" Guidance Isnโt Babying >> Itโs Smart Leadership (Even for Seniors)"
Hereโs Why Onboarding Still Matters
โWe hired someone senior they'll hit the ground running, can!โ
๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ
So someone has 20+ years of experience doesnโt mean they understand your business, way of working or expectations.
๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ
A company I worked with hired a senior finance manager, solid credentials, came from reputable company, aced personality test 100%.
On Day 1, was led to her desk, given access to the accounting software. End.
No introductions.
No company briefing.
No clear role breakdown.
Week 2, confusion set in.
Week 4, mentally checked out.
Week 6, resigned and left.
๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Every company has:
๐Different Systems
๐งโ๐ผDifferent Leadership Styles
๐ ๏ธDifferent Tools & SOPs
๐ฃDifferent Communication Preferences
Even the most seasoned professionals need direction to succeed in a new environment.
โ Why onboarding matters? ... โฏyes, even for senior hires.
๐It speeds up ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป into your team and culture
๐งญIt sets ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ and role boundaries
๐ฌIt opens ๐๐๐ผ-๐๐ฎ๐ communication early
๐ฅIt reinforces your ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ as a professional employer
๐ข๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด isnโt about โbabyingโ itโs about setting them for success
๐๏ธ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ 3-๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป
๐๐ฎ๐ 1: ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ & ๐๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
Office tour, Meet-the-team
Company history, vision, core values
IT setup, access to tools, information
๐๐ฎ๐ 2: ๐๐ผ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ & ๐๐ฃ๐๐
Clear brief of responsibilities
Introduce key processes
Overview of reporting & LOA flow
๐๐ฎ๐ 3: ๐ง๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ & ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐
Walkthrough of systems
First set of tasks/goals
Q&A with supervisor
Even if you donโt have an HR department, a founder or manager need to walk through these steps.
๐ง ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐:
โAssuming senior people donโt need guidance
โSkipping culture briefings
โExpecting immediate results without context
โNot assigning a buddy
Result? Wasted hiring costs.
๐ก๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฝ
Always follow up after the first week.
โHow are you settling in?โ
โDo you have what you need to do your job well?โ
โWhatโs unclear so far?โ
These check-ins show that you care and they build trust fast.
โจ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
Hiring experienced talent is just the beginning. Onboarding them properly is what drives performance and retention.
๐Donโt assume theyโll figure it out.
โ Guide them. Support them. Watch them thrive.
********
I am Kevin Goh, ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ & ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐, Building Modern HR for the Evolving Workplace
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn by Kevin Goh โ Director. You can read the full post here. Adapted and shared with permission.