Onboarding: Promoting the Successful Integration of a New Executive
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Transcript of Onboarding: Promoting the Successful Integration of a New Executive
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IniEaEng a new execuEve hire is a criEcal decision for any
organizaEon. Much thought and effort goes into determining the
responsibiliEes of the role, the qualificaEons
and personal characterisEcs of an ideal
candidate, and who on the execuEve
management team will be involved in the
interview and selecEon process. Even with
appropriate planning, many staEsEcs show
that between 40% and 50% of new leaders
fail or leave the company within their first 18
months. What can your organizaEon do to
improve its onboarding process and
encourage the successful integraEon of a
new execuEve?
Onboarding takes into account the specific
role and its responsibiliEes, and is considered
by many to be a criEcal component in determining the success of a new execuEve.
In a recent survey conducted by the Society
for Human Resource Management, only 14%
of parEcipants indicated that their company’s
onboarding programs begin during the
recruitment stage. The majority iniEate the process at the
acceptance of an offer or upon the new execuEve’s start date.
These organizaEons may be missing key opportuniEes to develop
and launch a successful onboarding strategy, which should begin as
soon as the company determines that an execuEve posiEon needs
to be filled, and may conEnue for several months or even up to a
year aZer the individual joins the company.
Ques&ons to Consider Before and During the Hiring Process
1. Are there current employees who believe they could be a natural
fit for the opportunity and may feel slighted if not considered?
Having conversaEons with these individuals to discuss the role,
their own qualificaEons, and the company’s plan for idenEfying
candidates can go a long way in gaining the support of these
exisEng employees. In some cases, it may also
be appropriate to have these individuals
involved in interviewing candidates to gain
their support during the hiring process and
when the new execuEve joins your firm.
2. What impact would hiring an individual
from an outside organiza<on have on exis<ng
staff? Is the new execu<ve going to replace an
outgoing leader or is this a new role?
Considering the potenEal consequences and
issues surrounding the hiring of the new execuEve, and engaging in early
communicaEon with staff members who will
be directly affected can help to prevent rumors
and speculaEon, while earning the support of
the employees.
3. What personal characteris<cs are most
appropriate for the new execu<ve to have?
What type of leadership style will be required? Is this execu<ve
going to be expected to implement significant changes within the
department or organiza<on?
OZen, when a new leader is being brought in to reorganize an
organizaEon, business unit, or department, it is the individual’s
personal a8ributes that can have the most influence on the
outcome. IdenEfying the personal characterisEcs and leadership
style that will best suit the organizaEon and its goals will help in
assessing candidates and allow interviewers to consider those
aspects of the individual in addiEon to his or her experience and
qualificaEons.
Onboarding:
Promoting the Successful Integration of a New Executive ‐ by Tracy L. Boczkowski
Onboarding is a long‐term, strategic plan for assimila&ng a newly hired execu&ve
into an organiza&on.
Even with appropriate planning, many sta<s<cs show that between 40% and 50% of new leaders fail or leave the company within their first 18
months.
Companies that don’t ini<ate onboarding strategies before
the execu<ve begins employment are missing out
on key opportuni<es to improve their integra<on
process.
Ques&ons to Consider Prior to the New Execu&ve Joining the Organiza&on
1. How will the new execu<ve be introduced to the organiza<on,
department, business unit, etc.?
On the first day of employment, consider holding a brief meeEng
with the new execuEve’s staff with the sole purpose of introducing
the individual. NoEfy the execuEve in advance so he or she can be
prepared to make a statement and answer any potenEal quesEons.
Discussing the new execuEve’s qualificaEons and past successes, as
well as what opportuniEes he or she presents for the staff and the
organizaEon, will begin to generate excitement about the potenEal
that exists. In the case of a new execuEve who is replacing an
outgoing individual, it is important to avoid comparing or criEcizing
the past execuEve; there will inevitably be remaining staff
members who were close to and thought highly of that individual,
and doing so may alienate those employees.
2. How can the exis<ng management team ac<vely foster the new
execu<ve’s successful integra<on, par<cularly as he or she begins to
implement new ini<a<ves?
The onboarding process is a shared responsibility of the
organizaEon as a whole, the exisEng company leadership, and the
new execuEve. Key areas to focus on are relaEonship building,
understanding of the corporate culture, and expectaEons for
results, including Emeframes. By discussing the challenges
associated with the transiEon period, all can work collecEvely to
resolve potenEal issues while maintaining a focus on the goals and
objecEves of the new execuEve. The transiEon period requires a
careful balancing act in order for the new execuEve to posiEon
himself or herself as a leader, to gain the support and confidence of
the staff, and to demonstrate to the company’s management team
that they chose the right execuEve.
3. Is it appropriate to have individual or small group mee<ngs
between exis<ng staff and the new execu<ve to establish a rapport
and allow for the sharing of ideas?
OZen, with changing leadership comes anxiety about what the
future holds for the current employees. By developing an open‐
door policy and allowing people’s concerns and ideas to be heard,
much of this can be alleviated and an atmosphere of collaboraEon
can be developed.
4. Would it be effec<ve to employ an outside consultant or
execu<ve coach, or to pair a peer within the organiza<on to serve
as a mentor?
Some organizaEons engage an individual to work closely with the
new execuEve to guide him or her through the assimilaEon
process. These consultants can provide an objecEve view, offer
suggesEons for gaining employee buy‐in, and serve as a sounding
board. Likewise, assigning a colleague within the organizaEon who
can share his or her experiences and provide insight into the
company’s culture may be another effecEve or supplemental
opEon.
Why is a Successful Onboarding Program Important?
✤ The direct and indirect costs of the unsuccessful integraEon of
a new execuEve can be significant. Consider the Eme and
money invested in recruiEng, hiring and training the individual,
as well as the effects on employee morale and lost
producEvity.
✤ Research indicates the most important differenEators of
performance of leadership hires are the experiences they
encounter during their first few weeks and months on the job.
✤ As baby boomers reEre, the demand for senior level execuEves
will increase and a well thought‐out and defined onboarding program will become an effecEve tool for most organizaEons.
✤ It creates a compeEEve advantage because many companies
have insufficient programs.
✤ Studies have indicated that direct reports of a new leader who
is effecEvely assimilaEng into the organizaEon will outperform
(by as much as 15%) the direct reports of a new execuEve who
is having difficulEes.
How can your organiza&on implement or improve its onboarding program to
encourage successful execu&ve integra&on?
SUCCESSFUL ONBOARDING TECHNIQUES
We recently conducted a search for a client that was seeking a Vice
President of OperaEons, which was simultaneously somewhat of a
new role as well as a replacement within the organizaEon. Our
client recognized that they needed to expand the responsibiliEes
and scope of an exisEng posiEon, essenEally creaEng a new role.
Through conversaEons with the individual in the exisEng posiEon,
the client’s management team knew that he didn’t have the
interest or skill set to take on the new challenges, making it
somewhat of a replacement.
The individual in the exisEng role had been with the organizaEon
for nearly 30 years and would seem at first glance to be the most
natural choice for the “new” role. When the client decided to go
outside of the company to fill this posiEon, they realized that doing so could cause internal issues – with the other Vice Presidents and
with the staff who would report to the Vice President of
OperaEons. The client’s approach was to involve the other Vice
Presidents as well as the incumbent employee throughout the
interview and decision‐making process. AZer meeEng with several
candidates who clearly had the qualificaEons to successfully
perform the role, the final decision came down to a ma8er of
“chemistry and fit”, and the other VPs unanimously agreed on the
individual to hire, which eased the integraEon of the new
execuEve. AddiEonally, the incumbent was very supporEve of the
selected individual, in large part because the new Vice President
demonstrated an excellent change management style and had
been successful in taking on a role in a similar environment with his
most recent employer. Those a8ributes were important in gaining
the approval of the staff members who had developed a loyalty to
the incumbent.
Recently, we completed a search for a global organizaEon to secure a Group Chief ExecuEve Officer for its largest business unit, as a
result of a planned reErement. The client knew that they were
seeking someone who could restructure and reorganize the
business unit to increase efficiencies, growth and profitability.
Because they were looking for someone to make immediate and
significant changes, they knew that the key to a successful
integraEon would be the new execuEve’s ability to earn the trust
and support of his team.
The selected candidate’s credenEals and proven success in leading
sustainable turnarounds with past organizaEons, as well as his
temperament and leadership style, has been well‐received by his
team and within the corporaEon. AddiEonally, the company paired
the Group CEO with another business unit leader, who had been
hired approximately one year earlier, to serve as a sounding board
and mentor for the new execuEve. In the Group CEO’s first nine
months of employment – a criEcal Eme for a new execuEve – this
individual has successfully made significant changes and
implemented a variety of iniEaEves, supported by his contagious
energy and ability to moEvate exisEng staff. The Chairman of the
organizaEon has commented that many exisEng staff members
have indicated they were craving the leadership and change that
the new Group CEO has brought to their business unit.
When discussing proven onboarding programs, one that is oZen
referenced was developed and implemented by the John Deere
CorporaEon. Within their comprehensive program, one iniEaEve
that they have found to be very effecEve is to email selected
individuals within the organizaEon to let them know that the new
execuEve will likely need to interact with them or call them for
assistance within his or her first few months. Through the email,
these individuals are asked to reach out to the new execuEve and
schedule a Eme to meet and make an introducEon. John Deere
CorporaEon has found that this approach is successful because the
exisEng employees genuinely look forward to becoming acquainted
with the new execuEve, who appreciates the outreach and is then
familiar with colleagues that he or she can turn to regarding
specific issues and areas when developing and implemenEng his or
her new iniEaEves.
‐ Tracy Boczkowski is a Managing Director with Helbling & Associates and she has been with the firm since 1995. Her role encompasses
responsibili<es that span from informa<on management to proposal wri<ng and research. She is an ac<ve member of the Society for
Marke<ng Professional Services’ PiWsburgh Chapter.
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Scenario #1:
Vice President of Opera9ons with a non‐profit organiza9on
Scenario #2:
Group Chief Execu9ve Officer for a mul9‐na9onal contractor
Scenario #3:
John Deere Corpora9on