Onboard Leadership Coaching is a type of coaching used to support employees when they are new to organizations or change roles.  The leadership coaching work focuses on making a smooth transition into the new role.  It is powerful to start a new job with the understanding of what leadership strengths are required to be successful.  Often the strengths and approaches used in a previous job may not be appropriate for the new role.

Recently, I provided onboard leadership coaching with Rita when she joined a fast-paced software company as their first Controller.  The company’s CFO suggested the coaching assignment to support her transition into the role.  He was stretched so thinly and had been doing the job of CFO and Controller for some time.  He knew that he wouldn’t have the time to devote to Rita and she was thrilled to have support and an outside sounding board as she found her wings in the new job.

Rita’s previous work experience included working in public accounting to get her CPA and then as a Controller in a traditional, “old boys” manufacturing company before joining the entrepreneurial software company.  Rita is young and very pretty.  Even though there was a companywide announcement welcoming her, many people assumed she had an administrative role at the company.  It was important for her to build good first impressions and create positive working relationships with her key stakeholders, both internal and with the company’s clients.

We started the work with Rita defining the type of leader she intended to be, as well as the values and attributes she wanted for the team she would be building.  Here are some of the approaches Rita defined: 

Rita also defined short- and long-term goals for herself and her department.  We reviewed leadership assessments to identify Rita’s strengths and innate mental energy.  This provided her with a better understanding on how to meet the needs and challenges of the new role and the department she was building.   Midway through the coaching process we met with her boss to discuss how they each naturally solve problems.  Our goal was to accelerate their learning process about each other, avoid potential pitfalls and give them ideas on how to communicate more effectively with each other.  The conversation revealed where they may have conflicts; to which we created strategies to handle any challenges that might arise.

At the end of the onboard coaching engagement, we shared Rita’s goals, mission and intention for how she would work with her boss.  Rita and the CFO were inspired for the new direction and their working relationship.

Onboard Leadership Coaching is a powerful way to step into a new role.  The return is significant and well worth the time and energy, whether the company makes the investment or it comes out of your own pocket.  The world is changing quickly, we need to leverage all our strengths and build sustainable leadership strategies to make sure we provide value and solid contributions to the organizations we serve.