Special coaching can help new leaders during transition

Most companies do not have a formal onboarding program.
A recent survey conducted by the Corporate Executive Board’s Recruiting Roundtable found that 89 percent of new hires across enterprise organizations indicated that they did not have the optimum level of knowledge and tools necessary to do their job.
Typically, organizations that do have an onboarding program in place focus on getting junior hires up to speed in their new position, learning responsibilities and expectations as well as the company’s culture.
However, this success strategy is equally important for newly appointed executives whether they are promoted internally or join the organization as a new hire.
Expectations are high when new leaders come on board, and they often do not have the necessary information, tools or a place to make them successful in their new role.
Therefore, instead of anticipated productivity gains one might expect with a management change, a business might, at least initially, experience poor financial results, decreased employee morale and costly turnovers without the proper transition plan in place. On the other hand, if organizations use the right success strategies when transitioning leaders, they will not only prevent failure but will also create additional value by accelerating the new leader’s effectiveness—thus having a more immediate positive impact on the business.

Managing an effective transition

The first step to managing an effective transition is to provide newly appointed leaders with guidance on how to take charge in their new roles through the development of a transition plan. This plan can make a major difference in the way a new leader performs in the new assignment and should begin with Transition Coaching, a proven, integrated and systematic process that engages new leaders in the company’s corporate strategy and culture to accelerate productivity.
Transition Coaching helps a new leader immediately offer positive economic value to the company, while preventing mistakes that can lead to failure and harm in the business.
Transition Coaching is a process, a plan, and a roadmap that offers the new leader the ability to navigate his or her way through the challenges of the transition. When a transition coach works with a new leader, the existing organizational structure, strategy and culture of the company must be considered.
But equally important, the new leader’s own personality traits, management style and professional skill must be assessed.
The coach acts as a sounding board to assist the executive in diagnosing the new situation and assessing his/her own skills.
The next step is to put together a transition plan that will define critical action s which must take place during the first 120 days to establish credibility, secure early wins and position that leader and team for long-term success.

A Coach

A transition coach assists the new leader in developing the plan, but Transition Coaching doesn’t end after the transition plan is put into place.
A transition coach holds regular meeting with the new leader using tutorials, skills practice role-plays, on-the-job actions, and ongoing feedback to provide the new leader with continuous one-on-one support.
After six to eight weeks, once early impression of the new leaders have been formed, the transition coach takes a pulse check of the key players including the boss, direct reports, peers and other stakeholders to gather these early impressions so that the new leader can make an early course correction if needed.
The entire process allows a leader to take charge of the new situation, get the information he/she needs to properly set high expectations for the future, and achieve alignment with the team, as well as the larger organization, to move the business forward.
By incorporating Transition Coaching into its leadership development processes, the company is making an investment in its team that will result in cost-savings over the long-term.
Whether promoting an internal high potential or onboarding a new hire, transition coaching sets new leaders on a course for success, eliminating the need to repeatedly fill leadership position and incur a loss of productivity.
The company’s decision to accelerate the transition of new leaders with a proven approach will not only drive improved business results, but also allow the company to meet customer needs and win competitive challenges in the marketplace.