OutPlacement-News regularly reports on everything worth knowing about outplacement, new placement, careers, professional separation, the application process, graduation, onboarding and integration.
Professional onboarding for managers and companies
OutPlacement-News: Onboarding is often only described from the company's perspective, but its focus is on the new managers.
NewPlacement.com: While onboarding from the company's perspective is intended to ensure greater motivation, productivity and loyalty by communicating positioning, values, goals, culture, internal procedures and processes, as well as developing induction plans and providing a mentor, we focus on onboarding from the perspective of the new managers. We don't want to use the old saying "easy come, easy go", but the onboarding of managers is often given too little importance compared to the signing of a contract. Strategic preparation and support "on demand" are a key factor in our holistic NewPlacement.com success model.
OutPlacement-News: How does an executive benefit from your job insurance?
NewPlacement.com: Preparation for onboarding is part of the NewPlacement coaching until success is achieved. The guarantee contract also includes on-demand coaching during the probationary period. In addition, progressive companies can book job insurance for their new managers independently of other outplacement advice from NewPlacement. The same applies to managers who take advantage of this service as an investment in their career with us at their own expense.
OutPlacement-News: Are there any topics in onboarding that you need to pay particular attention to?
NewPlacement.com: There are a number of topics that managers need to consider for successful onboarding. We divide onboarding into the areas of company, customers, colleagues, employees, superiors, predecessors, owner family or supervisory board, suppliers, market and foreign subsidiaries.
OutPlacement-News: That sounds unexpectedly extensive. What do you need to bear in mind with regard to the company?
NewPlacement.com: The manager wants to be highly motivated without having internalized the history of the company. We recommend "learn first, then teach". Without the necessary background, the new manager will fall into many traps and risk damaging their reputation. We recommend internal market research: what is the company's DNA, where were the successes and failures in the past, are the respective reasons known, who stands for which experiences?
OutPlacement-News: After the company, you have already mentioned the customers. Why are they so important in onboarding?
NewPlacement.com: Customers as such and their opinions of the company are very important. You have to get out of the "ivory tower" and talk to the key accounts. The best way to do this is to establish good network contacts during the induction phase, which you can fall back on confidentially. Once you have internalized the history of the company, you can compare the "self-image" you have gained with the "external image" of the customers. However, you should not "peddle" the discrepancies within the company. The so-called "mirrored utility value analysis" in relation to purchasing decisions and product satisfaction, among other things, helps the manager to achieve the necessary clarity in onboarding.
OutPlacement-News: And what do you have to bear in mind with new colleagues ?
NewPlacement.com: The induction interviews should definitely take place using the 5:55 NewPlacement method. The manager not only learns about the previous attitude to their new area, but also about private matters and a lot about the informal network connections. With this last piece of information, the manager makes a one-sided contribution to their own "network account" in future. The intelligent recording of induction meetings (sockets) and meetings of the management circle offer important political and diplomatic opportunities. As the saying goes, "He who writes, stays". Nevertheless, you shouldn't overuse this tool and you shouldn't allow yourself to be "put in front of the cart".
OutPlacement-News: And what is the best way to involve employees?
NewPlacement.com: Here too, appropriate induction meetings are held. With multi-level management, the hierarchy is always taken into account. Commitments should be withheld until the entire intelligence of the company has been "inhaled". Group jour fixes are suitable for leadership. However, if a "wall of resistance" builds up, this can be circumvented with individual meetings. It is essential to insist on an agenda and that it is adhered to and prepared. If necessary, canceling the appointment once can be healing and helpful. An open or secret title aspirant from your own new ranks must be handled very sensitively. Appointment as deputy or "praising away" (internally/externally) are only two political options. With regard to employees, active and open appreciation has proven to be particularly effective. In any case, the company's feedback culture should be adhered to.
OutPlacement-News: What particularities should be kept in mind with regard to the line manager?
NewPlacement.com: Line managers are always looking for confirmation of the hiring decision, especially at the beginning of the onboarding process. By proactively providing information, managers create transparency. The decision on the breadth and depth is left to the line manager. Asking questions is an important form of appreciation. Managers should therefore seek the advice of their line manager when assessing political circumstances of all kinds. Operations should actually follow the strategy. Nevertheless, it is important not to restrict the line manager too much. The regular jour fixe with the line manager with a corresponding agenda is a very important communication channel. But be careful with restrictive protocols.
OutPlacement-News: What role does the relationship with the predecessor play?
NewPlacement.com: Contacts with the predecessor have different qualities. These contacts are strongest when the predecessor was involved in the application process and may remain with the company for some time. Appreciating the predecessor's achievements as a platform on which to build carefully is a matter of course. Questions are an important part of this appreciation. You should take your time with the handover of complete responsibility if this is what the owner/management or predecessor wants. Ideally, the predecessor will continue to provide advice and support after their final departure. You should only contact the predecessor who is no longer present during the application process or when you join the company in exceptional cases and in a coordinated manner. The lack of training by the predecessor certainly has its reasons.
OutPlacement-News: The manager often also has direct contact with the owner and their family. What should you bear in mind here?
NewPlacement.com: You should not only value the owner, but also the entire family and take them seriously. Otherwise, their dinners together ("supper table") can become a danger for the manager. The owner often has incomprehensible worries about his company. The manager must deal with this intensively. The so-called "subjective entrepreneurship" is very helpful and is rewarded.
OutPlacement-News: In addition to the owner, you often have to deal directly with the committees. How do you deal with them?
NewPlacement.com: Many former managers find themselves on supervisory boards or advisory boards and want to play an active role there. An external advisory board often also wants to prove its importance to the owner in these bodies. In the case of direct contact, the manager should actively request the advisory service. Any overstepping of boundaries should be dealt with diplomatically. Even justified reprimands by the manager are usually severely punished.
OutPlacement-News: Suppliers should be committed to the company. Nevertheless, you have important tips for this group in particular.
NewPlacement.com: Managers and their employees should not allow themselves to be given gifts. But you can turn the tables and give the suppliers a present. The answer pays off for the company. If managers want to set an example with regard to suppliers, they should know the supplier networks in the company. Some suppliers enjoy protection from the owner, his family or other important parties in the company. You should spare yourself the loss of face of being "whistled back".
OutPlacement-News: What role does the market play in your job insurance?
NewPlacement.com: Managers often have to prepare competitive analyses as part of their onboarding. But you have to be careful with the "admiration" of others. People often don't want to hear it so openly. Nevertheless, these findings are important for successful job insurance. The same applies to SWOT analyses at the beginning. Sometimes people even doubt their loyalty or enthusiasm for the new company, possibly as a distraction. Pointing out potential is often also a criticism of the status quo. Those responsible for the current situation are also sitting at the table. This is where evolution beats revolution.
OutPlacement-News: Why can foreign subsidiaries also play a role?
NewPlacement.com: Many managers also have direct dealings with foreign subsidiaries and their "princes". Different mentalities often also play an important role. A brash approach can easily jeopardize a slowly built-up relationship of trust and ultimately lead to negative consequences, which then fall back on the manager. Foreign daughters in particular react very sensitively if they are not sufficiently involved in strategies. The informal networks that then glow are difficult to fathom and control.
OutPlacement-News: That was already a lot of topics to consider during onboarding. Are there any other points beyond that?
NewPlacement.com: There are a lot of additional "danger areas" across the board. First and foremost, we see the informal network ("who with whom and why") in the new company that has formed over the years across all levels. Simply looking at the black lines on the organizational chart does not help here. Managers should use the induction meetings to recognize as many lines as possible. Then they can better understand many connections and consciously use this network through the flow of information. Other important points can be the inaugural speech, the debut, existing "inheritance yards", parking, office, travel and 100-day paper. Basically, in the early days, modesty performs better than know-it-all attitude or "showing off".
OutPlacement-News: What should we understand by the 100-day paper?
NewPlacement.com: This paper refers to the rule that politicians have 100 days to fully assume their responsibilities after taking office. Many companies require their executives to produce a strategy paper after a certain period of time. This paper should never be written in private. Otherwise, you could frighten or irritate others with your statements and possibly turn them against the new manager. You should therefore involve all the important people in the company and their opinions. Each of the people who will later be authorized to read should also find themselves and their opinions reflected. Political issues can be sounded out during an "evening visit" to the line manager. Under no circumstances should the 100-day paper overburden the company and employees or cause anxiety. When it comes to strategy, evolutionary steps have proven their worth, with calming periods in between. If the manager wants to change everything at once, they and their departure become the biggest change.
OutPlacement-News: How long does your support last and how often are the consulting appointments for these various points?
NewPlacement.com: We differentiate between onboarding in entry, integration and establishment. The latter in particular goes far beyond the probationary period. After intensive preparation (including reflection on the previous management balance sheet) before joining the new company, the intervals increase from daily to weekly to monthly and finally to "on demand". Training the manager's early warning system is indispensable. The principle of hope "everything will be fine" is fundamentally dangerous and means losing the meta-level. In this situation, the early warning system kicks in and the manager seeks contact with the NewPlacement coach.
OutPlacement-News: Finally, is there any "golden" advice?
NewPlacement.com: Managers should constantly update their success database from the NewPlacement concept and pay particular attention when there is a threat of stagnation. Without further development in the current job, the end of this commitment comes ever closer.
OutPlacement-News: Thank you very much for the interview and the many interesting insights.
Keywords
#onboarding #induction #jobinsurance #coacching #outplacement #newplacement
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