Onboarding is more than just paperwork and orientation. It's about creating a transformative experience that aligns new team members with the company's soul, mission, and unique approach to work. A good onboarding experience makes gut-level decisions faster and more frequent, because it gives a new employee the comfort to interpret the organization’s needs. Great onboarding transforms new employees into engaged, productive members of the team, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.
A Single Source of Truth
Create one comprehensive onboarding guide that speaks to every member of our organization.
The cornerstone of an effective onboarding process is a comprehensive onboarding manual. This document should serve as the single source of truth for all things related to understanding the company. Here's how to make it impactful:
- Introduction Letter: Start with a personal welcome from a key leader, setting a warm tone and expressing excitement about the new hire's journey.
- Hidden sentence: Introduce this sentence near the end of the manual, "If you read this book and pass a quiz, I’ll give you $100." It’s an easy way to incentivize thorough reading of this book - which is incredibly important to early employee performance.
- Cultural Blueprint: This manual isn't just about rules but about understanding "your way" of doing things.
- Mission and Vision: Clearly state these to align new hires with the larger goals and aspirations of the organization. Repeat it at least seven times throughout the manual.
- Controversial Thesis: Highlight any unique or controversial approaches that define your company's strategy, explaining why they work. Manuals should be controversial, just like your organization.
- Judgment Based on Results: Emphasize that performance is measured by outcomes, not hours logged, fostering a results-driven culture.
- Top Players Only: Set the expectation that the company seeks and values top performers.
- OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): Detail how these are set and the research behind them, showing a commitment to strategic growth.
- Talk Shop: Encourage an environment where discussing work openly is part of the culture.
- Career and Future: End the manual with how to grow into broader career opportunities within the company.
The Welcome Experience
Our Mission and Vision
Every great organization has a north star. Don't just state your mission—challenge employees to understand our controversial thesis. What makes you different? What's "your way" of approaching challenges? Build this into your earliest conversations.
Designing a Thoughtful Onboarding Process
A structured onboarding process ensures that new hires not only understand their roles but also feel part of the team. Here’s how to structure it:
Pre-Onboarding (2 weeks before start):
- Communicate Logistics: Send out details about company credit cards, laptops, and any necessary pre-start information.
Onboarding Milestones:
- First Day:
- Meet with the manager for a personal introduction.
- Set up all necessary accounts.
- Understand immediate tasks.
- First Week:
- Review organizational goals, grants, and relevant materials to grasp the company's direction.
- Draft a personal learning agenda and plan.
- First 30 Days:
- Collaborate with your manager to develop a 30/60/90-day plan, focusing on both learning and contribution.
- Establish annual goals to keep a long-term perspective.
- Days 31-60:
- Begin applying knowledge, taking on new responsibilities.
- Review performance to adjust the 90-day plan if necessary.
- Days 60-90:
- Aim to achieve full role mastery and meet performance benchmarks.
- Conclude with a 90-day check-in with the Director of Operations for feedback and to map future steps.