User:JZott/Executive Onboarding

Executive Onboarding is a business management term used for the process of helping new executives become productive members of an organization. (See the more academically oriented article on onboarding as well). Practically, executive onboarding involves acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new executives. Proponents emphasize the importance of making the most of the "honeymoon" stage of a hire, a period which has been described as being 90 days  or 100 days   or the full first year.

Effective onboarding of new executives can be one of the most important contributions any hiring manager, direct supervisor or human resources professional can make to long-term organizational success, because executive onboarding done right can improve productivity and executive retention, and build shared corporate culture. A study of 20,000 searches revealed that 40 percent of executives hired at the senior level are pushed out, fail or quit within 18 months.

Onboarding may be especially valuable for externally recruited executives transitioning into complex roles, because it may be difficult for those individuals to uncover personal, organizational and role risks in complicated situations when they don't have formal onboarding assistance. Onboarding is also an essential tool for executives promoted into new roles and/or transferred from one business unit to another.

It is often valuable to have new executives start some onboarding activities in the “Fuzzy Front End” even before their first day. This is one of ten steps executives can follow to accelerate their onboarding. 1)	Position yourself for success 2)	Choose how to engage the context and culture 3)	Embrace and leverage the Fuzzy Front End before day one 4)	Take control of day one: Make a powerful first impression 5)	Drive action by activating and directing ongoing communication 6)	Embed a strong burning imperative 7)	Exploit key milestones to drive team performance 8)	Over-invest in early wins to build team confidence 9)	Secure adept people in the right roles and deal with the inevitable resistance 10)	Evolve people, plans, and practices to capitalize on changing circumstances.