Why Executive Onboarding Matters (And What's Included In Our 90-Day Plan)

Have you ever tried taking a concern to HR when you’ve only been at your job for three weeks? And who do you vent to when you’re brand new - certainly not your new colleagues and your spouse probably has limited interest in hearing about your new employer’s outdated software.

There are a lot of reasons we offer a complimentary 90-day onboarding package as part of our executive search placements: onboarding dramatically increases retention, improves productivity, and decreases the learning curve for the new placement.

But we also offer onboarding because - honestly - it’s a no-brainer. When we place a candidate, we’ve spent the last 6 - 8 weeks getting to know them. We’ve built rapport, trust, and a solid relationship. They know and trust us in a way that they don’t yet know and trust this new employer. We can call on our 20+ years of executive coaching experience to help smooth the way for this new leader.

This complimentary onboarding is a great way to build goodwill with our client, our placement, stay close to both of them and help navigate any speed bumps that inevitably arise to ensure that our placement is the rockstar we know them to be.

Here’s why onboarding matters - even if you don’t work with us! - what a strong plan includes, and what we provide as part of our onboarding package.

Executive onboarding isn’t optional—it’s essential

Even the most experienced leaders benefit from thoughtful onboarding. That’s because success at the executive level isn’t just about skills or experience—it’s about alignment, trust, and influence.

Research shows that nearly 40% of executives fail within the first 18 months—often due to misalignment with company culture, unclear expectations, or lack of support. And when senior leaders struggle to find their footing, it can have ripple effects across the organization. (As a side note, 90% of TKJ executive placements stay in their role for at least two years and often much longer..) 

A strong onboarding process can:

  • Accelerate decision-making and productivity

  • Strengthen trust with key stakeholders

  • Establish early credibility

  • Reduce the risk of early attrition

In other words, onboarding isn’t just about helping new leaders get acclimated—it’s about setting the foundation for long-term impact.

The high cost of neglecting executive onboarding

The business case for onboarding is clear. Vacant leadership roles often cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per month in lost productivity and missed opportunities. That number climbs even higher if a new hire doesn’t work out.

In addition to the financial impact, poor onboarding can result in:

  • Unclear strategic direction

  • Frustrated or disengaged teams

  • Damaged internal and external relationships

The reality is this: senior leaders don’t have the luxury of a long runway. They’re expected to contribute quickly—and without a strong onboarding process, that’s an uphill climb.

What’s included in a strong executive onboarding plan

High-performing companies approach onboarding as a leadership investment, not just an HR function. Based on current best practices, here’s what a strategic executive onboarding plan typically includes:

1. Strategic alignment

Ensure the executive understands the organization's vision, business goals and immediate priorities. It’s not just about organizational charts—it’s about understanding where and how the talent can drive value from day one.

2. Culture immersion

Executives need to understand how decisions are made, how people collaborate, and what unwritten norms shape the organization. Cultural intelligence is often the differentiator between fast traction and early missteps.

3. Stakeholder relationship building

Effective leaders build credibility through relationships. A good onboarding plan helps executives identify key stakeholders and engage in meaningful conversations that establish mutual trust and alignment.

4. Clarity around expectations

Setting realistic, measurable objectives in the first 30, 60, and 90 days creates accountability and momentum. It also allows for early course corrections, if needed.

5. Ongoing support and feedback

Coaching, peer support, and regular check-ins help executives navigate challenges and refine their leadership approach in real-time.

What’s included in TKJ’s 90-day onboarding package

At TKJ Executive Search, we embed this philosophy into every placement we make. The 90-day onboarding package that’s included in every executive placement is designed to help your new executive integrate quickly, effectively, and with confidence.

Executive coaching

Your new leader receives one-on-one coaching from a seasoned leadership expert. We focus on areas like strategic influence, stakeholder management, team dynamics, and managing complexity. Our goal is to help leaders operate at their highest level from the outset.

Stakeholder mapping and connection planning

We identify the individuals and teams your executive needs to build strong relationships with, and support them in developing strategies for early engagement, credibility, and influence.

Culture decoding

We help leaders understand the organization’s norms, values, and informal power structures—providing a clearer picture of how things really get done.

30-60-90 day success planning

Together with you and the executive, we outline near-term goals that align with business priorities. This shared roadmap ensures alignment and provides clarity around what success looks like in the early months.

Regular touchpoints

Throughout the onboarding period, we maintain regular communication to assess progress, address emerging challenges, and adjust as needed. It’s a proactive approach designed to ensure success sticks.

Set your next executive up for long-term success

Great executive hires aren’t just about who you bring in—it’s also about how you bring them in. A strong onboarding plan helps new leaders build early traction, forge meaningful relationships, and drive results faster.

Our 90-day onboarding support is just one of the reasons we’re trusted by organizations like The Boston Consulting Group, Ziff Brothers Investments, and ZocDoc. We help companies find transformative leaders—and ensure they thrive once they’re in the door.

Testimonials

Tammy is unlike any recruiter I've ever worked with; she is one of the best. While most search firms focus on the client, Tammy understands that for the client to succeed in its search goals, she needs to equally represent the candidate. She works tirelessly to help the candidate evaluate the opportunity to determine whether it's right for them. Her authentic desire is to help the candidate make the right decision.

— Alexandra Aleskovsky, President & CEO

We hire TKJ Executive Search because they introduce highly qualified candidates in a quick timeframe and we always feel like true partners in their process. They take the time to understand our business so they can really pinpoint the need, and they are invaluable for broadening our talent ranks with hires from new industries. Their approach is creative and out of the box. They can meet the demands of any search we put before them, regardless of function.

— Lori Massad, SVP Human Resources and Chief Talent Officer, Alliance Bernstein

TKJ Executive Search gets the job done every time in an efficient manner. They quickly understand the nuance of situations, and they get the chemistry fit. Their team has open and honest styles and they connect well with candidates, making them great ambassadors for our company.

— Ellen Shedlarz, Former SVP HR Ziff Brothers Investments and Former Chief Operations Officer, Global Talent Management Group, Morgan Stanley

TKJ Executive Search takes a uniquely thoughtful approach to finding the best person, not only for a position but also as a match for our organization and culture. To be able to collaborate on the important nuances makes all the difference. They are highly intuitive, deliberative and thorough, and they are authentic partners with their clients.

— Sarah Cox, Manager, Talent Management, L.L. Bean

Tammy understands me in a way I never would have expected from a search partner. She helped me hire a Head of HR years ago when I ran a media business and that hire was such a perfect fit as my business partner that I have taken her with me to several new businesses. Creating a match like this is a rare feat for a recruiter.

— Kerry Hatch, Former COO, Global Client Services, Axciom

I have hired Tammy many times as a recruiter and as a coach. As a recruiter, she is thoughtful, creative, and delivers results quickly. As a coach, she helped the CEO in one of my previous companies become aware of the consequences of his behavior — and, together, they made some critical and high impact adjustments. Tammy is the real deal and a great partner.

— Michael Bruno, former CHRO Muscular Dystrophy Association, IAC and Rodale

TKJ Executive Search exceeded our expectations, a rarity from an executive search firm. We met our first CHRO candidates in week three and selected our finalists in week six. The quality and caliber of each candidate made the vetting process positively challenging; fortunately, the TKJ team’s candid and collaborative input helped make this easier. A pleasant surprise was the unsolicited positive feedback from the candidates about their experience with TKJ — a positive reflection on our company. I would partner with TKJ again in a heartbeat.

— Kevin Doran, Senior HR and Communications Leader, PQ Corporation

TKJ Executive Search is our recruiter of choice. They find solutions to some of our more complex hiring needs, and their placements deliver high impact. What I most value is their approach as thoughtful partners — we always know the search progress, what makes each candidate compelling, and what we need to explore and emphasize in each interview conversation. I have complete trust in Tammy’s instincts and counsel.

— Susan Grimbilas, Partner and Managing Director, Head Of HR And Operations for North America, The Boston Consulting Group

I selected TKJ Executive Search as a search partner after a thorough comparison with other firms, and I was delighted with my choice for our Head of Talent. I have high expectations and they exceeded them because they made a challenging search seem easy. A key to their approach was the extensive amount of time they invested up front to understand me and my drivers, our Firm and our culture, and the reasons and motivations for our hiring decision. Then Tammy guided me in custom questions to ask each candidate, and she observed my interviews which helped me refine my approach and confirm my selection. She redefined for me the concept of partnership.

— Jennifer Stier, COO, Highfields Capital Management

There is a boundary-less aspect to Tammy's work. It's integrated and she goes deep. She understands that a hire is a reflection of the leader, so she puts herself in my shoes. Her coaching experience makes her a forward-looking search partner; beyond searching for a fit for the role, she works to understand and anticipate how the role might change over time. And now that I have used Tammy in multiple capacities and in multiple organizations, I can attest to how powerful that is.

— Hy Pomerance, Chief Talent Officer, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP