On-Boarding and the Game of Monopoly

Do you remember when you first played the game of Monopoly.  You opened up the box, took out the pieces----a top hat, paper money of many denominations, a pair of dice, cards with various instructions, deeds to properties and on and on.  Staring at the myriad of pieces, the exact way to play the game wasn’t immediately intuitive.  Then, you turned over the box top and read the directions, and within minutes you were setting up the game, rolling the dice and you were on your way.  Sure, it took a few games to figure out the best strategy to amass your fortune, but you were well on your way in the right direction once you read the inside of the box. 

Now, if you bought the game at a flea market without the box top, you could eventually figure out how to play the game---but it would take a lot longer.  You may also miss some of the nuances that the box top would have explained and you might leave some of the pieces out because you didn’t know exactly what they were for, but you would be able to play it in some way, albeit not exactly as intended.

That is a very simple way to look at what on-boarding is.  It is a coaching process designed to give the newly hired executive the “box top” with the instructions for success in his or her new role.  Having this guide enables the executive to accelerate their success in the new company.  Sure, without that guidance, an intelligent, highly qualified and well-matched executive would eventually figure it all out------but why not start with the “box-top” and compress the assimilation time.

 

Statistics indicate that 40% of leaders going into new roles fail within the first 18      months.  Even when the candidate has been carefully screened and brings the requisite skills, experience, strengths, has the right motivation, and is a good fit for the culture, there can be failure.  On-boarding can give your newest hire an edge to help keep them from becoming part of that statistic.  That’s why every candidate we place receives the services of a specifically matched coach.  We believe that accelerated success serves everyone best.

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