5 Crucial Steps To Onboarding Managers Effectively

The quality of your onboarding program will determine whether new managers have positive or negative memories of their first days on the job. You will be surprised by how simple these tips are for onboarding managers.

Shockingly, some companies put so little time and effort into onboarding. So, why is onboarding such an essential part of talent development? Why allot time and effort to ensure that managers are appropriately onboarded? 

Did you know a positive onboarding experience helps you avoid the time-consuming and costly consequences of high turnover by keeping your workers on board for longer?

Companies with an onboarding process have a 50% higher recruit retention rate, and 69 percent of workers are likelier to stay with a business for three years (source) if they have had a positive onboarding experience.

Do you have Difficulty Onboarding Managers Effectively in your Organization?

An effective onboarding process for new managers is key to ensuring success and a smooth transition within the workplace. It’s important to ensure that the current processes of a complete onboarding process are working, new policies are being followed, and everyone has access to the tools needed for their job.

Our 5 crucial steps will help show you how to onboard managers quickly and easily so that they can hit the ground running from day one. We’ll cover topics that will be beneficial to the success of the manager onboarding process and positive management style within the organization.

What is Manager Onboarding?

Onboarding a manager is the act of acclimating managers to a company and providing them with the skills, information, tools, and resources they require to become productive, engaged leaders.

The practice begins before the first day of work and continues during the first 90 days of employment (as a generally regarded best practice). Depending on the company/industry or job, it may last for the first year. 

The purpose of onboarding a manager is straightforward: to maintain top talent in the organization. A vital onboarding process is critical with the rising number of voluntary terminations.

“Quits have climbed from their low in September 2009 and are around pre-recession levels,” according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were around 3.0 million quits in December 2016.” 

Leaders Vs. Managers

Although leadership and management are sometimes confused, it is critical to understand the differences between the two concepts in the workplace. While strong leadership qualities are required of managers, they also need different talents to manage their staff effectively. 

The capacity to influence or steer individuals within an organization or corporation is known as leadership. Effective leaders can encourage and inspire their employees. While in a leadership position, you must set a positive example for others and explain your company’s or department’s expectations. 

The capacity to govern or deal with people and processes is called management. Managers should assign work efficiently and ensure their staff reaches corporate goals and expectations. 

How are leaders and managers similar?

These two ideas have some similarities, such as working effectively with others. Those in management and leadership positions must understand how their teams work and what methods might help them succeed. 

Another likeness is that both leaders and managers are in positions of power. Their subordinates look up to them and model their conduct after their manager’s or leader’s actions and expectations. 

What are the differences between management and leadership? 

• Managers direct their teams’ actions. Delegating duties to team members is a manager’s responsibility. They’re also in charge of ensuring everyone on the team understands their roles and responsibilities. It is the responsibility of management to provide the resources and training workers require to succeed. 

• Leaders set expectations. Because workers look up to their leaders, an effective leader must be a role model. Those in positions of leadership labor to develop the company’s goals and expectations.  

• Managers carry out their superior’s directives. Managers are usually subordinate to someone in an executive position. They are in charge of ensuring that team members follow these directives. 

• Leaders consider the company’s best interests. Strong leaders should consider the company’s needs and their employees’ well-being. They establish objectives that benefit both the firm and the individuals. 

• Managers keep track of progress. Managers employ tools to track and assess their team’s progress—the habit of checking in on team members’ performance and providing helpful comments frequently. 

• Leaders are catalysts for development and innovation. An effective leader inspires others to be their most professional selves. They strive to assist others in overcoming obstacles at work and finding solutions to difficulties, and they are often inspirational. 

Building a genuine leader-manager connection will also impact the new or promoted manager’s integration into the job, affecting his desire to stay.

Regrettably, this is not a typical occurrence.

According to research published in Harvard Business Review, 588 vice presidents and above indicated that about a third received substantial help throughout their onboarding process.

Around 60% of respondents said it took them more than six months to completely integrate into their new positions. That is a significant loss in production. 

Why do you need to invest in manager onboarding?

The impact of effective manager onboarding on team behaviors and outcomes is apparent. Managers face the organization’s culture, and their leadership behaviors and actions must reflect that culture.

New managers are expected to succeed when effectively taught to embrace the leadership abilities required to connect with company goals and bottom-line results.

Culture is a possible competitive advantage. Here are the reasons why investing in manager onboarding is essential. 

• Increased productivity 

New managers quickly catch up with others who have been with the organization longer as they go through the onboarding process. This allows them to achieve higher productivity levels much faster than if they had to figure it out independently.

New leaders take around 8 to 12 months without onboarding to attain their full production levels. This can result in losses of 1% to 2.5% of the total revenue for a business.  

• Stronger company culture 

New managers feel wanted and significant in the organization when their positions are aligned with their responsibilities. This allows them to identify with the company culture. Managers are more driven to work effectively and are less inclined to quit on you due to their increased connection with the organization. 

• Easier talent attraction 

New workers feel wanted and significant in the organization when their positions are aligned with their responsibilities. This allows people to identify with the company culture. Employees are more driven to work effectively and are less inclined to quit on you due to their increased connection with the organization. 

Steps to Ensure Effective Onboarding of Managers

Newly hired leaders will feel less overwhelmed and disoriented in their new role if you gently walk them through team procedures. They’ll be prepared and have time to plan their next moves. 

Here are the five steps to ensure that managers succeed from the start: 

1. Connect. Before and throughout the first 90 days, establish a relationship with the new or promoted manager. This is one distinguishing practice that relieves new managers of the burden of not knowing what to anticipate during the onboarding process. 

2. Align. Select a mentor to assist the managers with their onboarding. Ascertain that the mentor is equipped with the necessary leadership skills. Train the buddy to be a support system for the new manager and assist him in adjusting to the new culture. Increase buddy understanding of varied work styles, emotional intelligence, influence, and trust in the workplace. 

3. Manage. On the first day, schedule a meeting with the new manager and connect daily for the best results. Share your goals, values, and objectives. Discuss relevant issues and create a growth strategy that is unique to you. To assist the new manager’s transition into the new job, hire an external coach or collaborate with an internal coach. 

4. Plan. Set weekly goals with your new boss and partner. Meetings and shadowing opportunities with essential stakeholders should be scheduled. Make strategic talks a part of the process. Utilize dependable technical methods to assess development. Early on in the process, incorporate career development conversations. 

5. Streamline. Keep track of the new manager’s weekly milestones and growth plan progress. Include feedback loops and “wow” moments in the process, such as a welcome gift, lunch with peers, a “day with my boss,” introductions at management meetings, or a surprise visit from a senior executive. These tiny victories provide new managers with long-term benefits. 

New Manager Onboarding Checklist

Successful manager onboarding programs lead to meaningful, productive work and solid employee connections in a short amount of time. And, rather than struggling with learning curves, well-informed leaders may generate momentum early on, cutting the time to attain maximum performance to only four months. 

Most managers feel that onboarding assistance would have cut down on the time it took them to fully integrate into their new responsibilities.

Today, over 60% of executives say it took them six months to get up to speed in their present position, with 20% claiming it took more than nine months. 

Your company must integrate new managers as smoothly as possible to prosper. Below is the list of how to maximize new leaders’ success. 

1. Start the onboarding process before the new manager’s first day on the job. 

Onboarding does not suggest that new managers roll up their sleeves on the first work day and immediately implement quantifiable change. 

Start onboarding when you’ve identified your best prospects to guarantee a seamless and rapid transfer. This may be performed by having various workers interview the candidate to understand what working at the organization is like. Allow informal talks where the incoming leader may ask open-ended questions about the company’s culture. 

2. Remember that even modest acts of kindness may make a big difference. 

You are not required to go above and beyond. Spend time ensuring their new work area is appropriately packed with everything they’ll need (e.g., pencils, notebooks, business cards) to guarantee the smooth transition and the happiest new manager. 

First impressions are crucial. The more at ease your new manager is on their first day, the more likely they will hold your company in high regard immediately. 

3. Be completely upfront and honest. 

It’s pointless to fool potential new managers, no matter how insignificant the lie. 

For instance, if you’ve made significant employee layoffs in recent years, don’t tell a candidate they’ll be managing a complete workforce. In that manner, the chances of a manager accepting the post only to discover a few weeks later that their team is severely understaffed are reduced. 

A simple solution is to be open and honest. Explain the excellent, the terrible, and the ugly in detail. It will, in the end, save everyone time. 

4. Allocate enough time to discuss the corporate culture. 

Yes, you should start the onboarding process well before your manager’s start date. However, this does not imply that the manager must begin working on different initiatives on the first day. 

It’s not only about training when it comes to onboarding. While the recruit must be familiar with the task they will be doing, they must also be familiar with the company: its history, what makes it tick, its achievements, and disappointments. 

Schedule enough time to discuss your company’s culture in depth. To be more inclusive, bring in people from high management. 

5. Allow them time to adjust. 

Again, just because you’ve recruited a manager doesn’t imply they can immediately begin working on large projects. Remember that managers are also workers, and it takes time to become familiar with your company’s operations, procedures, and products. 

To begin, ease them into their everyday activities. Then, as they grow more accustomed to their routine, they will be ready to take on more significant assignments. 

6. Spend some time discussing the company’s culture and policies. 

People work for a living. They also contribute to the culture of a company. Your new manager is sure to have inquiries about remote working regulations, social gatherings, significant business events, business tips, and other topics, just as they are likely to have queries about salary. 

Ensure that your new leaders are well-versed in the company’s culture and relevant policies. You can guarantee that everyone is on the same page immediately. 

7. Assign an executive mentor. 

Working as a manager may be isolating. Some employees have a hard time getting along with upper management, no matter how polite they are. 

Despite how busy managers are, identify someone in your company who is eager to provide a helpful hand to a colleague. Even if they aren’t in the office daily, you should contact them by phone or email. This guarantees that the new leader is well-positioned to succeed. 

8. Schedule relevant meetings to speed up the process 

Making a new management strategy a series of meetings with relevant employees and colleagues is pointless. The individual has no idea where the restroom is. When they’ve only recently begun working, how can you expect them to arrange the schedules of several employees? 

Take charge of scheduling for two or three weeks if you want your new manager’s first few days at work to be joyful and productive. 

When meetings are scheduled ahead of time, you may relax knowing that your employees can work with their new boss promptly. 

9. Introduce new managers to relevant employees as soon as possible. 

Even the most extroverted managers find it challenging to figure out who’s who in a setting where they don’t know anyone. 

Arrange for your incoming managers to meet upper management, senior members of their new teams, and even staff as soon as possible to help them break the ice. Make plans for coffee dates, lunch outings, and anything else you can think about. You’ll all work together for the foreseeable future, so get used to it as soon as possible. 

10. Always keep in mind that time is of the essence. 

When onboarding a manager, always err on the side of brevity when determining how much time you need to spend on the task. After all, these managers were recruited to oversee departments, so they don’t need to be spoiled. 

While you can’t expect a new leader to comprehend your company’s inner workings on the first day — or even the 15th — you can bet they won’t need someone to hold their hand following their 90-day onboarding plan. 

Process Vs. Roadmap

What does it take to onboard a leader successfully? Onboarding a leader differs from onboarding personnel who will not directly contribute to the organization’s strategic direction, purpose, values, or goals. Staff with a simple job description and reporting chain require broad organizational information and a sense of belonging to the existing culture. It takes a lot more to onboard a leader. 

The new leaders must believe that their ideas are welcomed and respected. The new leaders must know that they support making decisions and implementing change, no matter how big or little, since the change has an impact. Team members with good leadership, organizational abilities, and persuasive interpersonal skills are highly sought.  

Furthermore, they are expected to enter their new corporate culture to achieve more with fewer resources. It’s challenging to find the perfect individual and effectively onboard them. Finding the appropriate individual for the position is difficult. Finding that person and providing them with a great experience that allows them to fit in is much more difficult. 

Successfully onboarding a leader may result in higher team morale, increased productivity, and more cohesive workgroups across departments. 

Optimize Manager Onboarding

Today’s approach to onboarding a new leader differs significantly from five years ago. Onboarding a new leader successfully will yield practical and positive consequences quickly. Working out a strategy for your leader and blocking time to onboard them will astound your business with how soon the leader starts making significant contributions to the management team, various workgroups, departments, and the whole organization, diverse workgroups, departments, and overall organization. 

Managers provide the groundwork for the rest of your team’s success. Employees look up to them for advice, knowledge, and well-informed decisions. You’re not only assisting new managers by delivering excellent manager onboarding (and equipping them with the resources they need to succeed) but also benefiting the rest of your staff. 

Conflict management should also be included in the onboarding process to ensure managers understand how to handle conflicts within the workplace.

Frequently Asked Questions About 5 Crucial Steps To Onboarding Managers Effectively

Q: How Company’s management culture affect the onboarding process?

A: The management culture of a company plays an important role in the onboarding process. It is necessary to communicate the expectations and values of the organization upfront so that managers can understand what they are expected to bring to the table.

Q: Why do new employees or new hires need to get trained?

A: Training is essential for new managers to become familiar with the organization’s policies, procedures, and processes.

Q: What are the hiring processes and procedures need to be followed?

A: The hiring process and procedures should include background checks, references, job descriptions, offer letters, training plans, and development goals.

Q:  Why employee performance review process is important?

A: The employee performance review process is an opportunity to identify areas of strength and weakness, as well as provide guidance on how to improve.

Q: Can the company’s recruiting and the manager’s onboarding processes be successful?

A: The company’s recruiting process should align with the new hire onboarding process to ensure a successful transition. This can be achieved through effective communication between managers and HR representatives.

Conclusion

When it comes to onboarding managers, it is an important process for a successful company. Managers are the leaders and faces of the company. As such, their onboarding process should include clear expectations, trust-building activities, and team support. They need to be given the tools and resources they need to hit the ground running and start making meaningful contributions immediately.

If these five steps are followed properly and diligently, you will be on track to ensure your new manager is set up for success with your organization. With a thorough and effective onboarding process, managers can confidently lead their team members, knowing they have all the tools they need to succeed.