QUESTION:  Dissatisfaction Among New Hires?

Dear Merry,

I am an HR executive in a global company.  Recently we conducted a satisfaction survey of new executive hires from outside the company and discovered a lack of satisfaction among this population.  I understand that some companies use onboard coaching to ease a new executive's transition into a new culture.  How can coaching help?

RESPONSE:  Onboard Coaching

Dear Executive,

Executive onboarding is a valuable tool that companies can use to support new executives to quickly deliver in their new role and improve new hire satisfaction.  Successful transitions are critical to the success of organizations, yet very few companies provide training, coaching or support for executives making critical transitions.  According to Dan Ciampa and Michael Watkins, in Right from the Start (Harvard Business School Press, 1999), 64% of new executives hired from outside the company will fail at their new jobs. Clearly this is a costly loss for the organization.

Key objectives of an executive onboarding program may include the following:
1.    Immediately identify the skills most critical to leading in the new role.
2.    Rapidly evaluate the new executive's team to assess the present talent and fill any gaps to ensure success.
3.    Accelerate the learning curve so that the executive's leadership tone and style are quickly matched to the new role and informed by the new culture.
4.    Develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and gain a robust understanding of others' organizational point of view.
5.    Gain understanding of both the "formal" and "informal" decision making power in the organization.
6.    Deliver early results to establish credibility.
7.    Support new executives who are challenged with leading change in difficult environments with tactics and strategies for success.

Typical results of executive onboarding include:
1.    The new executive delivers business results by focusing on key points of leverage.
2.    They are quickly aligned with and integrated into the new culture.
3.    Emotional intelligence and effective communication strategies yield strong business relationships and boosts team morale.
4.    Establishes the groundwork for sustainable breakthrough business results.
5.    Teams are motivated and inspired to take action in support of the new executive's initiatives.
6.    Companies can leverage onboard coaching to attract higher caliber candidates.

Coaching newly hired executives will assure their success and accelerate their ability to have an immediate, positive impact on business results.  The ROI's for onboard coaching include improved new hire retention, increased satisfaction and improved business results.  Onboard coaching is a "win/win scenario for both the organization and the executive.

Dare to Deliver!
Merry

Merry Marcus
President
www.breakthroughconsulting.com