July 11, 2024, by Bert Cohen
Earlier this year, I wrote a column about my new passion: 'onboarding'. I immediately received the comment that the average 'onboarding' is quite different from what I offer, haha! But what is the difference? What is the lesson from the trajectories I am now guiding? And how do we combine that into a term that does more justice to this?
We are now a few months further into the 'pilots' I mentioned. And a few more projects have been added in that time, so we are learning quickly. Below are the most important insights in a nutshell... because although every individual case is of course different, the similarities are obvious.
What is immediately striking is the pressure under which these processes take place: it is often intense. This is certainly related to the level and strategic importance of the positions involved, especially when the person concerned is also asked to do something genuinely new. All in all, of course, exactly why extra guidance is so necessary here.
But I naturally feel that same pressure as a coach. My client actually has no time for anything other than what adds immediate value. So I try to respond to that with very practical insights and solutions. And at the same time, to offer that oasis of distance and calm that he/she, perhaps not always consciously, also needs so much. A delicate balance, especially if you don't know each other that well yet.
What we do here goes far beyond a standard onboarding program and becomes much more of a 'tailor-made' development process, in which I want to pay as close attention as possible to what is REALLY needed at that moment. For one person, for example, that is more on the 'performance' side, for another on the social (network/stakeholder) side, and for a third perhaps on his/her feeling or behavior. And after a few weeks, that will probably all be different again. So flexibility and communication are key words.
But personal choice also proves to be important. As I already noted in my earlier column, these types of processes are ideally initiated by the employer, which also increases the risk of socially accepted behavior on the part of the employee. Something like: 'I don't want to make things difficult and it might not be so bad, I'll just say yes'. Whereas for this work, which balances on the cutting edge, real commitment is essential. And that is why it is actually very good if the person involved really has something to choose, both in the process and for the coach.
And what do we call it then? Because where 'onboarding' is often seen as an extensive introduction to the organization until someone is on board, what I mean goes much further. I don't actually rest until my client has really landed. That means: before he or she has proven themselves in the position and in the organization. And the usual 100-day period is usually not enough for that; I expect a process of six months to a year.
That is why I prefer to talk about 'landing' rather than 'onboarding' in this context. Hopefully you can feel the difference: in the sharpness of the attention that is needed for it, in the motivation of the person involved and in the 'impact' on his or her success. I actually wish everyone in these types of positions a 'HAPPY LANDING'!
