Effective Induction Programs

Most pre-boarding I’ve seen is BORING. • A couple of PDFs/articles • Generic emails • An e-learning login if they’re lucky And then we wonder why grads/apprentices show up anxious, disengaged and already second-guessing their choice?! Here’s the reality many early career teams don’t know: Preboarding is the start of the emotional contract. Not onboarding. Now. Right now, they’re nervous. - Worried about fitting in. - Clueless about tools they'll use. - Panicking about money, moving or managing their time. You can wait for day one to fix that. Or you can get ahead of it... The best preboarding doesn’t just inform. It prepares and engages ✅ That means: • Helping them practise the software they’ll use • Budgeting tools for their first paycheck • Coaching them into a working routine before the routine begins • Making space for their questions and fears—now, not later • All delivered through gamified sessions that actually hold attention This is what I deliver in my June/July pre-boarding sessions. And it works because I’ve been them. Rejected. Nervous. First job in a new city. That’s why this isn’t generic training, it's ✅ practical ✅ gamified ✅ personal Exactly what they need, before they even start.

I’ve spent 300+ hours coaching PMM through onboarding. Here is the most important tip I have: Build your 30/60/90 day plan backwards. 👇 Most PMMs' onboarding plans start with a to-do list: --> Meet with cross-functional teams --> Review past launches --> Read docs The problem with this approach is that you never feel like you’re doing enough, and everything seems equally important. You also have no real sense of how long things will take. It makes it nearly impossible to prioritize your time or align expectations with your manager. When I coach PMMs through onboarding, I tell them to build it BACKWARDS. Start at day 90 and determine, by then: – What do you want to have delivered? – What do you need to have learned? – Who needs to know and trust you? Then work backwards and chunk it down. One of my clients just joined as the first PMM at a 50-person startup. In her second week, she was already getting requests for: -> Improving the ICP and messaging -> Updating the sales enablement decks -> Building a launch strategy 😬 As you can imagine she was pretty stressed and needed a good way to set the right expectations and also plan her work. So we built a new plan, working backwards from day 90, which included: ✅ 3 streams: deliver/learn/meet ✅ Tied each project to an outcome, not just a task ✅ Chunked out each project into smaller milestones ✅ Treated learning as a deliverable, so her ramp time was visible She used that plan to align with her manager, which not only set clear expectations but also showed she could think strategically and take initiative from day one. If you’re onboarding in a startup, remember the key is not to add more, but to work backwards, and then clearly communicate that to set the right expectations. Let me know how I can help. 💪 #productmarketing #newjob #coaching #strategy

Every new dev should ship code in their first few days. Most don't. Here's why, and how to fix it. 𝟏. 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟏 Every account, tool, and access ready before the new hire starts. Send the checklist a week early. Day 1 is for coding, not waiting for IT. 𝟐. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Not a wall of text. A step-by-step guide that gets any developer from clone to running build in under 10 minutes. Prerequisites. Commands. Nothing assumed. 𝟑. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 One aspire run starts every service, wires up service discovery, and opens a dashboard. No more "install Postgres, Redis, and RabbitMQ manually on your first day." 𝟒. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗘.𝗺𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 Claude Code reads it automatically. New devs clone the repo, open Claude Code, and it already knows the stack, architecture, and conventions. Instant pair programmer, zero ramp-up questions. 𝟓. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝘅 Not "get familiar with the codebase." A real ticket. Acceptance criteria. A merged PR as the goal. The fastest way to learn a codebase is to fix something real in it. 𝟔. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮 𝟮𝟬-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘀��� 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 Entry points. Domain model. Where the business logic lives. What not to touch. Written docs go stale. A Loom video recorded once stays useful for months. 𝟕. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝟯𝟬-𝟲𝟬-𝟵𝟬 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 Day 30: first PR merged. Day 60: owns a feature. Day 90: runs a sprint independently. Milestones, not vibes. 𝟖. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝟯𝟬-𝗠𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 Most onboarding problems are invisible until week 3. A 15-minute weekly sync catches blockers before they compound. Ask: what slowed you down? What's still unclear? The best onboarding isn't a document. It's a system. My free .NET Backend Blueprint comes fully pre-wired with Aspire so you hit F5 and everything runs from minute one 👇 https://lnkd.in/gnQhKDDC

A traveler has booked the trip. They’ve done the research. They’ve chosen your destination or tour. They've spent money, secured time off, and made the commitment. They’re not browsing anymore: They are invested. And yet, what do we typically offer during this crucial post-booking, pre-departure window? • A packing list • A nudge to rent a car • A reminder about travel insurance <YAWN> These things are helpful. But if that’s all we communicate, we’re missing a huge opportunity. This in-between moment — after the sale but before the trip — isn’t just a gap to fill with logistics. It’s a space full of potential for engagement, mindset-shifting, and more intentional preparation. Here’s what that could look like: • Provide context: Share curated books, documentaries, podcasts, and music that reflect the history, culture, and landscape of the destination. Consider making a curated playlist with local artists or offer some easy-to-make recipes so people can prep their taste buds. Make sure to include diverse and underrepresented perspectives as you source these materials. • Offer a 360-degree introduction: Go beyond the postcard version of a place. Share honest, current insights into environmental, cultural, or social realities travelers should know. Take this a step further and explain how they can be respectful, mindful visitors within this context. • Encourage self-reflection: Prompt travelers to reflect on their purpose for traveling. Why this place? Why now? What impact might their presence have? Invite them to journal or simply pause and consider what it means to travel in today’s world. Let’s reframe the pre-trip phase from a checklist into a chance for deeper connection and better preparation. Engagement, not just upselling, builds trust and the kinds of travelers the world needs more of. – This month at Rooted, we’re focused on communication along the traveler journey from attraction and inspiration, to pre-departure planning, and throughout the trip. Find resources to support strong community relationships and collaborations that benefit local partners and create great travel experiences at https://lnkd.in/gFJ5M3xm.

Too many companies drop the ball before their new hire even starts. The time between offer acceptance and day one is the most overlooked, and most fragile, phase of onboarding. I’ve been thinking about this lately, especially after hearing it from executive-level candidates. The recruiting process is (hopefully) smooth. Offer signed. Background check clears. Start date locked in. The company exhales. But for the candidate? That’s when the anxiety kicks in. They’ve resigned, often without a replacement in place. They’re navigating questions, counteroffers, team transitions… and hearing radio silence from the company they’re about to join. Good companies don’t ghost their new hires after the offer letter. They double down before day one. Preboarding is your first real chance to deliver on everything you sold during the interview process. Here are some ideas of how to do it without overcomplicating things: ↳ Put time with the CEO or CHRO on the calendar. A short, intentional convo during the waiting period makes a surprisingly big impact. ↳ Loop them in like they already work there. Share strategic updates, org announcements, or internal docs. It helps them feel part of the team. ↳ Make the welcome personal. Peer messages are great. A pre-start coffee or dinner with key stakeholders? Even better. ↳ Send something in the mail like a handwritten note or a book tied to your values. ↳ Have a casual kickoff call the week before to align, answer questions, and walk through the week-one game plan. Little things. Big trust. It eases ambiguity and builds confidence. When a senior leader walks into day one with clarity, context, and connection… they don’t just start. They lead. If you’ve seen a preboarding moment that stuck with you, good or bad, I’d love to hear it. I’m always collecting real stories to help companies do better. #Onboarding #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #HiringTips #EmployeeExperience #HRLeadership #TalentStrategy

The Art of Pre-onboarding - the "forgotten phase" of HR. Pre-onboarding shouldn't be a "data dump." It should be a roadmap. There is a critical "silent period" between the signed offer and Day 1. This is where most companies lose momentum. We send cluttered emails, 20 different attachments, and vague instructions. Instead of feeling excited, the new hire starts their new journey feeling overwhelmed. In my experience, a new hire only feels truly equipped when their pre-onboarding removes the guesswork. Here is how I structure the Pre-onboarding phase to ensure a seamless transition: ✅ The "Clean" Communication: We move away from confusing, cluttered emails. Our Onboarding Packet is sent early and is strategically broken down into "Need to Know" (Action items) vs. "Nice to Know" (Culture/Context). ✅ The "Who's Who" Connection: We don't leave them wondering who to talk to. Before Day 1, the new hire has a clear point of contact for any urgent questions, ensuring they never feel "ghosted". ✅ Asset & Logistics Readiness: For remote or hybrid settings, the "where is my laptop?" anxiety is real. Assets should be deployed and received before the start date. ✅ Credentialing in Advance: IT should have login credentials ready and sent before Day 1. There is nothing more unproductive than a new hire sitting idle because they can't access their email. The Goal: To replace "New Hire Anxiety" with "New Hire Readiness." When the logistics are handled early, Day 1 can be about people and values, not passwords and paperwork. How has your pre-onboarding experience been like? Let’s engage in the comments! 👇 #HRManagement #EmployeeExperience #TalentOperations

Day one is already late Momentum starts at signed Preboarding sets the tone for everything that follows It tells someone they belong And it gives them a clear sense of how work actually moves here Send context that matters Why this team exists What winning looks like this quarter Which decisions they will own by week four Ship a simple starter map The tools they will touch first The people who unblock work The threads worth reading so they speak the language on day one Assign a real buddy Three scheduled check ins One shadow moment in a live meeting One honest debrief on how things really get done Put a short first wins list in their inbox A 30 minute intro with their future manager One small fix they can ship in week one A team intro with one promise they plan to keep by Friday Remove friction before it shows up Laptop provisioned and tested Access ready on day zero Calendar invites landed Org chart with photos and name pronunciations A glossary of acronyms your team overuses Make managers visible early A short welcome video What success looks like in 30 days How to reach me when you are stuck What I will protect while you learn Create a runway for contribution One real problem worth reading One person to pair with One clear path to ship something meaningful Measure signals that actually matter Days to first shipped outcome Time to first useful one on one How quickly answers were found without help A one sentence confidence check at day ten Watch for early warning signs Password scavenger hunts on day one Can someone add me to asked ten times in a row A manager who says settle in without giving anything to land Close the loop in public Share the week one win in the team channel Credit the new hire and the buddy Call out what the system did to make it possible Preboarding done well turns hiring into momentum And momentum turns into impact :) #OnboardingThatWorks #PeopleExperience #CapabilityBuilding #HighLeverageHR #SpeedToImpact