Tips for onboarding to a new company

As an HR Business Partner, I’ve had my share of helping senior executives whom we’ve hired externally onboard into the company. Here are a few tips I’d like to share with you to help someone onboard successfully.

Let me share with you a story about John Mark (name changed for confidentiality). John was hired to become the head of Department X. He was 2 levels down from the CEO and was leading approximately 800 employees globally across 22 countries. Like most C-suite executives, he had a strong track record of success, and we hired him to lead transformational change in Department X. Sound familiar?

On his first day, I ate lunch with him. I walked him through his leadership team. We discussed his onboarding plan and what lay ahead for him in the coming weeks. I prepped him on the company culture and coached him on potential watch items.

In partnership with the communications team and as part of his onboarding process, he was to host a video call in his third week at the company to introduce himself to his global team. I still remember huddling into a small conference room with him and others. John sat in the middle of the room, facing the video conference, and the rest of us who supported him sat around the table. He had his notes in front of him, and he looked nervous, but ready. Almost 800 people dialed in.

The words that came out of his mouth surprised me. Instead of talking about himself and his vision (which is what we all expected), he spent half of the call describing what he had learned and seen during his first two weeks visiting the field offices. He described what was already built and how he admired the people and the work. He spoke about the company culture and was able to describe it so deeply that he quickly became one of us.

In the next 30, 60 and 90 days, I stayed close to him. He built relationships, gained followership, and onboarded successfully by rallying his team around his vision. I use John as an example, but there are countless other C-suite executives who I have seen succeed and here is what they do well in those critical 30, 60, and 90 days:

1. Listen First – Slow down and take the time to really learn the company, your department, your team, and the work. Ask a lot of questions. Talk less, listen more. Be curious.
2. Respect History – We often hire C-suite executives to come in and change things. I know you want to hit the ground running, but in order to implement change successfully, you will need to build followership first and understand what came before you. You won’t know what needs to be changed unless you truly understand the team’s history. Maybe the change idea you have in mind has already been tried in the past? What worked elsewhere may not necessarily work here. Understand past decisions and why they were made. By respecting history, you will gain your team’s respect and support. It also enables you to truly adapt your plan to the needs of the company.
3. Build Relationships – I know this one is obvious, but I can’t stress this enough. Take the time to reach out and get to know personally your stakeholders, customers, direct reports, team members, partners and support staff. When I say personally, I mean bring your whole self. Be authentic. What motivates them? Do they have a family? Know the names of their children. Talk about your children too, or your cat. Be human. This is how relationships are built.
4. Recognize – Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Recognizing the team goes a long way. If you do this in partnership with respecting history, you will gain instant followership. Recognize what came before you, all of the great things that are already there. Give recognition to your team members and make it a part of your routine.
5. Have a short-term win – In those critical first 3 months, there is a lot of pressure to prove yourself. Understand what outcomes are expected of you upon hire. Be ready to present a proposal with your recommended course of action to get to the expected outcome. Have a short-term win that aligns to the overall outcome. Or a series of short-term wins. Think of these as baby steps that make others have confidence in you. These wins will build up your credibility and eventually lead you to where you want to go. Oh, and don’t forget to recognize your team and celebrate those wins!

When I asked John Mark what his secret to onboarding was, his answer to me was, “Do what it takes to make your team successful. And tell your boss about them.”

Starting a new job or role? Be deliberate with your onboarding by having an executive coach by your side. Book your free introductory session now at www.leadershipwow.com