Communications Coach Jean T. Brown: Critical First Impressions When Onboarding a New Executive
Jean
T. Brown, partner with MacKenzie Brown, advises, "When onboarding a new
executive, the announcement sets the tone, and can contribute to the
employee's success at a significant level." Brown was interviewed for
an "Inside Recruiting Onboarding Experts Series" on TotalPicture Radio,
a popular career and leadership development podcast.
 Jean Brown Interviewed by Peter Clayton, producer/host of TotalPicture Radio, Brown
articulates the importance of managing the communications, and
announcement, to create a successful onboarding experience for new
employees. "First impressions really do matter," Brown believes,
"you're trying to set the tone for the employee's relationships, and
the entire team's success. Not just with the organization, but with
coworkers and key stakeholders."
An often missed opportunity, Brown describes, involves internal
promotions. "People make too many assumptions. They assume for example
that the role and the expectations of the new role will be clear. They
assume that the relationships will take care of themselves. They assume
the culture of the new group is the same as the culture of the old
group." This leads to a series of missteps which ignore the importance
of effective communications: "In terms of the announcement process, I
think a critical mistake is they assume that credibility is taken for
granted. That's where the announcement becomes especially important,
because not only should it clarify the role of the new person, but also
establish the credibility of this new person to fill that role."
Brown lists "four keys to an effective message" in her Guest Expert
segment in "Onboarding." On TotalPicture Radio, Clayton asks her expand
on each, starting with concrete. Brown advises, "Don't talk in
concepts, be specific," and gives the following example: "In the
onboarding announcement, a key component of that announcement is the
vision. So what is the future that this person is being brought in to
build? A lot of times, people will think of their announcement as,
'We're so delighted that Sue - whoever is joining our new team - we
want to all give her a big welcome.' - That's not an onboarding
announcement," according to Brown. "We could go one step further.
'We're bringing Sue in to affect change in the organization.' Well,
that's a little bit better, but it's still a vague concept. That
concept of affecting change doesn't really mean anything. So what is
the change that Sue is being brought in for? Is she being brought in to
expand our manufacturing operations overseas or she's being brought in
to focus our organization on new client development, what are the
specifics of that change?" She concludes, "That's what I mean by
concrete."
Brown expands on the other keys to an effective message, including
"Targeted to Your Audience," "Pithy and Memorable," and "Short." "You
want employees to be able to repeat the message and remember it. Ten
words or less." Brown has seen, first hand, the impact a carefully
crafted communications strategy can have though leading numerous workshops and executive coaching assignments.
In closing out the podcast, Clayton asked "Is there anything I haven't
asked you that you think is important to share with the audience around
this whole issue of onboarding?" "My final hot tip for everyone – is
just practice, practice, practice. Practice your message out loud in
front of somebody else so that you can get some feedback on whether the
message is communicating clearly and persuading people appropriately.
There are no casual presentations. At work, you are always presenting
yourself to others, and they are always forming impressions of you. So
be sure you are projecting yourself as you want others to see you."
Jean T. Brown's interview is in the Inside Recruiting Channel
of TotalPicture Radio. Her feature page contains a full transcript of
the interview. Listener's can subscribe to TotalPicture Radio on iTunes, and other podcast aggregation sites, including Odeo.
About Jean T. Brown and McKenzie Brown LLC:
Jean provides dynamic leadership and communication coaching
to a diverse group of professionals in such industries as investment
banking, financial services, health care, real estate, management
consulting and law. MacKenzie Brown LLC clients include BNP Paribas,
Stryker Spine, Archon Group LP, The Depository Trust and Clearing
Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Columbia Business School, among
others. Jean also coaches senior executives privately to help them
enhance their leadership presence and impact. Brown received an M.B.A.
from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A.
from Dartmouth College.
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