New Leader Onboarding

Organizations expect and need new leaders to get up to speed quickly. Our Onboarding process is designed to help new leaders learn the business faster, build robust networks, accelerate positive team relationships, access internal resources quickly, and avoid cultural missteps.

The Work

  • New Leader Onboarding Programs may include the following:
  • Individual coaching over 6-12 months depending upon the individual’s needs
  • One or more boss alignment meetings to ensure management supports the developmental focus
  • Jump-start process, lead by a Collabrium facilitator, to speed the assimilation of the new leader into the team and the organization
  • Stakeholder feedback process to ascertain how successfully the leader has transitioned into his/her new role.

The Results

  • A CEO who was hired to lead a complex organization was charged with building and managing relationships with several stakeholder groups, some of whom had competing interests. Initial priorities included setting the strategic direction of the organization and raising the overall level of performance. Onboarding coaching supported this highly talented leader in developing a leadership point of view, navigating political minefields, aligning the key stakeholders, and acclimating to a new city.
  • A well-respected leader of 25 years was being replaced by an external hire. In the first of two facilitated meetings with the new leader, the executive team identified what they wanted to preserve from the past, opportunities for change going forward, and the roles they wanted to play in leading this change. In the second meeting, a three-step dialogue process was used to explore the team’s and the new leader’s hopes and concerns for the future. Critical business issues facing the organization that required the new leader’s immediate attention were identified. Successful outcomes of the onboarding process included agreement on how business-critical issues would be addressed, accelerated relationship-building between existing team members and the new leader, and significant progress on team formation.
  • A new leader jump-start process was conducted for the CFO of a midsize food manufacturing company who was an external hire. This collaborative process between leader and team accelerated relationship-building, helped align expectations, and it established open lines of communication. The new leader gained an understanding of key business issues and team concerns so he could transition quickly and effectively in his new role.
Leadership Excellence