See the light before you see the door
Whether it’s Boris Johnson, Joe Biden or any other leader of a nation, they’re all extremely keen to make a positive difference in their first 100 days. They want to show the people of their country that they’re the right person for the job at this moment.
And it’s no different for senior leaders in businesses and organisations, except of course that their audience is generally smaller and, for most at least, there is no public or media scrutiny.
Despite the hardships for many businesses throughout the pandemic, one thing hasn’t changed – people are still moving into new jobs, and many are changing their employer, whether they chose to or not.
Everyone involved in the recruitment process has an interest in making things work in the crucial first 100 days:
The cost to the employer, financially and operationally, can be very high if the new starter fails or drops out;
Recruitment agencies may also face financial penalties and a reputational hit if this happens;
And let’s not forget the new starter themselves, who doesn’t want to face an enforced early exit.
As if all this wasn’t enough, the pandemic has made it even more difficult to settle quickly into a new organisation, with fewer opportunities to get to know your peers and team members, and the added challenges of managing a new team remotely.
Executive and leadership coaching provides a fantastic way of helping new starters to work through the challenges they face in their new role. While some organisations provide this internally, many find that working with an external executive coach like me also provides greater objectivity and openness in the discussion, with issues being tackled that might otherwise remain below the surface.
LinkedIn have carried out their own research which shows a significantly increased demand for executive coaching here in the UK. Clearly, some businesses have already got the message.
My own recent LinkedIn poll showed 100% of respondents strongly agreeing to the statement that “I know from experience (my own or someone else's) that coaching has a positive impact on the first three months in a senior role”.
So, I’ll leave you with three questions:
If you’re involved in recruiting into senior roles or you've been recruited yourself, have you assessed the costs and likelihood of failure in the first 100 days?
What measures have you already put in place and are they really going to be enough?
If you don’t already use external executive coaches, then isn’t it about time you looked again at the benefits of taking one on?
Get in touch to find out more about how I can help in those crucial first 100 days. You won’t regret it!