Many organizations provide well-structured, highly supportive onboarding programs to help new recruits, especially remote employees, get off to a good start in their new position. However, management-level hires are not often provided with the same amount of formal onboarding as non-management personnel.
It's common to believe that executives don't require onboarding because they're seasoned professionals. However, by assisting your senior-level hires in gaining a solid understanding of the company's mission, vision, values, short- and long-term business goals, success metrics, current and emerging competitors, and critical stakeholders from the start, you will position them for more immediate success.
Executives are conditioned to take on new tasks and work under pressure, but they can still benefit from having time to adjust to their new job and the culture of the organization. And, of course, they must become acquainted with their team and colleagues – and vice versa.
To begin providing value to the firm, a newly recruited executive must fully grasp their position, including the official and unwritten norms, as well as the possible hazards that come with their leadership job. As a result, be certain that the executive onboarding program is adequately customized. The onboarding process you develop should also include the following steps:
Promote networking
Executives should be encouraged to network with cross-divisional management colleagues in addition to meeting with their team and important decision-makers in the organization. Corporate management will also want to ensure that new executive hires are invited to critical meetings and are included in all relevant communications.
Outline expectations and priorities
Executives must handle various, and frequently conflicting demands from bosses, workers, and others. These expectations aren't often articulated properly, which is why the executive onboarding process is so vital. Guidelines and criteria must be properly stated so that the new management-level recruit understands exactly what is expected of them.
Provide feedback
Behaviors and approaches learnt in past employment with other businesses may not be well suited to an executive's current position and duties, or may necessitate some adaptations. As a result, obtaining regular performance evaluation during onboarding — and in the weeks and months that follow — is critical for an executive's development. New leaders must grasp how their management style and decisions affect other team members as well as broader business decisions.
Drive visibility
Giving a new senior-level manager a platform to speak openly with team members at all levels is really beneficial. It enables them to acquire firsthand insight into critical subjects and problems for the company, its employees, and its partners and consumers. Visibility also aids new CEOs in gaining the confidence and loyalty of their organization's workers, colleagues, and peers.
Offer mentoring
It is normal practice in many major firms to assign a mentor to a new employee during their first few weeks on the job. Mentoring facilitates networking and connection building. It can also give greater insight into how the firm runs and what it takes to thrive as a part of the leadership team for new executive recruits.
As a result, as part of the executive onboarding process, consider establishing mentorship agreements. Colleagues at the same or higher level in the organization as the executive being onboarded are well-positioned to give constructive and relevant counsel as a professional mentor.
Using these simple suggestions will help you guarantee that these crucial new personnel are set up for success. Every new employee, especially senior-level recruits, may benefit from a well-structured onboarding process that helps them to integrate swiftly yet comfortably into your firm. You want your executives to have all of the knowledge, resources, and connections they need to be great leaders, and the onboarding process provides you with the chance to provide them with all of that and more from the outset.
If your company needs to employ talent for C-level and VP-level positions, the NetworkESC team is here to help! Our experts can also advise you on how to properly onboard your new senior-level management recruits.