Setting Up An Onboarding Process For New Team Members

Stop “welcoming” new hires. Give them a win in 30 days instead. When I first hired 8 years back, I thought the best onboarding was all about making new hires feel at home. I was wrong. New hires actually struggle with: → Understanding the business and their role. → Aligning with company culture and expectations. → Getting that first “win” to build momentum. → Building relationships with colleagues. I’ve now completely changed our onboarding process. The only goal is to get new hires to their “first win” fast. Instead of generic training, we work backward from their first big achievement. Here’s the framework: Step 1: Define the “first win” (within 30 days) Every new hire gets a specific, meaningful milestone. 1. It should be important enough that not doing it has a business impact. 2. Something that pushes them but is achievable with team collaboration. 3. It should give them real insight into how we operate. Our new Demand Gen Marketer’s first win was securing Market Development Funds (MDF) from a partner. To do this, they had to: - Work with our internal team. - Engage with a partner manager. - Propose a campaign relevant to both companies. This wasn’t just a task (it was a meaningful contribution). Step 2: Provide context (without overloading them) Most onboarding programs drown new hires in endless presentations. We limit training to what they need for their first win. 1. A 45-minute deep dive on the company’s journey, priorities, and challenges. 2. Targeted learning on only what’s relevant for their milestone. 3. Hands-on guidance instead of passive training. For the Demand Gen hire, we focused on: - Who the partner manager was and their priorities. - How the partnership worked. - What MDF campaigns typically get approved. Step 3: Align them with our work culture Culture isn't learned in a handbook. It’s experienced. Every new hire is paired with a mentor to guide them through: → Quality Standards → What "good" looks like in our company. → Processes & Tools → How we work and collaborate. → Feedback Loops → How we review, iterate, and improve. The result? New hires achieve something meaningful within their first month. They feel pride, momentum, and confidence (not just onboarding fatigue). Great onboarding isn’t about information. It’s about impact. 💡 How do you set up new hires for success?

🧭 You Hired Someone, Now What? A New Manager’s Guide to Not Screwing It Up Hiring someone is just the start. What you do next determines whether they succeed, struggle, or quietly disengage. Here are 10 ways to get onboarding right from day one: 1️⃣ Start Before Their First Day Send a welcome message. Confirm logistics. Set expectations. 💬 Silence = anxiety. A simple “We’re excited to have you” builds early trust. 2️⃣ Have a Real Onboarding Plan HR does the paperwork. You handle integration. 🗺️ Create a 30-60-90 day roadmap with key projects and success markers. 3️⃣ Make Introductions with Intention Don’t rely on chance meetings. Schedule 1:1s with key players. 🤝 Explain why each intro matters, relationships are early currency. 4️⃣ Clarify Expectations Immediately Define what “great” looks like. Be explicit about goals and norms. 🔍 Most people don’t fail from lack of skill, they fail from unclear expectations. 5️⃣ Stay Present Without Micromanaging New hires don’t need a shadow or a ghost, they need you. 📆 Check in often. Offer context, listen to questions, and share what’s working. 6️⃣ Give Feedback in Week One Yes, week one. Start early with praise and coaching. 🗣️ Early feedback builds confidence and prevents bad habits. 7️⃣ Ensure They Have the Right Tools No access? No progress. 🔐 Get systems, passwords, project files, and tools ready before day one. 8️⃣ Protect Them from Chaos (Temporarily) Every company has mess. Don’t throw them into it right away. 🛡️ Let them build confidence first, then guide them through the noise. 9️⃣ Ask for Feedback About You “How can I support you better?” builds trust faster than any pep talk. 🧠 It also sets the tone for open communication from day one. 🔟 Be the Reason They Stay People don’t quit jobs, they quit managers. ❤️ Show up. Be human. Onboarding is leadership. ✅ Bottom Line: Hiring is only half the job. Great managers don’t just add people to the team, they build trust, clarity, and momentum from day one. 💬 What’s one thing a past manager did during your first week that made a big impact? 👉 Follow Ricardo Cuellar for more people-first leadership advice. 📬 Want more like this? Subscribe to my newsletter, link in bio!

7 ways to onboard like a leader, not a manager Managers check boxes. Leaders build connection, confidence, and commitment — starting on Day 1. Here’s how to make your onboarding unforgettable (for the right reasons): 1. Build with “Flexture” — Structure + Flexibility ↳ New hires should feel the investment. ↳ Structure shows you care. Flexibility shows you trust. ✅ Outline a clear first 2 weeks → Company, team, role, audience → Add white space for questions, exploration, or deeper dives You’re not training robots — you’re planting roots. 2. Assign a Culture Buddy ↳ Give them one go-to person from the start. ✅ Someone who can: → Answer questions → Explain culture → Say “I’ve got you” during the messy middle Connection makes onboarding stick. 3. Build a Shadowing Rotation ↳ One mentor gives them one lens. ↳ Three or four gives them depth. ✅ Let them shadow multiple teammates → Different styles → Different systems → Different strengths Then, let them schedule it — build ownership from the start. 4. Ask Early, Ask Often ↳ Don’t assume “no news” is good news. ✅ Daily or weekly check-ins → “Where are you stuck?” → “What’s still unclear?” → “What’s working really well so far?” Feedback isn’t a final step — it’s the foundation. 5. Empower Resourcefulness ↳ Managers answer every question. ↳ Leaders teach people where to find the answers. ✅ Create a resource map → FAQs → Ticket systems → Key people to go to Show them how to navigate — don’t just point the way. 6. Introduce Mission Early ↳ Don’t just show them what to do — show them why it matters. ✅ Tie tasks to purpose → “This is how your work connects to our mission.” → “This is the impact we’re building together.” People commit when they understand the bigger picture. 7. Celebrate Small Wins ↳ Recognition builds momentum. ✅ Day 3? Celebrate initiative. ✅ End of Week 1? Celebrate curiosity. ✅ Week 2? Celebrate growth. New hires are watching everything. Start with belief. The first 2 weeks determine whether someone sees a future with your team. Make those days Intentional. Personal. Memorable. Lead. Inspire. Achieve. Ignite it. 💯🔥 ♻️ Repost to help others transform onboarding 🔔 Follow Dwight Braswell, MBA for tactical tools and frameworks 👉 Get 200+ leadership questions + the New Leader Bundle: https://lnkd.in/gmYczQHh

A good onboarding plan conveys: People - Who do you need to know Personalities - How to collaborate well Process - How to do stuff Policies - What the rules are Politics - What the unwritten rules are Think about format. How should you best convey this information? How should it be referenced or reinforced? Self-paced resources? One-on-one convos? Group trainings? A combo? It's going to be different based on the role, what you need them to know, and when. And WHEN. What information must be conveyed immediately vs later? If later, how do you ensure "later" doesn't become "never?" When I was still leading teams, my go-to onboarding template was: 1️⃣ Pre-scheduling 1:1s with key stakeholders in the role, prioritized and spread out over the first 14-30 days. No agendas, just get to know you's. 2️⃣ Pre-scheduling 1:1 role-related chats with process/policy/outcome stakeholders. These stakeholders were strongly requested (required, if poss) to create a 1-2 guide for the new hire to have as a reference. The new hire was expected to read the reference BEFORE the meeting and come with questions. It's meant to be more of a conversation than a training. 3️⃣ Creating (if needed) a role wiki that tracks with the JD, naming stakeholders and linking to recommended tools/docs 4️⃣ Making sure the team has updated their "User Manuals," documents that explain their roles, a bit about their personalities, and working style. These manuals include the sections "When I'm At My Best" and "When I'm At My Worst" so preferences and quirks are explicit, instead of discovered slowly by accident. 5️⃣ Scheduling 2x weekly hour-long 1:1s for the first month, staggering down in frequency and duration as needed into the appropriate cadence for their role and growth trajectory. Sounds like a lot, but it's worth it to make sure you get the best out of someone. So many downstream problems and costs can be avoided with decent onboarding, and it doesn't have to be high-tech.