Category Archives: Advice for Internal Consultants

Why Do We Perpetuate the Myth of New Leader “Fit”?

We frequently hear clients talk about how they want Newly-placed Leaders to "fit" their organizational culture. And if those same New Leaders who originally were seen as the best choice later derail, it is often then attributed to a "poor fit." But, rather than using "fit" as a throwaway explanation for derailment, doesn't it make […]

The Myth of the Flawless Outsider

Why is it that so many companies exhibit a strong preference for recruiting external hires to fill key leadership roles? Are these rational, data-based decisions, or are some decision-makers falling prey to hidden biases that could prevent them from placing the right person in the role? If so, then at what cost? Much has been […]

The OnBoarding Paradox: How New Leaders Prevail

When starting a new role, leaders often don’t realize that they will face what we call “the onboarding paradox” during their transition. New Leaders who fail to recognize and reconcile the gaps between explicit and implicit expectations for their navigation and performance allow the stage to be set for their own future derailment. In our […]

New Leader Failure: A Problem or A Symptom?

Many of us in HR and leadership positions have experienced the same perplexing scenario – found a great candidate, placed them in a high-level role, held lofty expectations, and then they failed. And we almost always have said it happened because “they weren’t a good fit.”Are we really that bad at sizing up candidates? Were […]

Identifying Your Rival(s): It’s Not Who You Think It is …

Rivals are Everywhere – Be AwareWhether you’re being brought in from the outside or elevated into a new role, there’s a good chance you will work with someone who wanted your job. There may be people in the organization that were interviewed, had been asked to interview and opted not to, or were not asked […]

Rivals Part 2: Bringing Them into The Fold

Last month we identified 5 different kinds of rivals, and we discussed the potential negative impact that they can have on Newly-placed Leaders. A rival is usually someone who was not a viable candidate for the role, but for some reason is unhappy with the presence of the New Leader.This month we’ll discuss some tools […]

The Importance of Feedback – Early and Ongoing

The Window of Judgment Slams Shut for Many New Leaders When we ask our clients how long it takes before their organization informally judges whether its New Leaders "get it" or not, they usually say somewhere between 60 and 90 days in the role. We call that the "window of judgment," and it is a source […]

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of the Personal Transition

Landing a senior-level leadership position can be a momentous time in anyone’s career. And for senior leaders most job appointments include changes that impact their personal lives, such as moving to another city, state, or even country. Adding this component to the onboarding process requires adjustments by the New Leaders and their families. While many companies […]