What is New Leader Assimilation

New Leader Assimilation (NLA) is a structured process to introduce and integrate a leader with their new team. When done effectively, NLA ensures success by aligning expectations and preferences. Traditional NLA processes trace their roots to original research conducted by John Gabarro, first published in 1985 (Gabarro, 2007). Developed as a program by the U.S. Army, it has since been used in a wide range of global corporations, including Citigroup, Exxon, GE, and J.P. Morgan.

Until now, most New Leader Assimilation programs were costly and reserved only for top-level executives. Typical programs include months of coaching, multiple assessments, and hours of meetings, making them impractical for most leaders.

Our New Leader Assimilation is different. It allows for intense learning and invaluable results in about a day at a price you can afford. Join leaders who’ve completed this program from companies of all sizes in industries from Fintech to Manufacturing.

How does it work?

Know Yourself

Leadership starts with self-awareness. Using an objective leadership assessment, we will identify the strengths a new leader brings to the role. We also highlight potential cautions that may hinder new leaders and provide actionable tips to enable success.

Know Your Direct Reports

Review the natural strengths of each direct report. You will receive a custom roadmap to best manage, motivate, delegate, and provide feedback to create a successful team faster. We’ll also go over using a simple framework for effective One-to-One meetings.

Know Your Team

We will wrap up by giving the leader an overview of their new team’s overall work style and culture. This will identify team strengths and potential gaps that could put goals at risk. We’ll also create a repeatable agenda for effective team meetings.

Why Invest in New Leader Assimilation?

There are many data points that go into calculating the cost of recruitment and turnover. But you already know it’s costly in both hard and intangible costs.

Today, probably more than ever, new leaders face significant challenges and pressures. For years, executive leadership has drilled into our heads the need to do more with less. As of November 2022, that threat has come home to roost with two open jobs for every job seeker (US Board of Labor). If that weren’t enough pressure, managers are expected to perform from day one, often in a business environment that is constantly reorganizing and reprioritizing everything. It’s no wonder CEB, a subsidiary of Gartner, found 60% of new managers underperform or fail.

It doesn’t matter if you hire a new leader from the outside or promote from within; the process requires significant time and money. It can take six to eight months for a new leader to fully integrate with their new team. A loss of productivity and an erosion of morale during the transition is something you can’t afford.

We also understand companies could go broke using expensive consulting programs. That’s why we created the Mini-NLA program to be more affordable, faster & scalable for leaders that aren’t in the C-Suite.