Onboarding - Interview with Michael Schmeja
We asked Michael Schmeja, coach at metaBeratung, about onboarding coaching, the first 100 days on board a company and how Hogan Assessments can be incorporated into the 4-phase plan.
Date: 3. December 2024
Author: Katja Poley
Categories: Leadership, Personality Assessments, Talent Management, metaMeets
- Michael, you are a consultant and coach at metaBeratung and have a lot of (management) experience yourself: What role does a new employee’s personality play in the onboarding process?
Personality plays a very important role and is unfortunately still not given enough attention in some recruitment processes. In other words, we often focus too much on the technical skills and not enough on the people skills. Especially when it comes to team spirit or team culture, a personality that fits the role can be decisive. The more personality traits that are congruent with the role in the company, the more comfortable the person will feel and the more productive they can be.
- How do you use the Hogan Assessments to tailor the onboarding process for new employees?
The Hogan Assessments are often one of the last steps in the selection process. They give us a scientifically based statement about a person and their potential reputation. In fact, we recommend the assessment at the very beginning of the hiring process because it objectifies our “gut feeling” that we often take with us from the interview. The interview is often conducted under what I call “laboratory conditions” that are never replicated in the real world.
However, the really important work is in defining the personality traits to define ‘what good looks like’ for this role and then comparing them with the candidate’s assessment results.
- What typical challenges do you see in the onboarding of managers and how do you address them in your coaching?
The biggest challenge is often the expectations of new hires. They want to quickly prove that they are the right person, but they often don’t know the culture, the habits, the real team hierarchies or other customs in the company. As a result, they often run the risk of getting caught up in the minutiae or falling into one trap or another. For coaching, this means slowing down, as it often involves assessing moods and discussing new situations.
- To what extent do you consider corporate culture in your onboarding coaching and how do you integrate it into your coaching methods?
If we really know the culture of the company, it is a matter of asking where the coachee sees the culture confirmed, or where the coachee had a completely different idea of the culture, in order to deal with it accordingly, to adapt it, or even to promote a different culture.
- Why is it important to identify “red threads” in personality profiles for successful onboarding?
Red threads are the essence of personality analysis and characterize the experienced consultant. They allow you to identify strengths and development potential at an early stage and to focus on distinguishing the important from the less important. Accordingly, coaching focuses on development potential in the first 100 days.
- How do you help companies create competency maps based on the Hogan Assessments for new hires?
Competencies are observable behaviors. The scales of the Hogan Assessments can be fundamentally favorable or unfavorable to certain competencies, but we never make a judgment about a person, but rather a ranking between different candidates. If a candidate from the assessment is a high match, we increase the probability of a match for the company or team.
- What is the role of team dynamics in onboarding coaching, especially when it comes to integrating a new manager?
Team dynamics need to be discovered quickly, but not in a rush. Sometimes a second look, a second meeting with the team is more revealing. Never forget that the newcomer can also shake up an existing pecking order. The basic rule for managers here is never to show up too early without appearing aloof.
- How do you measure the success of onboarding coaching and what factors are most important?
You can measure, for example, satisfied employees, a satisfied team, satisfied superiors and, of course, the coachee himself. This can also confirm the decision to change employers. In the case of customer contact, success can also be measured in terms of order volume, new customer relationships, increased sales, etc. The KPIs are always role-specific and may vary.
- What are the advantages of 1:1 coaching over other onboarding methods?
1:1 coaching is the most personalized form of onboarding. It allows for direct management and is highly personalized. In this way, behaviors can be encouraged or changed before they become ingrained.
- In your experience, what are the long-term effects of well-structured onboarding coaching on employee retention and performance?
When you take care of your employees early on, you quickly build trust. You could call it a leap of faith. You show them how important they are to the team and the company.
