leadership development programmes.
A common mistake is companies wait until a new recruit’s first day in order to introduce the important elements of the business. It is extremely difficult for directors to get going if they lack behind-the-scenes knowledge, which is invisible even to those that have done deep research on the business. Organisations should ensure they provide relevant and useful material for the new recruit before they even walk through the door on the first day. Start to talk to them about your organisational culture, their role and immediate objectives, particularly cultural engagement, which is integral for a smooth transition, as culture of course runs through behaviours, attitudes, relationships and values. Organisations must also explain their organisational history, to give an understanding of what has happened previously, to enabling the appointee to navigate around their new environment.
Encourage feedback from day one and throughout the onboarding process, organisations can ensure that the executive can anticipate obstacles and develop solutions quickly. This also helps them understand the expectations of their team, peers and senior management. Regular feedback will also shine a light on what has gone well and not so well, and will increase productivity from the first few weeks. What is vital is that organisations manage and monitor the transition, ensuring the recruit feels informed, welcomed and that they have the tools they need to hit the ground running. By employing these simple tactics, the rather alarming failure statistics for senior recruits will be improved.
