These realities lead us to believe that a reimagined approach to onboarding is required. How do institutions ensure that a new leader becomes a fully functioning member of the team as smoothly and effectively as possible? Our experience tells us that successful onboarding of leadership candidates is critical to hiring success — and that it starts well before the hiring process is complete. The essential work of establishing clarity on what kind of leaders an institution seeks and the strategic priorities they are expected to tackle should happen at the outset of a search. These competencies and priorities should be front of mind throughout the recruitment and assessment. The conversations, input, and reflection that occurs throughout the process will offer clues and cues about what factors to consider and steps to take when it comes time to welcome a candidate into their new role, intelligence that a search consultant may be particularly helpful in capturing and distilling.
It may also be presumed that a leader who has been selected through a rigorous process should have enough experience to know what to do once they assume their new position. Still, factors like organizational culture, traditions, and norms are unique to each institution and can be challenging for even the most seasoned leader — and may be even more challenging for leaders coming from different communities or regions. As well, there may be tremendous pressure to “hit the ground running,” and in today’s world, it isn’t unusual for new leaders to face immediate crises, challenges, or priorities that serve to reduce their opportunity to gain a nuanced understanding of their role, institution, and the environment within which they are now operating. It can be tempting for those in new roles to focus on immediate tasks at the expense of establishing key relationships, a misstep which can prove damaging in the long run.
So how can universities and colleges mitigate the risks associated with a change in leadership and improve the odds of a new leader’s — and the institution’s — success? Our work with institutions and newly hired leaders tells us that maintaining focus on a few key areas and questions can help facilitate success.
1. Provide clarity on the role and organizational objectives. A clear role description should guide recruitment and assessment of candidates, and that description will continue to be of critical importance as a new leader steps into place, providing important insight on where a candidate’s efforts should be focused. What key strategic and operational objectives and related outcomes is the candidate expected to focus on in the first year? What are their longer-term objectives? What evidence of success will be expected to show that they are on track? Making sound early judgments on the ground can have a positive impact on their credibility and support forward momentum.
