Start new leaders at full speed on Day One
As the COVID-19 pandemic takes it toll on the economy, many companies will struggle to respond. Role changes will likely be forced on some, and leadership roles can be some of the most difficult and costly positions to fill and then, secure.
Typically, hiring teams have poured a substantial amount of
time and resources into locking up a great fit for the organization or
department. But once the leader takes the reigns, they don’t always get the
support to transition into the role successfully.
You wouldn’t plan to hire a new leader with loads of
experience and capacity to work half days for the entire first year, right?
Well, that’s the level of productivity you’ll risk getting from your new leader
if you don’t take the time to integrate him or her into the organization at the
beginning.
A Harvard
Business Review study found that effectively integrating new leaders into
their roles immediately after hiring them reduced their time ramping to full
capacity by one third, from six months to four. Companies that recognize the
reward in intentional integration efforts can cover a lot more ground than
others that neglect this aspect of the onboarding process.
Unique challenges
New leaders face a set of unique challenges that have
nothing to do with their level of expertise or their reputation. The biggest
challenge comes in the human factor of figuring out new relationships. There’s
a vacuum of unfamiliarity that exists when a new leader assumes the position.
He or she enters a group with limited knowledge about the
other individuals: how they like to work, their concerns, and their ambitions.
And in return, the group knows little about their new leader.
If no effort is made to fill the vacuum with accurate and actionable data, the leader and the team will begin filling it with their own assumptions. This can result in confusion, misunderstandings, low morale, frustration, and slower productivity. Employees are already experiencing higher stress brought on by the pandemic and its impact on the economy. Introducing a new leader can add to the weight if not done thoughtfully.
A process referred to as new leader assimilation can help to
cut these problems off at their root. New leader assimilation is a systemized
process for accelerating a new leader’s integration and impact through a series
of communication experiences that bring familiarity to the group and build
mutual trust. It goes beyond traditional onboarding, which is really just
filling out paperwork and going through policies and procedures. And it can be
done virtually!
Joleen Goronkin, is a public speaker, thought leader, and
the owner of People & Performance
Strategies, a Human Capital consulting firm based in Austin, Texas. Goronkin
has provided some of the nation’s most forward-thinking companies with a road
map to begin conducting new leader assimilation meetings as an integral part of
hiring and powering up new leaders.
Goronkin explains, “New leader assimilation is really the first
step toward empowering a new leader and a step no company should skip,
especially now. The goal is to initiate
a two-way dialogue between an incoming leader and the team. That initial
dialogue is critical for the leader and team to get to know each other, and it
can greatly reduce the time and money spent as your new leader gains speed.
Through a series of organized communication steps, everyone, not just the
leader, gains clarity on each other’s intentions and expectations. In new
leader assimilation, we’re seeking to maximize a leader’s effectiveness by
maximizing the relationship between the leader and the team.”
Strengthen teams
New leader assimilation plays an important factor in the increasingly mobile and remote workforce with 80% of the US workforce is now working remotely. Many new leaders will find themselves managing team members that only connect by virtual means or managing teams from different places and backgrounds. While those differences can add significant value and perspective, they, along with the remote relationship, can create communication barriers that stall a leader’s progress. Teams made partially or entirely of virtual collaborators, can especially benefit from going through an initial assimilation process that helps them work more effectively with one another and with their new leader.
The most successful new leader assimilation methods take
place soon after a new leader begins work. They should include at least two
steps: 1) collecting authentic feedback from the group, and 2) a planned
meeting with two-way dialogue, in which the new leader may address the feedback
in detail.
New leader assimilation plan:
Phase 1: Collect data from the team anonymously. (two weeks after the leader’s hire date)
Create a set of questions that are designed to extract
important thoughts and feelings from the team, and collect feedback using
survey software. Allow space for team members to voice a question or concern
not addressed on the questionnaire if needed.
Example Questions to Include:
What would you like to know about your leader?
What would you like your leader to know about you?
What is your greatest strength and greatest opportunity?
What do you need most from your team and your leader?
Phase 2: Provide the collected feedback to the new leader. (one week of collecting feedback)
Provide the leader with the group’s feedback and allow him
or her one week to process the information.
Phase 3: The leader prepares his or her responses to the team’s feedback. (one week)
Designate an experienced person within the organization, or
a third-party mediator, to review the collected feedback with the leader and
help him or her to form effective responses.
Phase 4: Hold an assimilation meeting. (one week after the leader has been coached on responses)
Hold a one to two-hour virtual meeting that includes the new
leader, the team members, and the moderator.
Phase 5: Follow-up with unanswered concerns. (three to six months)
Schedule a future date to address any questions or concerns
that cannot or should not be addressed during the group meeting. Schedule
one-on-one discussions if needed and hold a second group meeting as a
follow-up.
Preparation is always key
New leader assimilation is about more than just the team
meeting. For the team meeting to run smoothly and provide the greatest
benefits, it’s important to coach the leader on his or her responses.
Goronkin says, “Leaders, like everyone else, don’t enjoy
when they come face-to-face with questions about their character or their
intentions. That’s why a best practice is to collect questions in advance and
provide the feedback to the new leader prior to the team meeting, to let those
emotions shake out.”
Give the new leader plenty of time, at least a week, to
process the information before holding a coaching session. During the coaching
session review all of the new leader’s initial responses. Then spend some time
advising them on how to respond effectively to any particularly delicate feedback.
Goronkin says, “Prepping and coaching the leader helps
improve the quality of the team conversation. It can help to keep everyone’s
attention and get the most out of the time during the event.”
Prioritize assimilation
When a new leader joins your ranks, it can be hard to resist the urge to dive into the work ahead as quickly as possible, but consider an alternative approach and what new leader assimilation can mean for your team’s productivity, longer term.
Taking time in the beginning to solidify your leader’s relationships can eliminate problems and inefficiencies down the road. Make new leader assimilation a fundamental part of your forward movement to speed up your progress, and help everyone reach their maximum effectiveness when it’s needed the most.
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