LEADERSHIP
Building the Team
Executive Onboarding in Startups
Effective onboarding accelerates executive impact and aligns new leaders with startup pace, culture, and strategy from day one.
TIME COMMITMENT
Setup: 1 week before start
Duration: 90-day plan with 30-day touchpoints
Why This Matters
Reduces time-to-impact and early missteps
Prevents executive churn and misalignment
Reinforces company values and operating norms
Increases early team trust in new leaders
Builds shared accountability for success
When to Focus On This
Hiring your first VP or C-level leader
Executives joining during high-growth or high-change periods
Leadership restructuring or re-org
How to Complete
Create a 90-day plan with business, cultural, and relationship goals
Assign an onboarding "buddy" or peer coach
Schedule intro sessions with each key stakeholder
Set up early wins aligned with metrics
Review company rituals, history, and leadership styles
Host a founder-led values/storytelling session
Conduct weekly check-ins during first 60 days
Tools
30-60-90 onboarding templates
Culture brief (mission, values, rituals)
Onboarding checklist in Notion or Google Docs
Deliverables
Personalized onboarding plan
Relationship map of key collaborators
Milestone review at 30/60/90 days
How to Measure Success
Time to first strategic contribution
Feedback from executive and peers
Retention past 6–12 months
Role clarity and stakeholder alignment
Who Owns This
CEO + functional leadership peer + People Ops (if available)
Get It Right
Balance tactical onboarding with culture immersion
Align onboarding with strategic company goals
Empower the new exec, but provide context
Foster open feedback loops early
Give permission to challenge, not just conform
Don't Make These Mistakes
Assuming execs “just figure it out”
Skipping context around founder dynamics
Overloading them with tasks before trust is built
Delaying feedback or not assigning a coach/buddy
Not setting clear mutual expectations