We continue to look at onboarding from two perspectives: from the perspective of the leader moving into a new position; and from the perspective of the hiring manager bringing someone onboard. “The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan” is based on our thinking about new leaders. “Onboarding – How To Get Your New Employees Up To Speed In Half The Time” is based on our thinking about hiring managers. They are, in effect, two sides of the same coin. Three of the common themes are direction, leadership and team. Let’s dig into those a little.
DIRECTION
Step one is to get a proactive head start. This is true for the hiring manager who must get key stakeholders aligned around the role before anyone starts recruiting anyone. This is true for the new leader who must get a headstart before day one so he or she can set the direction instead of blindly following others. (Don’t get me wrong. Leaders certainly follow others sometimes – just not blindly.)
LEADERSHIP
But getting a head start to set the direction is useless unless others are following you. This requires managing the messages through every stage of onboarding. The hiring manager must make sure everyone in contact with recruits is conveying the same message about the organization, its vision and values. The new leader must make sure everyone they come in contact with walks away with the same take-aways – particularly around vision, values and direction.
TEAM
However great a leader you are at any level. It’s never about you. The only thing you can do on your own is fail. Accomplishing virtually anything of value involves the team. This is why it’s so important to focus on helping others deliver better results faster together after day one. This is true for the hiring manager throughout the recruiting, hiring and acceleration stages, and true of the new leader.
