Newly Hired vs. Newly Promoted Managers: Same but Different, Part 2

When jumping into leadership, newly hired and newly promoted managers have both shared and distinct onboarding needs. 

For those new to the organization, it's about finding the balance between bringing a fresh perspective with learning and engaging in existing culture and ways of working. For those stepping into a larger role, it's about making the transition from the old responsibilities and relationship status quo to the new dynamic and perspective. 

Assimilating first time leaders takes intentionality and time. Especially when attending to each new hire where and when it matters.

• Speaking like a local- 

  • Those new to the organization will need more extensive assimilation to the company culture, customs, and policies. This includes both formal (compliance, role expectations) and informal (values, communication norms) onboarding.

  • While those promoted within may already feel comfortable in the culture, there's still plenty of room for growth as they navigate new expectations from a different context and view. It’s easy to lose sight that a new role in a familiar place is still in fact a new role.

• (Re)setting relationships- 

• Newly hired managers will need support on building new relationships. Pairing new managers with a mentor can help them integrate and introducing them to their team, cross-functional colleagues, senior leadership, and other key stakeholders can help them understand their role in a broader context.

• Newly promoted managers may need interpersonal coaching if their former peers become their direct reports, if team dynamics shift as they move from team member to team leader, and if relationships change when former managers become peers.

• Prioritizing time for learning (as much as getting their work done)- 

• External hires will need “hard” training on company processes, tools and software, and proprietary systems. 

• Internal hires may need “soft” coaching on how to transition from being an individual contributor to a leader.

• (Re)defining expectations- 

• Those new to the organization will need outlined performance goals and success metrics for their first 100 days to ensure they understand the organization's expectations. 

• Those stepping into a larger role need a clear understanding of how their new responsibilities differ from their previous ones and of what success looks like as a manager. 

Tailoring onboarding plans to both newly hired and newly promoted managers is unscalable, unsustainable, and unrealistic. Let technology help empower leaders to take the driver’s seat of their own individualized onboarding.