Onboarding-It's all about the Branding

I am not a marketing person, so I googled "history of branding" and learned a few new things. The modern version of what most of know as "branding" products, services, companies, people, etc. has really only been around since the 1950's. It was a post-war response to a mass-production of consumer goods and a somewhat frugal consumer base who still remembered the Depression.

Interesting. I can't help but draw some paralelles to today.

We are in a time when consumer goods are plentiful and affordable to pretty much all of the industrialized countries and we are still recovering from the worst economic crisis since the 30's. So, branding was born to differentiate the plethora of products that were now available to the masses via "super-center" shopping.

This was made possible only by the mass communication that television provided. Sort of a "perfect storm" of sorts about products and communication. Again, not unlike the communication strides we have experienced over the last 2 decades. Mobile communication devices and the internet have joined television in communicating to the masses and companies are forced to participate in these technologies wheter they like them or not, just to stay relevant.

Staying relevant. Isn't that really what branding is all about anyway? Staying relevant and meaningful to your customers, audiences, niche market, whatever you call it. So what does this have to do with leadership onboarding?

Consider if you will that your newest leaders are a subset of your customers, or niche market. When you offered them their new roles and they accepted, they were, at least for the moment, your biggest fans. Now, if you didn't immediately start the process to keep them engaged, excited and ready to hit the ground running, you have missed a huge opportunity. Your brand is weakened because a relocation detail got missed, there were no phone calls or emails before the new leader started. The office wasn't set up properly and access to the company's network was delayed.

All these onboarding experiences are negative ones for your new leaders and your brand. Think about that as you build or refresh your process for 2010. What brand messages do you want to deliver to your newest leaders? How can you help them understand your brand so that they may reinforce it in their parts of the organization and to the customers they touch?

By creating as much passion and energy into your internal experiences as you do your external ones, you can create a culture that is authentic and sustainable.

Besides, sometimes it's easier to change when you start with the new people!

Day One--Your Onboarding Continues

It's the first day of your new job. You probably didn't sleep much last night and checked your alarm clock 30 times to make sure it was set.

Now, you are on your way to the new office with excitement, anticipation and no doubt, a little anxiety. How do you make a good impression? What are the things you should not do to make a bad impression? Do you know enough about the culture of your organization to be able to decide?

If you have planned and prepared appropriately, you will be able to answer these questions for yourself and be way ahead of the learning curve when you hit the door on your first day.

Many new hires sit back and wait for this first day before doing research, asking questions and learning everything possible about their new organizations and the people with whom they will be working.

But let's assume you have done the right prep. (See last post, 12-16-09, below for more "prestart tips.) What are the keys to a great first day?

1. Be flexible and open. Unfortunately, not all organizations are as ready for you as they should be, so you may need to get creative and figure out how to make your "down-time" productive. Set up your office, load your address book, walk around and introduce yourself.

2. Make friends with your manager's assistant. This will be critical to your on-going success and ability to get in to see him or her, link with key people and generally know what's going on.

3. Meet your team. You would be surprised how many new leaders are so focused on meeting those above them, that they forget about their direct reports. You don't need to have in-depth meetings on Day One, but at least have a brief conversation with each one to start to get to know them personally. It will keep them from wondering and making up their own information about you.

4. Meet your peers. Again, you would be amazed as to how many people neglect to look "beside" them on the org chart and see who could help them in their new roles. Peers are usually the people who can be objective and have a much different perspective to offer than your boss or your direct reports.

5. Listen, listen, and listen some more. It is fine to give everyone you talk with a brief overview of your background and some personal information, but use the "60 Second Rule". Don't talk about yourself for more than 60 seconds without asking a question about the other person and then listening to her response. You will be "off the hook" for your opinion of things early in the game, and the information that you will gain will be tremendous. And, everyone will have the impression that you are great listener!

Follow these 5 simple steps during your first day on the job and you will set the tone for the next week and months. It can be overwhelming, but with planning, preparation and careful action, you will hit the ground running!