I'm good! (yeah, right) Getting Feedback to New Leaders

Yes, there still are some companies who are bringing on new leaders. Whether they are filling open positions, promoting or transitioning people within a company, new leaders are still in need of help. This help should be in the form of a formal onboarding process.

By now, most organizations "get" that new leaders need access to critical information and also need help identifying with whom they need to forge relationships. BUT--do these new leaders really know how they are being perceived and experienced in the first few weeks and months on the job?

Probably not.

Most HR professionals agree that they need feedback, but they do not gather and provide it during the onboarding period. Of course, most HR partners ask the typical questions like, "How are things going?" or "Do you have everything you need?" or "Do you have any questions that I can answer?" The new leaders typically respond with "Great!", "Yes, everything is coming together." and "I will let you know if I have any questions. Thanks."

This type of surface exchange does not give the HR partner the information that he/she needs to understand how the new leader is really doing. Nor does it give the new leader a real opportunity to ask for specific help.

Often, the new leader does not receive structured feedback until a 360 process is offered--usually around the 12-month mark. This is TOO late and does not provide the leader with feedback about how he/she is fitting into the culture of the organization or managing his/her onboarding process.

We have identified a set of key indicators that predict a new leader's onboarding success. If you gather feedback from the new leader's key stakeholders: the boss, direct reports, peers, the HR partner and him/herself around these key indicators, the new leader has a "snap-shot" of how his/her network views those ever-critical early behaviors in a new role.

How early? We recommend gathering this feedback at about 45 to 60 days, then again at 90 to 120 days. This feedback is invaluable and allows the new leader to understand what he/she should--
--stop doing
--start doing
--change
to successfully onboard and integrate into the role and organization.

The easiest way to gather and analyze this data is by using web-based tool that provides anonimity for the stakeholders and gives qualitative and quantitative feedback. The Return on Investment for this type of exercise is almost immediate and highly impactful.

Leaders can actually do something about their behaviors before it's too late.