Defining the 4 Steps to Successful Onboarding
on·board·ing
ˌ änˈbôrdiNG/
noun
- the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new customer or client with one's products or services.
Companies may think that a thorough hiring process will automatically result in a new executive’s successful “coming-on-board” within their organization. It makes sense, right? Hiring committees spend so much time vetting and interviewing likely candidates – testing and probing their “right fit” – that once someone is in the new position or on the new team, integration of that new hire will happen organically.
That may well be true from the hiring committee’s point of view.
However, as the “newbie,” your work is just beginning.
Onboarding is a process, not a one-time deal.
Harvard professor, Dr. Michael Watkins, states that 58% of executives brought into a firm from the outside fail within 18 months. The direct cost of an onboarding failure is estimated to be up to 10 times that executive’s salary. And even more significant can be the indirect cost to a company in terms of loss of productivity, morale, and reputation.
Those statistics don’t have to be your numbers.
Here are four steps you can take when starting your new job that put the odds in your favor. (Ideally, you are already well on your way with steps one and two prior to accepting the position.)
1. Quickly get up to speed on the new company’s culture to minimize mis-steps. (Ideally, you are well into assessing your fit during the interviewing process as well). Talk to people and find out what the culture is like. What is valued? What is frowned upon? What made your predecessor successful – or not? The number one factor why executives fail is that they are not a good fit with the culture.
2. Build relationships with the people who are critical to your success (most of the people you’ll meet in the interviewing process will be key to your success)– your senior/CEO, your team members and your peers. Our brains are hardwired for social connection. For relationships. Creating an authentic sense of connection and trust with the people you depend on for your success goes a long way in setting yourself up with productive working relationships. When people feel trust, they are more creative, engaged and productive. Be interested in their opinion and experience at the company. What do they like about working in the company? What do they like about their job? What are some of the things they see getting in the way of things working optimally? People like to feel that they have something to contribute to a greater good.
3. Understand expectationspeople have of you and, as appropriate, make expectationsyou might have of them clear. What are they hoping you will make happen? How would they like to work with you? What are you hoping to get from one another in the first 30, 60 or 90 days? Unmet expectations create upset. Better to find out about expectations early on than assuming or guessing wrong, especially with your senior.
4. Create a game plan early onfor your first 90 days and share with your senior. Look at it frequently and adjust as necessary.
You don’t have to be a statistic. Follow these steps and you are on your way to a successful integration at your new job.
How about you? What has worked for you as you have taken on a new position? Tell me in the comments below. And if you like this, please share!