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Onboarding Part Two: A Text Book Case


In order to get a company perspective, I talked with one of my clients this week.  This VP of Human Resources and I had worked for the same company in the early 1990’s.  That company had a model onboarding program, so I was not surprised to learn of my client’s commitment to effective onboarding.
My client, let’s call him Mark, told me that they viewed onboarding as a process, not an event.  They use a six month period to assimilate the new hire into the culture, her role, and her team.  He said, “the Devil is in the details.”  It is a well-plannedprogram run by their training department.  That was an interesting revelation.  But it makes sense.  He went on to say that the new hire’s supervisor is involved in the process to include regular interaction.  The new hire is assessed throughout the process which is recorded on a balanced scorecard. 
Mark told me that a new CMO had joined the company that day.  She was beginning to go through the same process, starting on the shop floor.  This first step is scheduled for six to eight weeks.  During this time, she will learn the business from the ground up.  The next phase is to shadow a Regional Operations Vice President for eight to twelve weeks.  She will see how the moving parts work together in the field, especially how Sales, Operations, and Marketing personnel interact.
The final step is to spend time with her direct reports to understand how the business rolls up to her level of responsibility.  The evaluation process includes a three hundred sixty degrees review.  Mark is very proud of their process and its results.  He said, “it is important to start the new hire on the right foot.”  He went on to say that their home office turnover is very low, seven percent.”  As I mentioned earlier, Mark and I had worked for the same company years ago.  Their onboarding process was superb.  It is no surprise to me that he carried on the tradition with his current employer.
Mark went on to tell me that the onboarding plan is customized to the new hire.  A conference call is scheduled prior to the new hire’s start date.  It is a group conference that includes all relevant parties.  Adjustments are made along the way to accommodate for transition issues like house hunting trips if relocation is involved.  At the end of the process, the new hire debriefs with her Superior.
My client’s program is a textbook example of onboarding the new hire most effectively.  Probably the most effective part of the process is the significant amount of time given to shadowing key personnel in the field.  Not only does the new hire see what gets done they also become immersed in the culture.  They learn the company’s philosophy,  values, and norms.  They learn about the formal  power structure as well as the informal power dynamics of the firm.  The latter may prove to be very important to the new hire’s success.
Successful onboarding programs think of the new hire as a customer.  Their question is.“ how would you deliver great service to this customer?”  A key component of great customer service requires monitoring the process and the evaluation of the customer’s effectiveness using the product.  My client’s program closely follows this model.  Additionally, by placing the responsibility for onboarding with the training department they ensure that accountability is optimized. 
If the employer believes that onboarding is critical to the new hire’s success, then it needs the appropriate emphasis.  If the employer lacks the resources internally, it may be worthwhile to consider an outside resource to guide the process.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list. 
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so, please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

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Onboarding: Start A New Job The Right Way!

When I begin hearing the same thing from different people at the same time I stop and take notice.  That is what happened last week.  One day, my colleague on the consulting side of our business was lamenting a client’s poor management of the onboarding process for a candidate I just placed.   The next day the issue became, even more, personal as a close friend opened up about her experience.  She was disappointed with the way she was onboarded by her current employer.   She had just completed her one-year anniversary as a Key Account Executive with a Fortune 500 financial services company.   She thought she could have been much more productive leveraging her six-figure salary if her boss had crafted a better onboarding program.   The message to her was: “you are smart and experienced so you can figure it out.”   Of course, she did figure it out, but at what cost?  
To some extent, I can understand the first situation as the client is an emerging brand with a lot of moving parts.  On the other hand, my colleague had delivered the on-boarding plan to the hiring manager.  All he had to do was to share same with the new employee and facilitate his training and assimilation.  The second situation is more confusing as the employer is a major, well-established brand. 
When I think back on my job changes, while an employee in the Fortune 500 environment, I enjoyed the benefits of well-crafted onboarding programs.  These were significant Senior General Manager positions.  Not C-level jobs, but meaningful, highly compensated jobs.    My employers invested the time to ensure that I had the tools, understood the culture, and assimilated well into my new job.  They knew that if the onboarding program were sound, I would be more efficient sooner enhancing my potential to the company.   
I understand that the world that changed.  People are expected to do more with less.  Some things have not changed, however.  Turnover is still very costly.   Typically, most turnover comes from the ranks of the least-tenured employees.  In other words, there is a majority of permanent employees who have been with the company for a long time.   The smaller group of less tenured employees represents the segment that is turning most often.   Why is that?  It is costly!   Companies do not hire from the outside if they have the talent available inside the enterprise.  So churning the most recent hires represents a failure to meet recruiting goals.   In these situations, something is amiss in the recruiting-selection-management process.   
For our purposes, onboarding is about housekeeping, incorporation, and acceleration.  Housekeeping refers to the administrative activities of making a new hire an employee.   That includes completing the new-hire package to put the individual into the payroll system and assigning their workspace.  It also includes providing the new hire with tools of the trade such as cell phones, computers, and access to the intranet.    Incorporation speaks to the introduction of the new employee to the company.  That includes getting to know their existing team, peers, and possibly the next level of management where they may interface.  Acceleration is about helping the new hire become fully productive as soon as possible.  Acceleration is learning how things get done in the company.   It is as much about cultural indoctrination as it is about understanding business processes.  Acceleration may be the most critical part of the onboarding process as it is highly interpersonal and likely the most politically charged part of the work environment. 
If you are about to start a new job, invest some time learning about your onboarding plan.  If you find it lacking, you must be proactive!  Take the initiative to enhance the onboarding program and gain buy-in from your hiring manager and key stakeholders.   Success in your new job depends on getting off to a good start!   For the next few posts, we will explore the onboarding process more thoroughly.

Thank you for visiting my blog.


I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email in-box.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list. 

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search



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Your Recruiter’s Vetting Process: Other Activities


For the past few weeks we have explored the candidate vetting process via interviewing.   Interviews are important, but hardly the only way candidates are evaluated.  There is a lot of work done throughout the selection process that precede, parallel, and succeed interviews.    To be successful you must understand the entire vetting process and prepare accordingly.
Most of my candidates come from my network, either as primary contacts or their referrals.  I generally know a bit about them and may have worked with them in the past.   The people in my network have established a certain level of trust.  Candidates introduced by network members benefit as that trust attaches to them, more or less.   Additionally, the referral source will provide much needed background information on their referral.  It is not uncommon to receive referrals from second and third level connections who I may not know.  Or, for some searches I must actively network to find candidates.  In these cases I am connecting with people I don’t know.   Since they are unfamiliar to me, I must establish a comfort level to put them into contention.  The basic process to accomplish that goal is:

  • Talk with people at companies where they have worked.
  • Review their on-line persona.
  • Conduct an Internet Search.

It really is a small world which technology continues to shrink.  Since I focus on a limited number of industry segments my professional world is a bit smaller.  If I have not crossed paths with someone, I know people that have.   By using my network I can talk to people who have had direct experience with the job seeker.  They will validate him, or not.  These discussions are particularly helpful as I will uncover information not available through more traditional means.

One’s online persona is important to explore.  We have heard stories of bad behavior displayed on the Facebook pages of recent College Grads and younger professionals.   Although this is less the case with more senior executives, there is still a lot to learn by reviewing their social media accounts.  It may seem like an invasion of privacy, a little creepy even.   The Internet, however, is the public domain and fair game.  LinkedIn is particularly useful.  The background information presented there is more comprehensive than most resumes.   I can get to know the candidate’s professional associations and affiliations as well as references provided by coworkers.  If they are active in on-line groups I can evaluate their technical savvy and writing skills.  If they are active on Twitter I can learn more about their interests.  In summary, social media is an information gold mine.

I use Google to find news articles about or written by my candidates.  There’s also a number of fee-based services available to collect highly personal financial information.  I haven’t found the need to do so, but you can be certain that others will.  You must know that the internet makes it easy to learn as much as one needs to know about job seekers.

Understanding the full scope of the recruiter’s vetting process is important to your success as a job seeker.  Understanding the information the recruiter needs and how she finds that information will help you better manage your personal brand.   Manage your public profile proactively to better support your job search goals.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email in-box.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list. 

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

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Ace Your Next Interview: The Executive Recruiter

My last two posts have been focused on preparation to help you with the experienced, highly competent interviewer, as well as the not-so-competent.   Whereas those posts were about interviews you might expect from the employer it makes sense to talk about the type of interview process you should expect from a third party Executive Recruiter.  It may be useful to talk about my process, which I believe to be fairly representative of our field.

Prior to introducing any candidate to my client I complete this three-part interview process:

  • Preliminary conversation
  • In-depth interview
  • Follow-up conversation

The starting point for my search assignments is the Position Specification provided by the client.  This document is a combination of a traditional Job Description plus a description of the ideal candidate’s profile.  Additionally, the client often includes a list of personal attributes which they believe will ensure the best fit with their culture.  I use this document as my road map.  The candidates I consider must have backgrounds that match the client’s requirements.

The preliminary conversation is scheduled for 20 minutes.  During this time I work to ensure that the candidate’s expectations for compensation and job requirements are aligned with the client.  I want to know that the candidate will relocate if required.  I also want to understand the candidate’s motivation to consider the job in question.  During this time I am evaluating the candidate’s professional demeanor.  If the candidate passes muster during this process I will reveal the name of the client and send her relevant information, including the position specs.  I give the candidate time to do her due-diligence to ensure that this job fits her career goals.   If the candidate does not align properly we agree to end the discussion at that point.   I ask for permission to add her email address to my mailing list, keeping her advised of new opportunities as they develop.

When the candidate is ready to proceed we schedule the in-depth interview.  Depending on the location of the candidate this interview may be in person, or over the phone.  I allow 60 minutes for the in-depth interview.   The first half of our time is devoted to listening to the candidate present his history in his own way.   I want to understand the decisions he has made managing his career.  Why did he change jobs?  Why did he join a particular company?  What kind of experience was he looking for?  I want to understand his successes and challenges.  I want to learn about building and managing effective teams and employees he has developed for promotion.   Most successful people have given a lot of thought to their careers.  They know their strengths and weaknesses.  They understand their ideal type of work and corporate culture.  This insight is important to me!

During the in-depth, I am evaluating the candidate’s communication skills; specifically the ability to present their career story in a compelling way.  I want to be certain that the candidate’s communication skills fit the client’s expectations.   After all, effective communication is likely the most important skill required of a Senior Executive.  When the candidate is finished presenting his history I use the remaining time to gain clarification and complete housekeeping duties like recording a salary history.   If this conversation goes well then I advise the candidate as to when I plan to present his credentials.  If it does not go well I will let him know.

The follow-up interview is usually short, targeted to gain specific information to help me complete my candidate’s introduction to the client.  That introduction includes a point by point justification as to how the candidate meets the client’s requirements, as well as her resume.  There are other aspects to my candidate validation process which I will describe in next week’s post.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Ace Your Next Interview: The Well-Trained Interviewer


Last week’s post was directed at helping you with an inexperienced, untrained interviewer.  Unfortunately, you are likely to meet those folks far more often than the experienced, well-trained interviewer.   The suggestions I provided last week are also useful when talking with a competent interviewer.   And let’s face it, you probably will not know in advance the competency of your interviewer so prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Speaking of well-trained, highly competent interviewers, I can thank my colleague, Stan for this week’s topic.  When reviewing my post with Stan last week, he asked me what “knock-out” questions I used in my interviews.   I was confident that I knew what he meant, but just to be sure, I asked him for an explanation.  A highly useful interview question, I did not want to make any poor assumptions.   Stan told me that he used a few interview questions that if poorly answered would eliminate the candidate from further consideration.  He provided the following examples.
1.     If we hire you, what is your plan for the next 30, 60, and 90 days?
2.     Why should we hire you instead of the other highly qualified candidates in the queue?
3.     Why do you want to work here?
4.     What motivates you more, the thrill of winning or the fear of losing?
As it turns out, Stan and I were on the same page however, my methodology gets to the “knock-out” issue (suitability for the job) in a different way, which may become  another blog post.  These questions are meant to learn how the candidate will approach her work and how she might set priorities.   They surface issues which the candidate should have given serious consideration and preparation to discuss.  The response gives the interviewer insight into the candidate’s thought process.  Additionally, they help the hiring manager gauge the candidates’ interest level for the job in question.   Poor unfocused answers are a big red flag.  If the candidate has not given any thought to these questions then she is likely not a good fit for the job.  “Knock-out” questions help the interviewer validate the candidate’s Executive skills, (ability)  motivation ( interest level) and fit (cultural).
Executive Skills:

  •  Strategic thinking
  •  Goal Orientation
  • Leadership ability
  • Technical Proficiency

Motivation
  • Self-awareness
  • Personal drivers
  • Career Goals
  • Understands the job and expectations for success
  • Is very interested in the job in question
Fit
  • Understands and shares our values
  • Belief in our product/service/mission
  • Experience working in a similar culture
So, the “knock-out” question is meant to qualify/disqualify the candidate on the most fundamental issues of concern to any hiring manager.  A satisfactory answer does not mean that one will get the job.  It is the ante.  The price of poker, so to speak.  They are meant as a starting point to understand the three big questions on the mind of the hiring manager;  1) can he do the job, 2) will he do the job, and 3) will he fit our culture.
An executive recruiter begins with the same fundamental questions.  He may arrive as his answers in a different way, but the result is the same.  If you are not working through a third party recruiter you should give serious consideration as to how you answer these questions, as well.  It would be useful to talk with other experienced hiring managers to understand their knock out questions.
To be successful in front of an experienced interviewer requires preparation.  Give ample thought to the job you seek!  Know the kind of questions interviewers use to qualify candidates at the most fundamental level.   Preparation is the key to success in any endeavor.   Ace your next interview by developing great answers to the obvious ‘knock-out” questions.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.


Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

 

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Jim Lyons Joins ITBPartners

ITB Partners is pleased to announce that Jim Lyons has joined our team.  Jim has had over 30 years of leadership experience with major restaurant and franchise brands. Jim’s expertise in the area of franchising, restaurant operations leadership, real estate and development has helped franchisers, franchisees and restaurant operators meet their operational, development and financial goals.  Read more…

ITB Partners is a diverse team of experienced leaders, project managers, and discipline experts with an established history of accomplishment, business relationships and networks. We have direct experience successfully working with public companies, Private Equity Groups, start-ups,  acquisitions and turnarounds across a number of industries – specifically restaurant, hospitality, services and retail segments.  

For more information contact Jim Weber at:  Jim.Weber@ITBPartners.com or by telephone at:  770-354-2817

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Ace Your Next Interview



Over the past few weeks I had had some interesting conversations with employers who told me of poor experiences with Executive Recruiters.  One situation was with a current client and the other a long-time friend and networking contact who I have not worked for.  In the former case the hiring manager (no longer with the client) hired a candidate who did not rise to my “top three.”  He lasted less than a year and I replaced him pursuant to my agreement.  In fact, the replacement candidate was among the first group of candidates I presented and an all around more suitable hire.  The original hiring manager was not a part of the decision process for the replacement and this candidate is working out just fine.
In the second conversation I was able to ask my friend a few questions about the company’s selection process.  They have no Human Resources Department so the traditional HR functions are spread between the other Department Heads, if at all.   They do not have job descriptions so it was not clear as to how the hiring managers made their selections.  No one has had any formal interviewing skills training.  They do meet as a group to de-brief and arrive at a consensus for each hire.  This is a major positive which can serve as a base to build a better selection process if they chose to do so.  

Most managers I have talked with over the years have not had any formal training in recruiting and selection.  While working for one of my Fortune 500 employers prior to entering the Executive Search field I did receive formal training which I have found to be invaluable.  The biggest problem with the untrained interviewer is that they talk too much.  If the ideal interview is 20% interviewer talking and 80% interviewee talking, they operate in reverse.   Then at the end of the interview they will say that they did not learn anything about the candidate.  Not surprising if they are doing most of the talking.    So, the question is; how do you ace an interview with an untrained interviewer?   The answer, of course, is to help him interview you.  
Fundamentally, the candidate must gain some control over the interview to ensure a favorable result.  To help accomplish this I recommend that my candidates prepare a one page, key accomplishments hand-out which they can present to the interviewer at the beginning of the discussion.  This is a bullet point list of up to ten prioritized accomplishments, in big bold type, that best demonstrates your ability to perform the job in question.  Of course the interviewer has your resume, but this hand-out can become the agenda for the discussion, guiding his questions.   Trust me, they will appreciate the additional information and will be impressed by your preparation for the interview.
In subsequent interviews I have found that a hand-out which summarizes your understanding of the employer’s need is very useful to close the deal.   Personally, I find the following format to be very powerful:
1.     Yesterday:
·        
2.     Today:
·        
3.     Tomorrow:
·        
This is a great way to demonstrate that you understand where the company has been; where they are today; and where they want to go.   If you are a little off base the interviewer will point that out and give you something more to talk about.   If you are right on target, which you should be if you have been listening and doing your homework, you will totally impress the interviewer with you grasp of their needs.  The assumption will be that if you understand their situation, you will be effective in the job.  
So, if you want to do well with trained or untrained interviewers, help them interview you by the use of visual aids to focus the conversation.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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Conclusion: Pre-Planning Alignment; The Right Way to Start a New Job


Day two of our consulting project began with a check-in regarding the prior-day’s activities.  The consensus from the floor was that the process held great value for John’s team and they were grateful to have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a non-threatening environment.   Also included were introductions of new participants representing HR, Operations, MarCom, Public Relations, and Financial Planning and Analysis.  Since John’s team could not operate in a vacuum, these relationships are key to the success of the team.  They were included to ensure that they understood the Department’s objectives, the needs to execute those objectives, and generally, to make them a part of the team.  Additionally, their feedback and suggestions during the process proved to be valuable.
After the check-in, Stan provided the set-up to finalizing the team identity.  Stan introduced the concept of building a numeric value for the objective into their Logo and tagline.  Our experience has been that doing so would help keep their focus on the primary objective.  Then the small groups went back to work.  

When the time was up, each team leader presented their work.  The results were impressive.  Their thoughts were much more focused and relevant.  It was evident that there was a lot of talent and creativity in the room.   By the end of the presentations it was clear that they were close to a consensus.  It was time to turn their work over to the professionals and to move on to the next phase of the program, developing the plan.
Stan’s setup up for the Department’s final assignment included six buckets for consideration:  Staffing/Resources; Leadership and Strategy; Culture; Tools and Processes; Opportunities; and Results.  Each group was responsible for brainstorming each of those buckets, listing each idea on a single 3” by 5” Post-it ™ note.  When the allotted time had expired, group leaders placed their ideas in the corresponding buckets, (flip charts placed around the room).  Stan spoke to each bucket list, putting emphasis on the number of common thoughts in each category.  The results were striking.    It was revealing to note the high volume of thoughts around Staffing/Resources, Leadership & Strategy, and Culture, all three categories being closely related.  Tools & Processes, Opportunities, and Results had less than half the volume of Post-it ™ notes.  My takeaway was that the group was sending a clear message that John’s leadership was vital.  They seemed to believe that the Department’s objectives were realistic and attainable so long as they had a Champion leading the way.  I am certain that John viewed this as very favorable.
To wrap up the meeting, Stan recapped the process and talked about next steps.  John summarized his take-away to ensure that the Department knew that he “got it.”  He made a commitment to immediately address some of the more pressing issues and to factor remaining issues into the plan.  As a side note, the next week John gave Stan additional work that included facilitating the Quarterly follow-up meetings, and a few coaching assignments.  
The result of this assignment was a win-win-win.  For a new Executive it is wise to bring in an objective third-party to facilitate team alignment as we come without biases that could taint the results.  Additionally, it is more realistic for the Department personnel to speak freely in front of outsiders who are not in a position to influence their careers.  If you are looking to develop alignment and buy-in, a non-threatening environment is a good place to start.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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Pre-Planning Alignment: The Right Way to Start a New Job


Last month John called on our group to help him kick off the annual department planning and budgeting process.  John is an Executive well-known to me and my colleagues.  I placed him in a C-level position about 10 years ago, and my colleagues have worked with him since.   He recently landed an important job with a well-established brand, which represents an excellent career opportunity.  Achieving success will be a difficult slough, however.  The Brand has suffered from a succession of owners, leaders, and strategies.   Now under new direction, John and his team are responsible for critical strategies to rebuild the brand.  My colleague Stan got the lead on the project with me in support. 
John envisioned a full department off-site meeting, so Stan built the appropriate agenda.   Stan’s goal was to help John build alignment and ownership around the department’s four key objectives.  The agenda included a heavy dose of fun to encourage participation and creativity by the attendees.  By the end of the off-site John wanted to ensure that there was enthusiasm for the plan; that the team took ownership; and that the stage was set for an effective change-management effort.
The first exercise Stan facilitated, after the appropriate set-up, was what he calls “deep dive introductions”.  It was an ice-breaker, ‘getting to know you’ exercise.  Everyone had the opportunity to introduce themselves, speak to their job function, indicate their expectations from the meeting, and to tell something personal the group may not have known.   This included John, Stan, and me.  They also provided their tenure with the company and within the industry segment.  The whole point of the exercise was to begin building trust in a non-threatening environment.  John and Stan distributed prizes for the best idea, the most interesting disclosure, and the lamest personal disclosure.  This was a great way to begin the meeting.
It was interesting to learn that the average tenure with the company was 6.5 years, with 15 years in the segment.  15 people had less than one year tenure with the company.  On balance, the average team member had not seen a stable, consistent direction from this employer.  Clearly, the culture had been battered.
The next exercise was a mini-assimilation.  Whereas the first exercise as entirely personal, this was a group exercise.  Each group was defined by table, six team members per table.  The exercise included some administrative functions like appointing a scribe and a spokesman.  Their  task was to determine 1) what they wanted to know about John, and 2) what they wanted John to know about their team.  After that task, John told his team what he thought they should know about him.  It was another good exchange that reinforced the team’s desire for leadership and direction.  They told John that they were ready and eager to execute but craved a champion to lead them.  
After lunch, the final exercise of the day, another small group task, was to begin the process of establishing an identity for the Department.  The goal was to establish a name, a tag-line, and a logo for John’s team.  The small groups put a lot of energy into this activity, developing some very creative ideas.  It was a good start, but more work was required.  The evening was a planned event for the team which Stan and I respectfully declined to attend.
The first day was a big success.  The Department took a measure of John’s commitment to them and their needs.  John began to identify his leaders and problem children.  Stan and I found some points where John needed some coaching.  We were very optimistic about the prospects for the next day.   To be continued…

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com
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LEADING YOUR NONPROFIT – almost – LIKE A BUSINESS:



 By David Shavzin

Bringing in some of these “business” concepts and experiences, married to a mission, can be extremely powerful. When I discuss working on growth with a nonprofit organization, I inevitably get a response something like this: “It sounds good but that only works in a business. “We are a charity/agency/government department/professional association and we are not like a business.” ReadMore…