Onboarding: Why Work with a Coach?

By Lyne Desormeaux, PSYD, MCC.

Talent is moving fast these days, and many leaders are jumping ship and joining a new organization. If you are making such a change, there are five areas you may want to pay attention to: 

1. Having an on boarding (90-day) plan
2. Getting to know the key stakeholders 
3. Getting to know the culture 
4. Assessing your team 
5. Managing Imposter syndrome 

I am a coach that has helped leaders onboard to new positions in new organizations. I have witnessed the importance of having a 90-day plan, building key stakeholder relationships, getting to know the culture, assessing the team, and self-managing imposter syndrome. Here are some tips. 

• Table of Contents

  Have a 90-Day Plan

Having your first 90-day plan in hand shows you know what key priorities to target and that you are ready to go. The challenge here may be trying to do too much too fast. If this is the case, then the 90-day plan may need to be readjusted. Michael Watkins two classic books are a must: The First 90 days: Critical Success for Leaders at All Levels and his next book My Next Move: The Leaders Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions

• Stakeholder Relationships

Any new leader in an organization can’t underestimate the importance of building relationships with key stakeholders: senior leaders, key project leaders, heads of diverse functions or divisions, leaders at all levels of the organization, and direct reports who will help accelerate knowledge. It’s a good idea to start with a list of key stakeholders, then assess and revise that list quarterly. This strategy will help ensure new leaders develop the stakeholder relationships needed to promote knowledge gathering as well as cultural knowledge.

• Organizational Culture

If you want to make sure that your new position lasts longer than 18 months (critical time when new leaders fail), you will want to learn the spoken and unspoken rules and values of the organization. It’s better to be informed than not. So, devising a strategy for learning about the culture will be critical.

• Get to Know Your Team

If you’ve inherited a new team, first get to know them. Evaluate each team member, observing and assessing strengths and areas for development. Once you’ve established trust, you can better learn about how individuals are performing in their roles, how their strongest competencies align with their work, what their career aspirations are, and which capabilities they need to develop to achieve their long-term goals. Assess their meditation and capacity to grow.

• Confidence

If you suffer from imposter syndrome, boost your confidence. Remind yourself of the qualities that led the organization to choose you in the first place. Give some thought to what you bring to the table, what your strengths are, and how you might want to leverage them going forward. To review your previous accomplishments, write them down. Finally, remember that confident leaders who hold a positive vision are more likely to inspire others to committed action.

Ready, Set, Go!

To learn more about successfully onboarding to a new position and building your leadership skills, contact Lyne for a consultation.