_If you bring a new person into a team  you have a new team. -_ Brad Giles

We often describe new hires as being a **good fit** or a **bad fit**. But _'Onboarded'_ author Brad Giles told our masterclass that welcoming a new person onto a team shouldnt be viewed with such a binary mindset.

Instead, leaders should adopt a spectrum mindset  where they see new hires sitting **within a range** from definitely wont work to definitely will work until the **onboarding process**_validates_ they are either a successful fit or should exit.

So, what is onboarding, and why is it so important? Heres a summary of Brads masterclass.

**Induction** is often mistaken for onboarding. But induction just admits the new employee to the organisation or role.

**Orientation** is helping the person know their way around \(its not onboarding\). **Training** is teaching an employee a new skill or behaviour or helping them improve an existing one. Its not onboarding either.

Brads **definition of onboarding** is taking someone from outside your organisation and making them a productive, independent, and confident member of your team who understands the culture, the technical and process expectations, and your expectations as their manager.

What is onboarding?

83% of 1000 CEOs and leaders of SMEs and large organisations surveyed by Brads team said their onboarding lasted **14 days or less**.

Yet 84% of our masterclass participants agreed that it would take **at least 90 days** for a new hire to understand the culture, technical and process expectations, and the expectations of the manager.

Brad **recommends a 90 day onboarding** for new hires, starting from the day they begin at the company.

_The longer the onboarding, the greater the understanding._

How long does onboarding typically last?

If new hires dont fully understand the culture, technical and process expectations, and the expectations of the manager, the company starts to accrue an **onboarding debt**.

This debt \(aka a level of misunderstanding\) multiplies as the company grows and becomes more complex, and as each new hire is brought on.

The absence of understanding compounds as the team grows.

What is onboarding debt?

Asked this question, masterclass participants suggested many ways this lack of understanding could **impact** their organisations.

Their responses included:

_Cultural misalignment, personal and organisational_**_frustration_**_, the new hire not working out,_**_poor morale_**_, impacts on motivation and the culture, impacts on quality of service, dissatisfaction, good people not being given an opportunity to succeed,_**_loss of productivity_**_, knock on impact._

How can onboarding debt impact your organisation?

If we dont set the values, expectations, and behaviours in our organisations, then people will do what they _think_ is right. Because theyve come from elsewhere, there will be **differing definitions** of what is right.

Just as you can [build a great team](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/teambuilding), great cultures can be built. But people must understand what _your great culture_ looks and feels like, the values, behaviours, and expectations.

_The higher the onboarding debt, the more likely an organisation will have cultural issues._

How is onboarding connected with culture?

Inadequate or poor onboarding will have a:

- **Retention cost**. Studies show 88% employees left companies for reasons other than money \(such as a [toxic work culture](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Toxicworkplaceculture)\) and 77% of CEOs surveyed agreed that the onboarding process affected their attrition rate.

- **Productivity cost.** If understanding is diminished, productivity is affected.

- **Forgetting cost.** As the [Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve) shows, people will forget what theyve learned within days unless it is reinforced regularly \(until the information is embedded\).

What is the cost of inadequate onboarding?

Masterclass participants gave reasons for their companys past onboarding deficiencies.

Answers included:

_Resources and people to develop the process, hiring manager_**_hasnt prioritised_**_it ahead of the day-to-day, too many changes and_**_time poor_**_to catch up and reinvent, lack of commitment,_**_capacity_**_, not having defined what the expectations/requirements are, a_**_need to fill seats asap_**_, incorrect structure within the business._

Brad says the usual reasons are:

1\. **No clear ownership**  \(Brad was clear: THE MANAGER OWNS ONBOARDING\)

2\. **No clear outcome**

3\. **Part-time usage** by very busy managers

What prevents organisations from effective onboarding?

To be effective, managers must define:

* **What Success Looks Like** in a role scorecard, 
  * and **How the New Hire Will Understand** in an onboarding sprint plan.

The role scorecard will cover the **WHY, OWNERSHIP, WHAT and HOW THEY WILL SUCCEED** in detail. An example can be found at [Evolution Partners Resources](https://evolutionpartners.com.au/onboarded-access).

The onboarding sprint plan sets out a **timeline of activities and tasks** over the preboarding to Month 3 timeframe.

The new hire moves through 3 phases: Understanding, Learning and Applying, and Embedding.

Tasks fall under the headlines Cultural Expectations, Managers Expectations, Technical and Process Expectations. An example can be found at [Evolution Partners Resources](https://evolutionpartners.com.au/onboarded-access).

How to create a successful onboarding programme

* Who owns your onboarding process? 
  * How long is your current onboarding process? 
  * What is preventing your onboarding process from being effective? 
  * How is onboarding debt affecting your organisation? 
  * Are your cultural expectations, manager's expectations, and technical process expectations clearly defined for each new hire? 
  * Do new hires have a full understanding of these expectations at the end of their onboarding process currently, and if not, what needs to change for them to gain this understanding?

_For more learning on building a better culture, book our live virtual Global Headline event in May when organisational health expert Patrick Lencioni will be guest of Growth Faculty for_[ _Patrick Lencioni: 6 Types of Genius in a Happy and Engaged Team._](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000FJXCEA4)

_If you'd like to increase your professional and personal development why not consider becoming a_[ _Growth Faculty Pass_](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/growthfacultypass/) _holder? Unlimited access to 40 live virtual masterclasses and Global Headliner virtual events - PLUS year-round leadership content at On Demand with videos, podcasts and book summaries. Join a community of knowledge seekers who are inspired by the best._[ **_See who's up next_**](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/?promoCode=Blog#liveevents)[ **_._**](https://growth.lightning.force.com/lightning/r/Blog_Post__c/a1d4G000004oYwKQAU/view)

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