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Three Imperatives for Executive On-Boarding
One survey I conducted of 1,350 HR executives affiliated with the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, revealed 54 percent of respondents thought their companies do an inadequate job of executive on-boarding. In a more recent survey taken at The Conference Board, results were even worse, where 65 percent of HR executives at some 40 major companies thought their companies did a poor job of executive on-boarding. So why do so many HR leaders believe their companies do a poor job transitioning newly hired executives? I believe it is due to a continued misconception about what "on-boarding" is and how best to implement an executive on-boarding system. A new-hire on-boarding program must address three imperatives: cultural adaptation, political connection and expectations alignment. Imperative 1: Cultural Adaptation Perhaps the most daunting challenge for a new hire is quickly adapting to an unfamiliar organizational culture. Doing this requires the on-boarding organization to communicate openly about its culture. This can be tough to surmount because some companies don't want to be open about their cultures for fear of scaring away talented recruits who may not see themselves as a match. Though often unconscious, this misdirection usually has harmful results. New hires either conclude they have been misled or they fail because they behave as though they are operating in one culture, when in fact they are dealing with a completely different one. Imperative 2: Political Connection Helping newly hired executives identify key stakeholders and forge relationships is the second on-boarding imperative. It's essential that transitioning executives develop the right "wiring" as soon as possible. There is a natural but dangerous tendency for new leaders to focus on building vertical relationships early in their transitions — up to their bosses and down to their teams. Often, insufficient time is devoted to lateral relationship building with peers and key constituencies outside their immediate organizations. Ideally, the full set of key stakeholders is identified for the new executive before s/he formally joins the organization. A single point person (from HR) should identify a list of key stakeholders. They may also encourage and support the transitioning executive in setting up and conducting these critical early meetings. Imperative 3: Aligning Expectations Recruiting is like romance, and employment is like marriage. During the recruiting period, neither the organization nor the new hire gets a complete, clear view of the other. Both the leader and the organization put on their best faces, not necessarily to deceive, but to accentuate the positive. This is understandable, but it can sow seeds for potential problems later. The organization may come away with inflated expectations of what the new hire can accomplish. Likewise, the new hire may think he or she has more authority than really exists. Aligning expectations is a prudent step to ensure the new hire doesn't take the mandate discussed during recruiting for granted. She or he should check and recheck expectations to ensure alignment in every case, and to identify opportunities for clarification and learning. The On-Boarding Continuum Attention to the three imperatives above alone is not sufficient. There should be a relationship between the recruiting and on-boarding processes. The best on-boarding processes can't compensate for the "sins" of poor recruiting. This disconnect is often exacerbated because different parts of the organization, with potentially divergent incentives, are responsible for recruiting and on-boarding. One Transitions Framework Finally, those entering a new role at every level should have a framework to guide them through the on-boarding process. Transitioning is a skill that everyone should have in their toolkit, much like project management or negotiation. An organization should embrace one framework for all transition types (on-boarding, promotion, departmental, geographic, new team, new structure or technology) at all levels throughout the organization. Dr. Michael D. Watkins is the founder and Chairman of Genesis Advisers, a Newton, Massachusetts-based leadership development consultancy with an expertise in on-boarding and leadership transitions. Watkins is author of international business best-seller The First 90 Days, and will be the opening keynote speaker at the NEHRA Spring Conference this May 18 at the Four Points Conference Center in Norwood, MA. For a complete listing of conference events, and to register, visit the Spring Conference website by CLICKING HERE. * All data in this article is from research conducted by Dr. Michael D. Watkins. |
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