When it comes to executive onboarding, the stakes are high. A new leader steps into a big role means that everyone’s watching.
The organisation has made a huge investment to bring them on board and now it’s time to perform.
The danger is believing that success will just happen…
What is Executive Onboarding?
Executive onboarding is a structured process that integrates newly hired executives into an organisation by familiarizing them with the company’s culture, mission, and key stakeholders.
Unlike standard employee onboarding, it focuses on high-level alignment, strategic goal setting, and building relationships with key stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition and rapid contribution.
What we’ve learned over the last three decades is that executive hires are by no means a guaranteed success. No matter how exhaustive the recruitment process.
Your new hire is landing in a new environment and a new culture. What they’ve done before, and how they’ve behaved may not work in this new world. It’s a fresh start in a
game where the rules are yet to be written.
Chances are your new hire is nervous too. They’ve won the race to get hired but now the doubts may be creeping in. Imposter syndrome is just one of the many mindsets
that could be undermining their confidence. At worst they could be thinking: what have I done?
The truth?
Transition and onboarding at the top are some of the most high-stakes, high-stress moments for both leader and employer. And yet, they’re often the least supported. This is where a coaching programme can make all the difference.
The Hidden Challenges of Executive Onboarding
I once worked with a new CEO who had recently been “passed the baton” from the previous CEO of an old but reputable executive training company. She had initially entered the company as their “IT person,” and following a series of redundancies during COVID, had been elected to take the company forward into the
future.
She had a good relationship with the ex-CEO, she was tech-savvy, she ticked a lot of boxes.
But when she stepped into the top job, two things became clear:
She didn’t know nearly as much as the ex-CEO about executive training.
She was still running her own tech startup on the side.
The knowledge gap wasn’t just technical: it was cultural.
Suddenly, her credibility, confidence, and even her identity were in question.
The Cost of Rushed Executive Onboarding
I supported as much as I could as a (then) Marketing Admin, but I could see that she was coming apart at the seams, and unfortunately, the business with it.
It’s easy to assume a strong relationship with the outgoing leader and a smart head on your shoulders is enough to land softly in a new leadership role.
But high-stake leadership onboarding doesn’t just require strategy.
They require deep support and a leadership onboarding programme that helps new leaders build credibility, navigate the invisible terrain of power dynamics, and confront
imposter syndrome with confidence.
We can see that evidenced by Egon Zehnder’s Global Survey of 588 executives at the VP level and above who had joined new companies in the past few years.
The participants represented both publicly traded and privately owned companies across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. One-third of them were in the C-suite.
Almost 60% reported that it took them six months—and close to 20% said it took more than nine months—to have a full impact in their new roles.
Less than a third said they had received any meaningful support during their transition—a big problem when you consider that more than 80% of this fortunate minority thought such support had made a major difference in their early impact.
Without meaningful support, even the most capable leaders can feel like imposters in their own office.
Turning Leadership Uncertainty Into Confidence Starts Here
We’ve been delivering “first 90 days” coaching for decades and seen the results.
We’ve taken everything we’ve learned and created something designed specifically to support leaders at exactly this point of tension: when capability collides with complexity.
It will be especially valuable for organisations developing an executive director onboarding plan or looking for executive onboarding best practices that go beyond generic advice.
Because passing the baton isn’t the hard part.
Running with it is.
Your next leader doesn’t need more information.
They need a guide.
Something new is coming, and it’s built for your next generation of leadership. Contact us today for more information. Stay tuned…
Iona joined Chiumento in 2024, bringing a vibrant background in design as a freelance illustrator and marketer, along with experience as a Product Manager for a leading educational training brand. A 2020 AUB graduate with a BA Hons in Illustration, Iona is enthusiastic about digital strategy and marketing.