Don't Just Onboard. Build the Energy for Change.
Dennis Adsit
Coach for Extraordinary First 100 Days Transitions, Building High-Performing Teams, Nudging Cultures
When I set out to build my First Hundred Days & Beyond program, I wanted it to have as many reusable tools as possible.
Not just for the sake of having reusable tools, but because my years of experience as a consultant and an operating executive have led me to think about the first hundred days differently than most.
I thought I had a unique approach, but still wondered, until the feedback started coming in.
Of the nearly one hundred executives I have walked through some portion of their first hundred days, to a person, they have all told me that it gave them structure and was packed with clear steps they had not even considered.
Structure and clear steps for what??
Building the energy to sustain the change they were hired to drive.
A better way for an exec and an organization to think about the first hundred days is that they are the first 100 days of the change effort, and yes, even when the details of that change effort are not completely clear.
Onboarding is Too, Well, On-Off
In what seemed like almost every episode of the original Star Trek TV series, Captain Kirk would say "Steady as she goes, Mr. Sulu."
But "steady as she goes" said no one...ever...to an executive stepping into a new role.
New leaders are brought in to drive some kind of change.? There is a Point A the organization finds itself at.? And it wants someone to lead them to a Point B...someplace significantly better than Point A.?
Point B might be:
That is why I am not a big fan of the term "onboarding" and believe it is a limited way for HR organizations to think about supporting new executives.
It sounds so static, so, well, on-off.? They were "off board" and now they are "on board."
A better way for an exec and an organization to think about the first hundred days is that they are the first 100 days of the change effort, yes, even when the details of that change effort are not completely clear.
As people start to see change...not just "quick wins" and its tiresome, kissing cousin..."low-hanging fruit"...but movement towards the preferred future, they start to trust more.
The Change Management Flywheel
There are hundreds of specific "whats" execs can do in their first hundred days, but the actions themselves, while important, are not the primary mission in this critical starting window.
A new leader's primary objective is to build energy: energy to "unfreeze" the inertia of the existing system and energy to get it moving in a new direction.
That energy is created by a flywheel of 1) increasing trust in the new leader and 2) nascent signs of progress towards the preferred future.
With respect to trust, every action a new leader takes consists of the visible action itself and the not visible, but felt "message" the action sends.?
That below-the-waterline message either builds trust or erodes it.
The suggested symbolic actions and ways of comporting oneself that are an integral part of my program have proved successful at building trust with key stakeholders.?
As the organization begins trusting the new leader they become more willing to "push off" from the dock of Point A that they have come to see is less than ideal and towards the Point B that is beginning to be defined.
Second, as people start to see change...not just "quick wins" and its tiresome, kissing cousin..."low-hanging fruit"...but movement towards the preferred future, they start to trust more.
More momentum.? More trust.? More trust. More momentum.? A virtuous cycle, a flywheel, creating the energy needed to drive the changes the executive was hired to make.
The Hard-to-Measure, but Easy-to-Feel KPI
Dashboards and KPIs are everywhere. And there are key outcome metrics and leading indicators that all new leaders definitely need to "sign up" for and start to move the needle on.
But, to my way of thinking, the most important first hundred days KPI can't be measured. But it can be felt.?
Is the energy and excitement for the change growing?
If new execs can build that energy, their FHD will form the foundation of a very successful run for the organization that hired them. For the executive, it will set them up well for the next big challenge they decide to go after.
If they can't, the peer organizations and the organization under the new leader will misfire. The new leaders will, at best, take a lot longer to get up-to-speed and, at worst, they may even derail.
In Part 2, I will talk about a few of the change management building blocks that contribute to the trust/momentum flywheel and that are essential to get right in a new leader's critical first few months.
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Dennis Adsit, Ph.D. is an executive coach, organization consultant, and designer of?The First 100 Days and Beyond, a consulting service that has helped hundreds of leaders stepping up into challenging new jobs get the best start of their careers.
Operating Model Transformation | Work Redesign | Business Transformation | Process Improvement
1 天前Using the first 100 days to understand the terrain is crucial, especially if you are join from the outside. Odds are what you were told in the job interview is only half the picture. Understanding where you are today (point A) is at least as important as having a clear picture of Point B. I can't wait for part 2!