Internal moves, external impact: Setting up promoted executives for success.

Recently, I met an executive who had been appointed to her role as an internal hire. I asked her how the induction process had gone and how the first weeks were panning out. My question sparked a confession - one I wasn't expecting.

On most new starters' first day on the job, we greet them warmly, provide friendly helpers to answer their questions and connect them to the people they need to know. In great organisations, a full induction might take two weeks to a month to complete.

But the executive I was talking to really surprised me—she hadn't received an induction at all. She told me,

"Clearly, it's been assumed that I don't need to know anything new because I'm already here. But I do, because this is a totally new job for me.

I expected this would be quite simple—moving up, a new office and desk, maybe a few tweaks."

But it hasn't been simple at all. In fact, she said it's been like going to a new company. She's in a restructured division. She has colleagues she hasn't worked with before. She feels the only thing that's the same is the car park. She knows this isn't true. Yet it feels like starting all over again.

This feeling has shocked her, and she's been a bit embarrassed to talk about it. She thinks her MD might judge her as not coping. She thinks people expect her to know what to do because she is a long-term employee.

As c-suite leaders and board members, the initial experiences we design for new hires can leave lasting impressions.

Who onboards your new leaders into the new role they've gained? Or do you assume they will hit the ground running because they already know the organisation?

Your assumption might be correct, or it may be deeply flawed.

The tone you set at the start of an internal person's promotion to the executive level will significantly influence how they experience their job and how they create their team's culture.

It's easy to focus on the challenges of integrating new executive members from within and how you expected they might have done better in their first few weeks. I rarely hear leaders scrutinise the quality of the induction experience they've provided, though. Remember - it's a two-way street.

So, how do you ensure that your new executive team member feels valued and gets the induction or 'reboarding' they deserve? I encourage you to think about these things:

• How have you been communicating with them, including during recruitment and in the lead-up to their appointment? What might they already know about, and what might you have missed?

• Look at your induction or onboarding program and consider the elements that apply to existing employees - what else would they want and need to know?

• Who should you introduce them to inside and outside the organisation that they might not already know?

• What are some strategies for including them in projects early and helping them feel involved with the rest of the leadership team?

• What do you want them to have learned in their first 100 days, and who do you want them to have met?

Ultimately, your job is to help them articulate what will be most challenging for them and what they're looking forward to.

Let them ponder what it will be like, and ask them what they think they will need. And ask again after a fortnight. And again after a month.

Give your new internal recruit the best chance to maximise their early experience and help them lean into leadership.

Ultimately, they will benefit - and so will you.

And, as always, if you want to talk with me about anything you're noticing in your organisation, you can reach me here.