Onboarding New Hires? Don’t Forget These 3 Key Things

For your new employees, the first days on the job are some of the most critical. As a leadership coach and creator of a leadership development platform, I've seen firsthand how crucial onboarding is in helping employees quickly become productive. Effective onboarding also pays off over the long run, with improvements in employee engagement and retention.

Photo by fauxels

Despite its importance, though, many companies are still falling short with their onboarding process. According to a Gallup analysis, "only 12% of U.S. employees say their company does a good job of onboarding" and "nearly one in five employees either report that their most recent onboarding was poor—or that they received no onboarding at all."

So why do onboarding programs so frequently miss the mark? Based on what I’ve observed, there are three key areas that onboarding frequently overlooks; addressing them can make a real difference in the success of your new hires.

1. Help new hires build connections, not just gain knowledge.

Beyond just imparting knowledge, onboarding should help new employees start building relationships with their team and throughout your organization. In today’s hybrid work environment, it's particularly crucial that onboarding includes relationship-building because it's less likely to happen spontaneously, the way it does when people are in the same office.

2. Have proactive conversations about goals and preferences.

Besides introducing new hires to different aspects of your company, onboarding can also be a time for you to learn about them. When I worked in leadership roles at Deloitte Consulting before starting my own business, I made a habit of sitting down with new team members so that each of us could talk about our goals and work styles. This conversation helped me achieve alignment between what they wanted to gain from their experience on the team and how I could leverage their strengths to advance business goals.

Learning about each other's preferences also helped us work together more smoothly and avoid misunderstandings. For example, we would establish what we'd communicate about via email and what needed to be discussed face to face.

3. Connect new hires with learning opportunities early.

Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity in onboarding is connecting new hires with training opportunities early, especially if they express interest in leadership training. Development is crucial for retention and engagement, and younger generations crave development opportunities. Don't wait until you see signs that they're a high performer or have high potential to consider them for leadership development. There's a lot of leadership potential at lower levels, and providing training helps strengthen your leadership pipeline, which is a big concern for many companies.

Investing early in new hires also signals your commitment to their success. And it can alleviate some of the pressure on managers, who are likely already too stretched to onboard their new hires effectively. Finally, going through a shared learning experience early on can help new hires form relationships that will give them much-needed support.

Final Thoughts

By focusing on these three often-overlooked aspects of onboarding—building connections, having proactive conversations about goals and preferences and connecting new hires with learning opportunities early—you can set your new employees up for success and create a more engaged, productive workforce.

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com. To read more of my contributions to Forbes Coaches Council, click here.

12 Key Takeaways from the New Lens Micro Summit

What an amazing event we had last week! Of course, that's thanks to our wonderful speakers and to all of you, our engaged New Lens® Micro Summit: 4 Core Strategies for Success attendees. I’m still soaking in all the insights that were shared and am so grateful to each of you who joined us.

Reflecting on the summit, it's clear that each speaker brought a unique perspective, shedding light on critical areas of leadership, teamwork, networking, and resilience. I've taken a moment to recap a few of the takeaways that stood out to me. Whether you attended the summit or are catching up now, I believe these insights will resonate and offer actionable strategies for your own leadership journey. Let's dive in.

Michol Ecklund

Michol, Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel at Callon Petroleum, has navigated change throughout her career. So who better to speak on the topic “Focus on the Right Work: The Great Resignation Compounded Workloads”?

In her comments, Michol highlighted the emerging challenges post-pandemic where workers are increasingly unhappy, burnt out, and seeking new job opportunities, often attributed to amplified workloads from organizational restructuring. Here are some highlight from the advice she shared:

• Create space to connect in a genuine way. Remember, everyone has a life outside work. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your team. “By checking in with others and sharing more about your own situation, I think you ultimately build deeper relationships,” Michol said. “You build even more motivated employees and even more committed employees that want to be part of your organization.”  

• Balance your personal productivity with that of the team. You may be more productive working from home, but your team may be more productive if everyone spends more time at the office. Find an approach that considers both sets of needs.

• Get back to the basics to avoid burnout. Getting enough sleep is critical. It affects how you show up personally and professionally, your energy, and your ability to be productive.

Mark Benton

Mark, Vice President of HR Corporate Functions at McKesson, also talked about navigating the shift to hybrid work when tackling his topic, “Develop a High Performing Team: How Unprepared Leaders Impact the Workplace.” I so admire Mark's ability to surface important topics that need attention. 

One theme that stood out was the challenge of staying connected when working remotely. In this context, building trust and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses are vital for good leadership. Other highlights:

• Empathy is more important than ever in the world of hybrid work. Your team members want to know that you care about them as people, that you recognize what they are contributing and that you are willing to help them.

• Managers today have to help distributed teams stay connected. One way to do this: be very intentional about checking in with each other.

• Be more of an "ask person" than a "tell person". You can help your team members grow by asking coaching questions.

Hilda Galvan

Hilda, Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day Dallas, spoke on the topic “Build a Powerful Network: How Remote Work Affects Relationships & Productivity.” Hilda is gifted at cultivating relationships both professionally and in her community involvement, so I was thrilled that she could share her advice with us. 

She advised leaders not to favor in-office workers over remote ones and to communicate clearly. Building relationships, even when remote, is key to good leadership. A few key takeaways:

• To get people back to the office, talk about why it’s so important. For example, remind veteran team members how much they learned by being around colleagues who were senior to them. Today, they can do the same thing for younger employees. By broadening their perspective,

• Engaging with issues you care about will energize you and can help counteract any feelings of loneliness from remote work. Connecting with others who share your passion can also lead to meaningful relationships.

• Treat small pockets of time in your day as opportunities to maintain relationships. For example, call an old friend while you’re driving to a meeting across town.

Tina Bigalke

As Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at PepsiCo and someone with a wealth of leadership experience in business and HR, Tina was the perfect speaker to talk about the topic “Build Leadership Courage & Resilience: Strategies to Navigate Uncertainty”. 

She also gave us insight into how PepsiCo has been a training ground for so many Fortune 500 CEOs and shared PepsiCo’s holistic resilence model which has helped its staff navigate these challenging times.

Some key insights:

• Identify the capabilities and skills your organization will need for the future (not just for today) and assess your employees against those skills.

• Don’t be afraid to have honest conversations with employees about how they’re doing and their path forward in your organization. 

• Have a variety of development tools in place for employees, especially younger ones, who truly want to gain new skills.

More Micro Learning

A huge thanks to Michol, Mark, Hilda and Tina for packing so much valuable information into just a couple of hours. It was so important to us that this event fit into busy schedules and deliver a powerful payoff for just a short investment of time. That’s the same philosophy that drives Newberry Solutions’ award-winning New Lens® app. With “snack size” lessons combined with collaborative learning, New Lens makes leadership development affordable and scalable. I invite you to learn more and schedule a demo for your organization.

Newberry Solutions in Forbes

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you know that I’ve become a regular contributor to Forbes through the Forbes Coaches Council. I love being part of this because it allows Newberry Solutions to have a bigger impact by sharing our proven strategies on a broader platform. 

Today I want to share the recent advice and insights that I and other coaches have shared. If any of these articles leave you wanting to learn more, you’ll also find links to additional resources from this blog.

Shift to a Positive Mindset

In the article “15 Hacks For Pessimists To Switch To A More Positive Point Of View,” I talked about how to notice your thoughts and feelings to recognize and combat your negative self-talk.

Learn more: “How to Stop the Loop of Negative Self-Talk.”

Cope with Change

We’ve all had to become more adaptable over the past few years. In the article “14 Coaches Explore What It Looks Like To Become An ‘Agile’ Leader, “ I stressed the importance of staying centered amid change.

Learn more: “5 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Centered Fast.”

Practice Empathy

Success is about relationships, and that includes relationships with customers or clients. So the topic “16 Ways To Treat Customers Like Humans Instead Of Numbers” is an important one.

Learn more: “Are You Being Strategic About Relationships?”

Network Effectively

What’s the best way to introduce yourself at your next networking event? I explain in the article  “14 Steps To Take A Networking Pitch To The Next Level.”

Learn More: “Networking for Results.”

Avoid DEI Mistakes

“11 Potentially Brand-Damaging Mistakes Corporations Make With DEI Initiatives” is a timely topic as more organizations put a stronger emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. As I point out in this article, commitments and allocation of resources must be aligned.

Learn more: “5 Eye-Opening Findings on Women at Work.”

Support Mental Health for All

Along with DEI, companies are also increasing attention on employee well-being. As the article  “How C-Level Leaders Can Address The Mental Health Needs Of Underserved Demographics” points out, this requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Different cultures in the workplace have different attitudes about seeking help with mental health.

Learn more: “What is Silencing? (And Why Your Company Must Care About It).”

Speak Up

Introverts have so much value to add to the workplace. The tips from me and other coaches in the article “How More Reserved Employees Can Make Their Voices Heard” will help you bring that value in a way that works for you.

Learn more: “Are You Keeping Your Gold Mine of Ideas to Yourself?”

Talk Face to Face

There’s a lot to navigate in this new world of hybrid work, including the best forms of communication in different situations. The article “14 Examples Where In-Person Communication Is Better Than Virtual At Work” is a guide that all leaders can use.

Learn more: “How to Deliver Tough Messages.”

Protect Your Capacity

Saying “yes” to everything has a cost. If you tend to keep your plate too full, check out the article “16 Ways Professionals Can Avoid Overcommitting Themselves At Work.”

Learn more: “4 Ways to Keep Your Busy Life from Taking Over.”

Keep this roundup as a valuable resource for you, and share it with others. If these Forbes Coaches Council articles have you curious about what coaching can do for you or your organization, I invite you to explore our products and services, including the New Lens app. New Lens can help you bring the power of coaching to more employees, even when budgets and schedules are tight. Set up a demo now.

Bring Your 2022 Theme to Life

At the beginning of this year, I wrote in a LinkedIn post that I had chosen “ease” as my theme word for 2022. That sparked a great discussion about your theme words for the coming year. I loved the thoughtfulness behind what you chose, so I wanted to share some of the themes here along with resources to support each one.

Photo by Tj Holowaychuk on Unsplash

Peace

As I wrote recently, the leaders who stand out now are the ones who can show up in a calm and centered way. To do this, cultivate your own sense of inner peace. If your inner monologue of negative self-talk has you agitated, try these strategies for stopping the loop.

Pause

If you’re a regular reader, you already know that I am a big believer in the power of “the pause.” In today’s work environment, giving yourself some breathing room matters more than ever. Having trouble allowing yourself to slow down? Even a small break to notice what’s going on for you physically and mentally can help you course-correct and be more productive.

Simplify

The beauty of “simplify” as a theme word is that it can apply to so many situations. For example, reducing your physical and mental clutter can give you an energy boost while simplifying the way you communicate can build your executive presence.

Fairness 

This is a word we should all take to heart in 2022. The most recent Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey & Company and Lean In pointed out areas of inequity for women, especially women of color. Think about some ways you could make a difference for women at work. For example, help raise the visibility of qualified women who should be considered for opportunities.

Purposeful

As a coach who helps leaders get results through purpose, presence and power, “purposeful” gets me excited. To be more purposeful, take a moment to clarify what really matters most. Then redirect your time to making the highest and best use of your talents and skills in those critical areas.

If you have a theme word for 2022, I invite you to share it on my LinkedIn page. Looking for additional support to grow as a leader this year? Consider executive coaching with me or explore my self-paced tools, including the award-winning New Lens app.

One Thing Video Series: Pause and Reflect

With so much going on these days, you might not feel like you even have a moment to pause and catch your breath. But in times like these, it’s more important than ever to check in with yourself. Why? All of these challenges you’ve been facing do have a silver lining: They’re teaching you so much that you can use going forward. In my latest One Thing You Can Do Video, I talk about the power of looking at where you are and setting your course for the rest of the year.

Want to Be More Productive? Pause

Over the past week, I coached at least four high-performing leaders on the importance of carving out time for critical work. Although they know this matters, they are having difficulty making it happen.

For example, one client told me that he regularly blocks time on his calendar, but when the dedicated time slot rolls around, something interesting happens. Instead of tackling the work he intended to complete, he starts responding to emails.

So why is he getting bogged down in email when he knows it’s not the biggest priority?  The answer is simple: He is tired — and the critical work he should do is mentally taxing. 

Reducing the size of his email inbox still makes him feel productive — like he did accomplish something. But he knows that he is sabotaging his own effectiveness. To change this pattern, he has to go beyond blocking time on his calendar to address his underlying mental fatigue.

In my last blog article, I shared the importance of putting a little breathing room in your schedule, especially if your level of busyness has reached new heights in this crazy  environment. Today we’ll build on that idea. Once you have more capacity in your schedule, how can you use it to lead more effectively?

What Kind of Break Do You Need?

High performers often instinctively respond to stressful times by doing, doing, doing. But here's an important distinction: Being in motion does not necessarily mean that you're moving forward.

None of us are built to work nonstop. In fact, researchers say we need a pause about every 90 minutes so that our brains can consolidate information. After reading my last article, I hope you identified some strategies to integrate more pauses into your day.

So, how should you use your break? Start by checking in with yourself. During busy days, you can easily lose touch with how you are really feeling. Emotional intelligence — knowing what's going on internally for you and taking effective action based on that self-understanding — is key to being an effective leader.

On your next break, simply notice what’s going on for you physically and mentally. What’s your stress level? How connected do you feel? What’s your level of energy and engagement?

Once you realize how you're doing, you’ll know the type of break that will help you the most. If you've been on back-to-back calls, a walk to get some fresh air, stretching or deep breathing and quiet might be the most restorative things you can do. On the other hand, if you've had your head down doing complex work on your own, you might want something more interactive, like checking in with family or friends or a quick conversation. One size does not fit all, so do what works best for you. 

The Proactive Pause

Be intentional about how you use breaks to refocus your time and energy. In other words, determine where you can have the biggest impact on the business and redirect your time accordingly. When you're “in the weeds,” you may not notice anything beyond what's right in front of you: your next email, meeting or fire drill.

Even taking just 10 minutes to reflect can boost your productivity and effectiveness. Use these questions to get started:

• How well does my calendar align with what’s most critical?

• If my calendar is out of sync, what can I delegate, defer or stop doing?

• Which critical meetings do I need to prepare for in the next two weeks?

• What issues or obstacles should I prioritize and proactively manage?

• Whom do I need to check in with? How in tune am I with my manager and team?

To get more done in less time, use some of the breaks in your schedule to proactively reflect.

What's Coming Up

So far, we've worked through two big steps toward developing a more sustainable approach to work during these stressful times:

1. Create capacity in your schedule for breaks.

2. Use those breaks to restore yourself mentally and to reconnect to what matters most.

In my next article, I'll help you clear a mental block that's making a lot of high performers unproductive and even unhappy right now. In the meantime, I invite you to explore my self-paced tools that will help you keep growing as a leader no matter how busy you are.

6 Secrets of Women Who Always Have Energy

Has all the newness worn off the new year? Are you already counting the days until your spring break trip? Then it's time to tune up your energy level. With all the work and personal demands that fill your days, be deliberate about maintaining your energy. Fortunately, there are lots of easy steps you can take during your day to recharge and renew. Here are some of the key strategies that energetic women share. 

1. Spend time with people who energize them

The people you’re around regularly have a huge effect on whether you feel lively and energized or depleted and crabby. Think of how you can get some time with people who lift you up. Maybe that means scheduling lunch with your favorite former boss or making a coffee run with the co-worker who always makes you laugh. Bonus: Cultivating relationships also helps you build a career-boosting network.

At the same time, be mindful about your exposure to the other kind of people: the ones who drain your energy. How can you manage the amount of time you spend with your de-energizers? Or what can you do before or after seeing them to replenish the energy they take from you?

2. Avoid mental traps that drain their energy

Sometimes we drag our own energy down with negative self-talk and destructive ways of thinking. For example, do you tend to take things personally, assume the worst, or exaggerate the impact of any event or setback? No wonder you're feeling stressed and exhausted! Check out my article on common "thinking traps" to identify your negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive, energizing thoughts.

3. Know their unique energy patterns

We all have different energy patterns. It's important to understand yours and make the most of them. For one week, monitor your energy level every two to three hours. Keep a log of this information. At the end of the week, consider these questions:

• What days of the week or times of day did you have the most energy?

• What days of the week or times of day did you have the least energy, even if you hadn’t done anything unusually taxing? 

• What types of activities gave you the most energy? 

• What types of activities drained your energy?

Use your own patterns to develop strategies to help you better manage your energy throughout the day. If you have more energy in the morning, try to schedule your challenging work or meetings then. If your energy slumps midday, what one thing can you do to give yourself a boost?

4. Take time to reflect

One of the most effective ways to be more productive is by creating space to be more strategic. Setting aside time to reflect will bring new energy to your work. Start by putting just 10-15 minutes on your calendar once a week to process what happened at your recent meetings and prepare for upcoming ones. Work your way up to 15 minutes several times a week, and then an hour several times per week. This will also help you stay on top of your biggest priorities and maximize your productivity.

5. Use self-care to strategically boost their energy

Do you any of these statements apply to you?

• I rarely get more than seven hours of sleep in a night.

• I exercise fewer than three times per week.

• I often skip meals or eat unhealthy food.

If you skimp on self-care, your energy and perspective will suffer. Yet many people, especially women, fall into this trap. You might think, “How could I possibly take time for ME right now when there’s so much to do and others rely on me?” In this view of the world, self-care is a luxury, a “nice-to-have.” In reality, though, self-care leads to a more sustainable way of working and living, so you can provide the support others need from you.

At the end of the day, what we’re talking about is energy management. Resist the temptation to keep giving and giving without taking enough time to renew your own energy. As you may know from firsthand experience, it can lead to burnout or resentment pretty quickly.

6. Express gratitude more often

Research has shown that gratitude makes us happier, healthier and more resilient. Yet we're less likely be grateful at work than we are in other aspects of our lives.

Taking the time to feel and express gratitude can lift your energy — and the energy of those around you. One way to do this is to express appreciation to someone who has made a difference for you this year. The more specific your feedback, the more energy you and the other person will get from the experience. Taking five minutes each day to simply notice the things for which you are grateful, whether it’s in the morning before the mad dash begins or at the end of the day, will give you a boost.

Try one or more of these strategies the next time you start to feel tapped out. And for one more easy energy boost, pick up my Highlight Audio℠. With a sampling of strategies from the full WOW! Women On the Way to Peak Performance Program℠, this audio training will help make the most of every minute, whether you're working out at the gym, traveling to a meeting or waiting in the carpool line.

Look for the Opportunities Right in Front of You

I can’t tell you how often I hear people complain that they don’t have time to focus on something important to them. There can be several reasons they don’t dedicate the time or make the effort. For some, fear holds them back. For others, the sense of urgency isn’t there. But in many cases, people simply do not see the opportunities in front of them to make progress on what they want.

So, I work with my clients to develop ways to achieve their goals without adding layers of work—which is key to getting the ball rolling. Below are three simple steps you can take. Think about each of these in the context of what you really want to accomplish.

1. Review what is already on your calendar.

To get started, look 1-2 weeks out on your schedule to see who you have meetings or calls with. You may find that you will be in front of important people with whom you want to cultivate stronger relationships or get visibility. By looking at your schedule ahead of time and in the context of your goals, you can begin to set the stage for making progress on what you’d like to accomplish.

2. Think about how you can make the most of that time.

Next, think about how you can make the most of the opportunity whether it’s a meeting, phone call, or something else. For example, I have a client who has a strong internal network but wants to expand her external network. With her work and travel schedule, she doesn’t have much time to participate in networking events. She’d been struggling to make time for quite a while.

When we looked at her calendar, she noticed that she had a two-day meeting coming up. It was part of a prominent leadership program for which she had been selected and it included leaders from other organizations. So, we worked together to establish 1-2 goals for this meeting. She identified two individuals she wanted to cultivate relationships with and developed concrete actions steps to do just that. Ultimately, she got more out of the program and made progress on her networking goal without adding any time to her schedule.

3. Set up a structure to help you.

Finally, make this process a habit for yourself. If the thought of looking out a week or two in advance sounds overwhelming, you can still make the most of any single opportunity sitting in front of you.

Before each meeting or call you attend, take a couple of minutes to ask yourself:

• How do I want to show up (i.e., what impression do I want to leave? How can I reinforce my brand?)?

• In this forum, how can I also make progress on one of my goals or priorities?

• What one action will I take in this meeting or call?

My clients can attest that this really works! So, set aside time to strategically look at your calendar and set goals for your upcoming meetings and calls. As a first step, pick just one meeting in the next week to try this approach. If you’re really adventurous, block 15-20 minutes on your calendar each week to strategize about the following week’s meetings. You will show up with much more intention and may be surprised at the results you get.

The Secret to More Energy Isn't What You Think

Happy business coworkers celebrating

You probably have some go-to strategies for when you need more energy, from listening to upbeat songs to squeezing in an extra workout to hitting your favorite coffee shop.  

Have you thought, though, about the energy you surround yourself with? The people we're around regularly have a huge effect on whether we feel lively and productive or depleted and crabby.

Researchers Rob Cross and Robert J. Thomas study how people succeed or fail based on their networks. They’ve found that "if those around you are enthusiastic, authentic, and generous, you will be, too. … Energizers bring out the best in everyone around them, and our data show that having them in your network is a strong predictor of success over time."

But Cross and Thomas also warn of de-energizers: "And our own research suggests that roughly 90% of anxiety at work is created by 5% of one’s network—the people who sap energy."

That's why I recommend taking an "energy audit" of the people in your life. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Who are the people you spend the most time around?

2. How does each person on that list affect your energy? Do you feel more energy or less after spending time with your boss (for example)? Or is she more of a neutral person?

3. What cumulative impact do these people have on your energy? Do the energizers counteract the energy drainers, or do you have an energy deficit?

With the results of your audit, you might decide to take one or both of the following actions to give yourself more energy.

1. Distance yourself from de-energizers. This has been a major change in my own life, especially during key periods where I know I need to maintain as much energy as I can. I've gotten a lot more selective about who's in my inner circle.

2. If you can't escape from someone who drains your energy, develop strategies for dealing with that person to protect and replenish your energy. If, for example, you have a colleague who's always negative, accept that she isn't capable of showing up with positivity. Knowing that, how do you want to engage with her? Can you limit your time with her or put a stop to her habit of swinging by your office every afternoon to complain? (This blog has some good strategies for dealing with a complainer.) What can you do before or after seeing this person to replace the energy she takes from you?

This week, pay attention to how others fuel or drain your energy. Surrounding yourself with people who bring out your best is key to your success. The small changes we've talked about here minimize the effects of the people who drag you down – and free up time to spend with people who fire you up.

I'll be speaking on how to get more energy on May 11 at a luncheon presented by the Plano Chamber of Commerce Women's Division. You can find additional tips in "Staying Engaged" and "Building a Powerful Network," two titles in my Leadership EDGE SeriesSM.