Situation: A CEO has identified a good candidate for a critical management role. Once this individual is hired, what are best practices for on-boarding a new member of the team? What’s the best way to on-board a new manager?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Provide a fair salary: Review local salary surveys and pay a salary that reflects competitive realities. Consider the impression that the offer makes on the spouse. If the spouse is unhappy, there won’t be peace at home and the employee may continue looking even after accepting your offer. Consider a 90 day evaluation period. Increase chances for success by paying a fair salary from the beginning. If the individual doesn’t meet your needs, let them go.
• Provide clear, concise direction from the start. Provide an orientation to positively introduce the manager to the others in the company. One-on-one meetings between the new manager and key employees plus anyone who will report to the manager to establish initial rapport and establish shared expectations. Consider a lunch to introduce the new manager.
• Set SMART performance objectives: S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable; R – Realistic, T – Time-bound. Meet weekly with the new manager. Teach them what you’ve learned about the company, employees, and how things work. Avoid shifting early objectives. This is distracting and diminishes the chances of success. Sudden or frequent changes in priorities make it difficult to generate momentum – particularly for a new employee.
• Expectations – don’t expect instantaneous results.

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