HR's Role in Accelerating New Leader Success

Making New Leaders Successful:
How HR Business Partners are
Accelerating Results
Pam Fox Rollin
Executive Coach, IdeaShape
April 24, 2013

2© 2013, IdeaShape. All rights reserved.
What helps people succeed
in new leadership roles?
What’s working for you and
what’s next?
what’s next?
How can HR Business
Partners accelerate new
leader success?
How can HR Business
leader success?

Pam
Fox Rollin
• Executive coach to C-level
through senior director,
focusing on leadership,
strategy, effectiveness
• Facilitates senior team
off-sites, leadership
workshops, and high-value
teambuilding
• Myers-Briggs Master
Practitioner®
• Author, 42 Rules for Your New
Leadership Role:
The Manual They Didn’t Hand
You When You Made VP,
Director, or Manager

Who’s here?

what’s next?
what’s next?
How can HR Business
leader success?
How can HR Business
leader success?

Within the first 18 months
•40% of promoted managers fail
•25% of promoted executives fail
•30% of external executive hires fail
•What are the stats for the teams you support?
Why do new leaders so often fail?
Manchester, Inc,2012; Van Velsor and Brittain, 1995

What’s it worth to the business
for leaders to onboard fast?
And well?

• Shortened product cycles
• More rapid cadence of major initiatives
• Greater spans of control
• More dispersed and multicultural teams
• HR and T&D stretched
• More diverse technology
Starting now is even more challenging

Good start?

Myths of
The Start
1. My team and peers
know I’m coming and
are glad I’m here.
2. My objectives are
widely known and
make sense.
3. My boss’s level supports
and is paving the path
for my big to-dos.
4. People will clue me in
if I’m about to do
something unwise.

13© 2013, IdeaShape. All rights reserved. IdeaShape, 2011, n=139, recruited through type forums, social media, personal requests
139 leaders told me about their start

• Unclear expectations
• Unclear support
• Changes not welcome
• Information overload
• Covert politics
• Skeptical, cynical team
Common
• Off-shift communications
• Moving to smaller team
• Poor records
• Bureaucracy
• Brand new group
• No budget
Distinctive
And told many of the same stories
IdeaShape, 2011, n=139, recruited through type forums, social media, personal requests

• Make a plan, be organized
• Listen, be curious
• Discover/set expectations
• Build relationships up, down, across
• Be yourself, be confident
Same advice across levels & MBTI®
type
Their advice to new leaders…

Glad I did in first 3 months
• “Got clear on what success was. Pursued my vision.
Built good relationships with execs and customers.” --ENTJ
• “Let the team create the vision with me. Got on top team
agenda. Personally in touch with beaucoup people.” --ENFJ
• “Held team meetings to introduce myself. Got to know
everyone on team. Analyzed stakeholders.” –ENTP
• “Affirmed roles and relationships. Asking questions that
helped others bring a fresh eye. Listening/talking.” --ENFP
• “Met my team and built all the relationships. Requested
feedback from direct reports at 3-month mark.” –ESTJ
• “Asked my team what we should continue doing, stop doing,
start doing. Explained my role.” --ESFJ

Glad I did in first 3 months
• “Spent time with each team member individually. Learned
more about all levels to make operational changes.” --INTP
• “Regrounded decision-making in fairness, respect.Valued
expertise of leadership team [which] rebuilt morale. ” --INFJ
• “Reorganized around functions. Met by appointment with
each member of the group.” –ISTJ
• “Shadowed department managers; Moved to [boss] office ;
Innovative changes [to create] collaborative team.” --INFP
• “Worked with team on clear goals. Developed clear mission.
Built infrastructure for change. Roadmap.” --INTJ

Wish I’d done differently in first 3 mo.
• “Slowed down a bit. Stressed less, laughed more. Built more
bridges to colleagues.” --ENTJ
• “Set a more strategic vision that was my own. More
objective in decision-making. Not so intense.” --ENFJ
• “Been more specific about the vision. Followed progress
closer of those less skilled. Listen more, speak less.” --ENTP
• “Speak more results-orientedT-language. Been more
structured and organized. Reviewed the metrics.” --ENFP
• “Learn more about office dynamics. Been tougher on my
staff (!). Learn job functions of lower-level folks.” –ESTJ
• “Wish I did not get as personally involved. Set more
boundaries. More confidence to speak up.” --ESFJ

• “Built relationships with peers. Gotten so worked up about
my own incompetence. Spoke up in exec meetings.” --INTP
• “Separated myself from friends more quickly. Confronted a
trouble-maker rather than letting HR handle it.” --INFJ
• “More available on impromptu basis. Get to know them
better sooner. Not been as stringent on rules.” --ISTJ
• “Interacted with people more. Learned a few more names.
Less hiding in my office.” --INFP
• “Met more often as a group. Built relationships. Insisted on
getting in front of senior execs more.” --INTJ
Wish I’d done differently in first 3 mo.

1. Set yourself up for success
2. Map the terrain
3. Show up wisely
4. Start your wins
5. Create your management system
6. Stay smart
7. Set you and your team to thrive
So what should a new leader do?

Begin Ready. Give yourself time to rest
up, minimize non-work activities, and
get your head in the game.
Create your Strategic 1-Pager declaring
(to yourself) your POV on how your
new group creates value.
Preload the overwhelm. Read
Everything relevant to your team,
noting your questions and ideas.
Take charge of your start! Implement
your own Onboarding Plan.
Leverage the Honeymoon. Go meet
stakeholders and learn what matters to
them. Grease the skids.
Figure out What to Prove byWhen –
about you and your team.
Be the calm eye of the hurricane, not the
tail of the tornado. Focus!
Use outsider eyes to think beyond legacy
targets and old job descriptions. Propose
what’s Right for the Business.
Get to know the hidden best of your
team. UseTheir Strengths.
Ask the Hard Questions. Do not take over
thinking for your team members.Your
brain will be tired enough.
Create Clarity everywhere you go.
Fuzziness invites inaction.
Aim for QuickWins that matter for both
results and learning.
Build “Us” – lead the learning, ban the
blame, and honor their honesty.For more, see “42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role” by Pam Fox Rollin, IdeaShape.com/book
Your 90-day checklist

Showing up and doing your best is not enough.

• Speak with your entire team to
introduce yourself in this role,
and make time to speak with
them again in a couple of weeks
• Get to know each of your direct
reports; share with them in
advance your basic outline for
those conversations
• Learn priorities of your boss,
peers, and other key leaders
• Connect with high-value
customers and suppliers
• Check in with your finance rep
and HR business partner
• If you're leading a business unit
or sales organization, get on top
of the numbers immediately
• Learn the status and history of
key initiatives
• If working with unfamiliar
cultures, arrange a tutorial
Take charge of your start!

Where’s
building 82?
What do they
think of me?
How do I get
into email?
Will I
survive?
Which ones need
my attention?
Who are
these people?
What’s high
priority?

What the quarterly plan says
What your boss wants now
What sales is demanding
What customers tell you
What you’re budgeted for
What engineering will support
What you think you can do
What your team wants
FOCUS
Set priorities

• Commit to frequent meetings to start
• Achieve mind meld on priorities
• Let people to tell you what’s not working
• Provide right mix of direction and support
Launch one-to-ones that matter

What they do now
What you want
them to do
Map the need for change

what’s next?
what’s next?
How can HR Business
leader success?
How can HR Business
leader success?

So you have a new leader coming in…
What will success look like?

How are HR business partners helping?
• Interviewed 11 HR BPs, plus a SR VP HR,
and a head of Onboarding
• Sizes ranged from pre-IPO to Fortune 100
• Most participate in shaping processes
• Most have much to offer mgr onboarding but
not asked and don’t reach out
• A few do, and find it makes a big difference

Why not?
• Not my job; biz leader’s job
(but often biz leader too busy to onboard)
• I’m too stretched
(but I wind up paying for it down the road)
• I’m not at same site
• We haven’t defined what leadership is, and
I don’t know how to talk about our culture

Really, is it sink or swim?

• Performance
• Compensation
• Staffing
• Risk mgmt
• L&D
• OD
• Coaching
• Biz leader
• Managers
• Business goals
• Staffing needs
• Team members
• HR challenges
The HR Business Partner

OfferOffer
StartStart
OrientOrient T&DT&D
Navigate
Change
Navigate
Change
Re-
Staff
Re-
Staff
Annual
Reviews
Annual
Reviews
ProblemsProblems
Who do I
have?
Who do I
have?
When do you start building trust?

Leading
Managing
Skills
Strategy
Culture, Initiatives
Relationships
Strategy
Relationships
Engaging
Collaborating
Influencing
Engaging
Collaborating
Influencing
Performance Mgmt
Compensation
Roles and Rules
Performance Mgmt
Compensation
Roles and Rules
Coaching
Delegating
Planning
Coaching
Delegating
Planning
Knowledge
Examples
What new leaders need to know

Leading
Managing
Skills
Strategy
Relationships
Strategy
Relationships
Engaging
Collaborating
Influencing
Engaging
Collaborating
Influencing
Performance Mgmt
Compensation
Roles and Rules
Performance Mgmt
Compensation
Roles and Rules
Coaching
Delegating
Planning
Coaching
Delegating
Planning
Knowledge
Who and WhyWho and Why Reporting UpReporting Up
Initiatives and GoalsInitiatives and Goals MentoringMentoring
Examples
Up & Across
Directs
What others need to know

• Raise priority of new mgr/leader onboarding
• Co-develop onboarding plans, with actions for
business leaders and HR BPs
• Design onboarding programs for up-&-across
connections, well beyond transactional
• Front-load high-priority manager training
• Encourage peer learning and collaboration
What can I do for better processes?

• Build trust before problems, go to lunch
• Be a thought-partner and sounding board
• Help them read the clues
• Find out their needs and offer resources
• Make introductions
What can I do 1:1 with the new leader?

• Reach out to biz leader to see what would
help onboard each new leader
• Anticipate and raise HR/development gaps
• Engage OD team (or put on your OD hat)
What can I do with the business unit?

what’s next?
what’s next?
How can HR Business
leader success?
How can HR Business
leader success?

• As you help design onboarding programs?
• As you partner with the hiring managers?
• As you coach new leaders?
What will you do next?

Join us now for book signing!
42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role:
The Manual They Didn’t Hand You
When You Became VP, Director, or
Manager
http://ideashape.com/book

Glad to talk with you any time.
Pam Fox Rollin
IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting
pam@ideashape.com
408-245-2600

HR's Role in Accelerating New Leader Success

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