Maria C Forbes

Call Me When… You need to assist owners and key decision makers in defining roles and engaging talent as part of business growth and transition planning. Convert people strengths into business performance.

Onboarding isn’t just about shaking hands on day one or drowning your new hires in an ocean of paperwork and procedural manuals. FIREPOWER Teams is here to help you find and grow the right team to fuel success and sustainable growth in your small business. Reach out to Maria Forbes and discover the potential of people-powered change in your organization.

Introduction Running a small business is like navigating through different seasons – there are sunny days full of triumph, and then there are stormy days that test our resilience. One key factor that can make a world of difference in weathering any storm is having the right team members by your side. Just like bad weather always seems worse when viewed through a window, hiring the right individuals can help us see beyond the obstacles and propel our businesses toward success. 1. Weathering the Storm When it comes to building a successful team, it’s essential to understand that every business faces challenges. The key to success is to hire team members who not only have the necessary skills and qualifications but also possess the right mindset to weather any storm. Look for candidates who have demonstrated resilience and adaptability in their past experiences, as they are more likely to navigate through tough times with you and with grace and determination. 2. The Power of Teamwork Remember, when you hire a new team member, you’re not simply adding an employee – you’re gaining a partner who can help you face challenges head-on. When the storm clouds gather and the sky looks ominous, a strong and cohesive team can work together to find innovative solutions, brainstorm ideas, and provide the support needed to overcome obstacles. The right team will transform challenges into opportunities for growth and improvement. 3. Going Beyond the Surface The journey of hiring the right team members extends beyond reviewing resumes and conducting interviews. To choose individuals who can truly thrive in your organization, it’s important to look beyond the surface-level qualifications. Consider their values, work ethic, and their ability to fit into your company culture. Seek out candidates who demonstrate a genuine passion, drive, and willingness to go the extra mile – these are the qualities that will shine through, even when you have to face the fiercest storms. 4. Embracing Uniqueness Don’t be afraid to embrace the uniqueness of each team member. Just like different weather patterns bring a variety of experiences, having a diverse team can lead to fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. Encouraging collaboration where everyone’s ideas are valued will create a team that is equipped to tackle any challenge that comes their way. 5. Building Trust and Resilience Trust forms the foundation of an effective and cohesive team, allowing everyone to rely on each other when the going gets tough. Foster an environment where open communication, transparency, and mutual support are valued, and watch as your team weathers even the strongest storms with unwavering determination. Conclusion Just as bad weather always looks worse through the window, the challenges we face in our businesses can seem insurmountable when we don’t have the right team members to support us. Together you can change your perspective, navigate through any storm with confidence, and emerge stronger on the other side, ready to embrace the sunny days of success that lie ahead. Remember, FIREPOWER Teams is here to help you find, nurture, and grow the right team to fuel success and sustainable growth in your small business. Reach out to Maria Forbes and discover the power of people-powered change in your organization. Let your business thrive and watch as the storm clouds dissipate, leaving a bright future full of possibilities.

As we noted in Glassdoor identified that companies with a well-structured onboarding program improved new hire retention by 82% and outlined the following successes: 91% felt strong connectedness at work. 89% felt strongly integrated into their company culture. 49% reported contributing to their team within the first week. Employees were 18 times more likely to feel highly committed to their organization. In contrast, organizations without an effective onboarding process experience a 31% higher employee turnover rate within 6 months, and more than half of employees who received ineffective onboarding (52%) also felt negatively about the organization as a whole. The Impact of Poor Onboarding When employees leave within the first few months, it creates several notable problems: High Recruitment Costs Recruiting new employees is expensive. It involves advertising job vacancies, screening resumes, conducting interviews, and training new hires. When employees leave within a short time, you will incur these costs again, increasing your recruitment expenses. Loss of Productivity New hires take time to adapt to their new roles and responsibilities. When they leave within a few months, they have not completed their learning curve and are unlikely to have made significant contributions to your business.  They have also taken time from peers and others on training. This loss of productivity slows your business operations. Negative Impact on Morale High employee turnover rates can affect morale among the remaining team members. When employees leave without being replaced, other team members must pick up the slack and work longer hours. This can lead to burnout and decreased job satisfaction. Jeopardized Business Exit Strategy When you plan to sell your business, potential buyers look at various factors, including employee retention rates.  A high turnover rate is a factor in the perceived value of your company, making it less attractive to potential buyers. Benefits of a Proper Onboarding Plan New hires should be provided with a comprehensive onboarding plan outlining their role’s expectations and responsibilities. This plan should include an introduction to the company culture (i.e., shared values, attitudes, behaviors, and standards that make up a work environment), a detailed role description, and training timelines should be completed. A well-designed onboarding process will help your business in several ways: Increased Employee Retention An effective onboarding program can significantly improve new hire retention rates. When employees feel welcomed and supported, and their time is structured during their first few weeks on the job, and they have scheduled progress checks with supervisors, they are more likely to stay with your company. Enhanced Productivity A proper onboarding plan accelerates new hire productivity. When employees clearly understand their roles and responsibilities and receive proper training and support, they can start contributing to your business operations sooner. Additionally, new hires should be given access to the necessary tools and resources to succeed in their role. Improved Employee Morale A positive onboarding experience can boost employee morale and job satisfaction levels. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and motivated to achieve their goals. Favorable Business Exit Strategy When you have a well-structured onboarding process in place, you demonstrate to potential buyers that you have a stable and committed workforce. This can increase the determined value of your business, making it more attractive to prospective buyers. Conclusion A proper onboarding plan is crucial for retaining employees, achieving business success, and increasing the perceived value of your business in preparation for a business transition or exit. Investing in a customized onboarding program designed by FIREPOWER Teams is critical to achieving long-term success for your business. Contact Maria Forbes at maria@firepowerteams.com today.

Your best competitive advantage is your people. But are you truly empowering your team to drive sustainable growth? As a strategic workforce planning and onboarding expert, I’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to align your employees’ strengths and passions with well-defined roles. This not only boosts employee ROI and retention but also unlocks innovation that accelerates success. Yet many businesses miss this opportunity. Without an intentional approach to talent development, you risk disengaged teams and stalled growth. Don’t let that happen to your company! FIREPOWER Teams offers a customized 90-day onboarding concierge service for small businesses ready to ignite their full potential. We work closely with you to attract and retain top talent through strengths-based role design, onboarding plans, and leadership analytics. Where people meet process, our mission is to facilitate success at every level of your organization. Want to empower your team to drive sustainable growth? Let’s connect! Please send Maria an email at maria@firepowerteams.com

Selling a small business can be tough.  One of the biggest obstacles to a successful business transfer is the lack of a strong team.  Without a competent and reliable team buyers may hesitate to invest in the business.  Owners should focus on building a workforce structure that can help drive the business forward.  Potential buyers will be interested in investing in a stable and engaged workforce and profitable operation. Identifying and Filling Gaps in the People Infrastructure Before selling a business, it’s important to identify any gaps in the people infrastructure and take steps to fill them. One way to do this is by conducting a thorough evaluation of the current team. This can involve analyzing employee performance, identifying skill gaps, and determining whether there are any critical roles that need to be filled. Once these gaps have been identified, it’s essential to take action before putting the business on the market.  Important actions involve reboarding existing positions to update roles and expectations, providing additional training and development opportunities for existing team members, and where necessary, hiring and training new employees. It’s important to keep in mind that filling human capital gaps may take time, so it’s best to start this process well in advance of planning to sell your business.  Your people infrastructure will be strong and stable before potential buyers begin to evaluate your company. The Risks of a Weak People Infrastructure Without a strong people infrastructure, a small business can be a house of cards.  It may appear to be stable on the surface, but with a single gust of wind, it could come crashing down.  If key employees leave or are unable to perform their duties, the entire operation can suffer. This can be especially problematic when trying to sell the business. A potential buyer may see that the business relies heavily on one or two key employees, they will wonder if these employees may decide to leave after the sale.  Without proper preparation, such as ensuring leadership is prepared and on board, strengthening of the business processes, and updating individual roles and contributions, owner dependency, and an updated org chart, a business will appear less attractive and often owners are challenged to get the offers they desire. A Strong People Infrastructure as part of preparation for sale A strong people infrastructure includes a team of skilled, engaged, and dedicated employees who are capable of running the business effectively and efficiently.  This team should be able to handle day-to-day operations, manage customer relationships, and drive growth.  Essentially, the business is designed to succeed without the owner at the center of the operation, the client relationships and revenue generation.  Instead, the people infrastructure is made up of business contributors that lend the full scope of their capabilities to ongoing growth. Buyers want to feel confident in both financial capital and human capital.  A solid people foundation is a value driver and your best competitive advantage in a go to market strategy. Time to Invest in Building a Strong People Infrastructure Creating a strong team takes time and effort, but it’s worth it for any successful business. Investing in the right people pays off in the long run. It’s also important to provide training and development programs to help your team grow professionally. By building a strong team, small business owners can set themselves up for success when it’s time to sell their company. Prospective buyers will be more interested in a business that has a competent and dependable team in place. Conclusion Selling a small business can be daunting to owners, especially if you lack leadership and a strong team.  It’s crucial to find and fix weak spots in your team infrastructure.  Having a trustworthy and fully engaged workforce is the key to setting your business up for success. By investing time in getting your workforce ready for the future, you make your business more appealing to potential buyers and ensure its success even after the sale.

Exit strategy planning is an essential part of any business owner’s long-term strategy. Whether you’re planning to sell your business, retire, or pass it on to the next generation, the key to a successful exit is maximizing the value of your business. One critical factor in determining the value of a business is human capital. In this blog, we’ll explore why human capital is an important value driver for exit strategy planning and how you can leverage it to maximize the value of your business. What is Human Capital? Human capital refers to the skills, knowledge, and experience of your employees. It includes both tangible assets, such as education and training, as well as intangible assets, like leadership ability and teamwork skills. Human capital is critical to the success of any business, as it affects everything from productivity and innovation to customer satisfaction and profitability. Why Human Capital Matters in Exit Strategy Planning When it comes to exit strategy planning, human capital is a critical factor in determining the value of your business. Buyers are not interested only in your financial performance; they also want to know that they are acquiring a talented and capable team that can continue to drive growth and innovation into the future.  Here are some reasons why human capital matters in exit strategy planning: It drives innovation: A team with strong human capital is more likely to be innovative and creative, which can help your business stay ahead of the competition. It creates customer loyalty: Employees with strong customer service skills can help create loyal customers who will continue to do business with your company over time. It improves operational efficiency: A team with strong human capital can work together more efficiently, leading to increased productivity and profitability. It reduces risk: With a talented team in place, your business will be better able to weather unexpected challenges and changes in the market. Leveraging Human Capital for Exit Strategy Planning To leverage human capital for exit strategy planning, consider the following strategies: Invest in employee training and development: By investing in your employees’ skills and knowledge, you can create a more talented and capable team that will be attractive to potential buyers. Encourage teamwork and collaboration: Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork to help employees work together more efficiently and effectively. Develop strong leaders: Invest in leadership development programs to help managers and executives build the skills they need to lead effectively. Measure employee satisfaction and engagement: Regularly check in with your employees to understand their needs and concerns and take action to address any issues. Conclusion Human capital is an essential value driver for exit strategy planning. Through continuous advancement of employee skills, knowledge, and experience you can create a more valuable and attractive business that will be appealing to potential buyers. By investing in employee training and development, fostering teamwork and collaboration, developing strong leaders, and measuring employee satisfaction and engagement, you can maximize the value of your business and ensure a successful exit.

At FIREPOWER, we’re here to help our leaders achieve growth and innovation through their biggest asset: their people. Together, let’s achieve the hardest growth goals and go beyond the surface-level approach of employee reviews by learning how to balance people, processes, and technology to establish an empowered workforce. It’s time to unlock the true potential of your workforce and create a thriving culture of unwavering team enthusiasm that drives business growth and sustainability. The Real Deal? Let’s face it, leaders who simply “dabble” in traditional methods such as annual performance reviews or employee surveys are only getting a snapshot of the workforce influences on business growth and sustainability, you are missing out on the real deal! To hit those hardest goals and unlock the full potential of your team, you need the right talent infrastructure to create real human synergy. Trust us, it’s like unleashing a powerhouse of growth and innovation. More Than Buzzwords When your leaders are equipped with the right tools and strategies to engage their team members, they become unstoppable. Your team’s engagement and enthusiasm become more than just the latest buzzwords – they become the driving force behind your success. Your team feels valued, motivated, and fully invested in the mission and vision of your business. And here’s the amazing part: when leaders prioritize team engagement and enthusiasm and in turn create a culture of growth and innovation, they not only achieve those hardest goals but also become magnets for the best buyers when it’s time to sell. Who wouldn’t want to acquire a business that has a thriving, engaged, and enthusiastic team firing on all cylinders? “It’s your employees who create all the economic value for your enterprise. You need, therefore, to stage a remarkable employee experience.”- B. Joseph Pine II, internationally acclaimed author. So, let’s revolutionize your approach to employee engagement. With FIREPOWER, we’ll help you create the right talent infrastructure to achieve and activate real human synergy. Say goodbye to surface-level tactics and hello to a culture that fosters growth, innovation, and long-term success for you, your leaders, and your team.  Together, let’s attract and retain your top talent, achieve those challenging goals, and create a business that is not only successful but also sustainable. It’s time to tap into the untapped potential of your team, ignite their passion, and watch your business skyrocket.

Hey there, hardworking business owner! We know you’ve been hustling and adapting like a champ over the past year. Remote work became the norm, and you made it work! But now, a moment of truth is upon us: the option to return to the office. While remote work definitely had its perks (like sweatpants and a commute that involved rolling out of bed), there are some undeniable benefits to gathering your team back at the office. So, gear up, and let’s dive into why returning to the office can be a game-changer for your business. Unleash the Collaboration Beast Picture this: you’re sitting at your desk, surrounded by your crew of superstars, whiteboard markers in hand, ready to brainstorm and tackle challenges as a team. That’s the power of in-person collaboration at its finest! Returning to the office means bringing together minds that think differently, work off each other’s energy, and create magic through collaboration. From casual water cooler chats to spontaneous brainstorming sessions, the possibilities for innovation and problem-solving are endless when you’re physically present. Foster a Thriving Team Culture Culture is the secret sauce that fuels successful businesses. Returning to the office allows you to shape and nurture the unique DNA of your team. Imagine the infectious energy of joint victories, the camaraderie built over Friday donut runs, or even the playful banter during lunch breaks. These moments might seem small, but they create a sense of belonging and foster connections that can’t be replicated in video meetings. Flexibility within the Office Walls Let’s talk about flexibility. Returning to the office doesn’t mean throwing all your remote work gains out the window. It’s all about striking the right balance. By working together in the office, you can create a hybrid work model that allows for a mix of office and remote days. This means you can reap the benefits of face-to-face collaboration while still giving your team the freedom to rock those sweatpants and work from home when it makes sense. Boost Your Business Mojo Here’s the thing – when your team is firing on all cylinders, amazing things happen. Returning to the office allows for quicker decision-making, streamlined communication, and the ability to tackle challenges head-on. Being physically present in the office fuels productivity and creates an environment where ideas can flow freely. Plus, the office is the center of inspiration and motivation as you witness your team’s collective drive and determination. The Office as an Oasis Sometimes, a change of scenery can be exactly what you need to rekindle your entrepreneurial flame. The office offers a dedicated space away from the distractions of home, where you can fully immerse yourself in work mode, ready to conquer the world surrounded by like-minded individuals fueling your business mojo. Embrace the Best of Both Worlds Returning to the office doesn’t mean abandoning the lessons learned during remote work. It’s about embracing the best of both worlds – combining the power of in-person collaboration, the flexibility of hybrid work, and the safety measures necessary to thrive in today’s reality. Your team is a force to be reckoned with, and the office is the rallying point where they can unleash their collective potential. So, gear up, rally your troops, and get ready to conquer new heights. It’s time to return to the office and unleash the untapped power of teamwork that will propel your business to the next level.

Entrepreneurial leaders do a lot of things well, but hiring the right people, aligning talent for top performance and optimizing collaboration is not where they want to spend their time.  It’s not why they went into business and they are unfamiliar with the impact of talent on their growth and succession goals. They don’t understand that the aggregate of human ability is an asset and a competitive advantage when human capital is part of the strategic planning work. That’s where FIREPOWER Teams comes in.  Talent strategies, or workforce planning is for owners and leaders of lower mid-market businesses to attract, optimize and retain their best people. We help them create reliable and scalable people engagement so the whole company will help achieve their growth and succession plan.

All professionals deal with some form of personal adversity at work. Change is constant as you grow and scale your company and today, we are considering the impact of a slowing economy. Recent data in an HBR article, shows layoffs up 39% in the second quarter of 2022, (bringing the year’s total to more than 133,000), rising inflation has increased prices at supermarkets and gas stations, combined with an increasingly polarizing political landscape and troubling global events, all making for a perfect atmosphere for draining employee motivation. Small business teams are experiencing more stress which challenges their motivation, and business resiliency is weakening. What can we do as we prepare for a New Year? Make resilience and motivation possible in what seems like impossible times. As small business leaders face economic challenges, resilience is an essential strength. Is your team showing signs of lost motivation? Are they unable to bounce back from adversities such as layoffs, budget cuts, or role changes? Have your attempts to improve employee motivation been ineffective? To determine your best defense against a demotivated workforce, let’s consider how resilience and motivation impact on your business. As you consider how you can help your employees become more resilient and motivated, consider whether one (or both) of these pitfalls might be standing in your way, and theirs. Resilience is not a personality trait. Resilience is a leader-driven part of your small business model. It is not an individual trait, it is a team trait, that keeps your team’s collective spirits high in the face of challenge. While each individual role is influential, the well-aligned collective strengths of your workforce is the resilient force to navigate change. Your employees must be supported by leadership and prepared to forge ahead in all economic conditions. Keeping teams motivated is a retention strategy intended to maintain strong business contributors that can be united to navigate change. The early work on making personal growth visible to everyone at your company will avoid burnout and prevent motivational lags. Consider this a top priority in the New Year, to support your people and power your collective resilience. Motivation is developed through the acknowledgement of, and the freedom to act on individual and collective strengths. We can’t mentally and/or physically motivate others but we can create conditions that will encourage motivation. Individual conditions include a leadership dynamic that seeks to understand personal job satisfaction and plans for actionable feedback on development and performance throughout a working relationship. Individual conditions that motivate offer opportunities to grow within the context of a role and beyond. Collective conditions include opportunities to challenge the team. The opportunities not only consider the realm of possibilities within departmental capabilities, they should also include collective work that will meet strategic company goals. Your growth goals should not be yours alone, create business conditions that encourage teams to engage their individual and collective strengths in your long-term success. The following considerations will help your employees to rediscover their personal motivation and resiliency. Keep in mind: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this and it’s important that you start with an accurate assessment of your workforce. Your team may be struggling with different feelings and challenges. Small business leaders need to realize that all employees are not feeling exactly the same about a given challenge. Your role is to find out how tough times are affecting employees, get to the root of how changes are impacting their role and their motivation, and help them to rediscover it. Here are some ways to begin. Don’t sugarcoat: It’s natural to want to soften the blow when you know decisions will likely elicit painful reactions. But that usually causes more pain. Offering false reassurances that things will be okay or pointing out the bright side invalidates the grief and fear people may be feeling. Allowing people to show their emotions legitimizes and honors their experience. Even if people express emotions you don’t share, listen with empathy and resist saying anything that risks minimizing what they’re expressing. Don’t defend yourself: Having to make hard decisions is part of your role as a leader. When people express understandable disappointment or resentment about difficult news, you must take it graciously. That doesn’t mean you have to tolerate hostile disrespect or offensive behavior, but you do have to bear the brunt. Defending your decision feels dismissive of their emotions. Never play the victim with statements like, “You have no idea how hard this was.” This will lead people to withdraw trust and become even more demotivated. Deal with survivor guilt after layoffs: If you’ve had to lay people off, those that remain may well be dealing with survivor guilt. Others may feel a sense of envy of those who got to leave. Allow people to feel their wide range of emotions safely and honestly. Your employees may try to hide their emotions from you, in positive pretense, to avoid “being next.” Communicate consistently and transparently so others can be honest about how they’re feeling. When possible, invite your team into hard decisions: If you’re facing cost cuts or severe economic headwinds, let your team into the conversation. Where appropriate, engage them in identifying ways to make the hard decisions, they will often find creative ways to save jobs while hitting cost targets — surfacing opportunities that are clear from their perspective. Help struggling employees reprioritize work: HBR states, in a recent article, many leaders become exasperated trying to figure out meaningful ways to let their teams know they genuinely care. One of the greatest signs of care you can show is helping team members reprioritize work when capacity has been cut. The “do more with less” paradigm is one of the many drivers behind millions quitting their jobs due to burnout. Help your team members figure out what is no longer required and allow them to make informed recommendations on work to pause and work to eliminate. Stay available: Your own feelings about having to make tough calls may lead you to instinctively withdraw from your team. Don’t make assumptions about their feelings, don’t assume they blame you or now see you as the enemy. Check in regularly, ask how they’re doing and how you might be supportive. Be persistent and let them know you’re available to talk, listen, and share your perspective, if and when they would like. Show appreciation for sacrifice and perseverance: Let your employees know that you understand the strain of tough conditions and that you appreciate their resiliency. Be specific about the positive impact of their efforts on the team’s performance, and when appropriate, make the appreciation public. Taking the time to acknowledge when your team has gone the extra mile is especially important when managing change. In summary, managing yourself during tough times is probably the most important thing you can do. Any hint of hypocrisy risks turning your people from demotivated to infuriated. Pay extra attention to motivational cues that indicate how your employees are faring through challenging times. Demonstrate resilience and cultivate motivation. As you look ahead to the future of your business, think about how you might prepare for a changing business landscape and consider how you will practice resilience before you are in it. All roles in your company are susceptible to stressors, the reason resilience should be practiced across your entire workforce. When your employees are informed and armed with support during tough times, they are empowered to control personal reactions and collective actions to challenging experiences. It is important to recognize the power and influence of leadership in shaping employee resilience. Best practices are effective and sustainable when the responsibility of resilience is shared. Don’t wait, there are always challenges ahead.  

Do you provide an employee orientation? That is great news, now what about onboarding?  If you are leaving this one out you are missing part of a winning team performance structure.  What is the difference and why utilize both?  One is informative and one is integrative, both are intended to get your new employees off to a great start.  What you really want is a simple way to engage and retain your employees so you can continue to grow without performance set-backs, so here is what you need to know. Let’s get a few current catch phrases out of the way.  Quiet Quitting is a symptom of the Great Resignation.  It simply means that employees are doing their expected work but they are not investing time in achieving broader company goals.  There are many reasons for this sentiment and it is not a new condition of the American workforce, except that post Covid, the personal need to engage in something more than a set of responsibilities has become top of the mind and it is driving employment decisions.  If your employees feel they are doing a job, they are functioning as a job holder, this weakens your business model.  A transition to business contributor roles across your company will strengthen your biggest asset and your best competitive advantage in meeting and surpassing growth goals.  No more quiet quitting. People are a moving target and talent must be nurtured in order to avoid performance set-backs.  Getting the right people in the right position and keeping them, requires a simple and effective process for retaining the interest of new members beyond an offer letter or employment agreement.  If you want them to stay, you need to bond new hires to your company starting day one.  Building long-term associations begins with orientation and onboarding. One of these is about the company and one is about the person and the role.  Employers often use orientation and onboarding interchangeably, and that is risky business.  The processes are related, but different.  Understanding the elements of a structured onboarding process vs orientation can help you to prepare new employees for success and encourage them to stay with you long term.  The onboarding process will enable new employees to achieve success in their new role and boost bonding as they accomplish each new level outlined in their personalized plan. Making your best day-one impression and turning that impression into a true and lasting bond with your organization, requires visualization of the new role, an agenda for learning, knowing with whom you will collaborate, and time required for each learning and doing segment over a 90-Day period. Employee orientation provides new hires with company information.  There might be some interactive elements, such as tours and question-and-answer sessions, but it’s primarily designed to give employees the information they need to get started quickly. Onboarding engages new hires in their role, including what is learned, how work is executed, and what they will lead, all of which are planned with written and verbal learning, and hands-on experience. The onboarding process will include one-on-one training, meetings with supervisors, group training and other customized processes based on what each employee needs. Benefits of employee orientation Aimed at introducing new employees to the company policies such as breaks and lunch times, required meetings and general code of conduct, usually found within an employee handbook. Your new hires will set up benefits, systems log-ins, and payroll. All new hires typically go through the same orientation. Benefits of employee onboarding Onboarding engages talent as soon as a new employee starts working at your company. It helps a team member learn the role in an organized fashion and increases productivity. Boosts new hire confidence in their role with regular feedback and ongoing support. Encourages early relationships between new hires and current employees. Reduces the chances of miscommunication and confusion about individual and collaborative work. Onboarding is personalized for each new member and the plan is edited, based on their progress over the first 90 days of employment. The process can be extended to six months or a year based on an employee’s progression. Observing less than desirable performance, such as misaligned efforts, from a new employee? It may be due to the lack of a structured onboarding process.  Skipping the onboarding process will have costly consequences.  Leaders experience lack of productivity, increased inefficiencies, higher rates of employee turnover, reduced employee morale and engagement, and difficulty meeting strategic goals. Remember, the employee experience on day-one either seals the deal or erodes a new employee’s confidence in their decision to join your company.  Orientation and onboarding are complementary processes to help your new employees succeed.