How to Measure Onboarding Success

Let’s ponder 4 ways to measure the success of onboarding any individual:

1. 1. Connection (Relatedness)
2. 2. Commitment (Sense of Ownership)
3. 3. Contribution (Autonomy)
4. 4. Progress (Competence)

1 – Connection. The engaged teammate is emotionally linked to their job and has a sense of connection to their organization. This can and must start during onboarding, and is fostered by a close relationship with a direct manager or supervisor who focuses on understanding and emphasizing the new teammate’s unique strengths. (CliftonStrengths, anyone?)

2 – Commitment. The engaged teammate has a clear sense of commitment to their organization. They care, show up on time, take initiative, collaborate, take ownership. They hold themselves accountable.

3 – Contribution. The engaged teammate contributes autonomously to the company or project, and understands where their efforts are best made. In collaboration and coordination with other teammates (so all are pulling in one direction).

4 – Progress. The engaged teammate shows continuous progress and improvement in their work, both in what they contribute to the organization and in their own professional development. They grow in competence. They have an inquisitive mind, and are open to continuous learning and continuous improvement. As they each get better, so the entire team and organization get stronger, better.

How do you know the onboarding is working in these four areas? You can see the early signs during the onboarding process itself, especially if you onboard like Tom Brady. And you can see this evolving day by day as the new teammate blends into the team and becomes a powerful part of their high performance. Don’t wait for an annual review to assess this. These behaviors are like sprouting plants and they need watering and tending and pruning and care.

Now here’s an interesting aspect of all this. We have learned that Intrinsic Motivation (from inside, not just paychecks and gift cards) is the strongest motivation. And success measures 1, 3 and 4 are, in fact, the primary components of Intrinsic Motivation – proven by 40 years of research on Self-Determination Theory.

So pull on these strings and see what a beautiful tapestry they become. And what a successful onboarding can truly achieve.

For more detailed Onboarding Plans and ideas, CLICK HERE.