Why Most Onboarding Fails — and What to Do Instead

You’ve just hired a heavyweight executive. Everyone’s excited. The board is optimistic. You’ve paid a six-figure fee to a Global Executive Search firm and breathed a sigh of relief.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most senior hires fail to deliver the value they were brought in for.

And it’s rarely because they weren’t good enough. It’s because the organisation treated the hire as the finish line — instead of the starting gun.

The False Finish Line

Many businesses treat onboarding as a checklist:

• Laptop and logins ✅

• HR forms ✅

• Meet-and-greets ✅

  
  

And then… silence.

The new leader is left to “embed.” Translation: they’re on their own, trying to decode the culture, broker trust with a wary team, and make early decisions with patchy context.

This is the fog where reputations stall. Or worse — quietly unravel.

The Risk Behind the Résumé

Executives don’t typically stumble because of technical incompetence. They fail because:

• The power dynamics weren’t mapped.

• They misread the tempo and culture.

• They moved too fast or too cautiously.

• Stakeholders weren’t aligned on what “success” looked like.

  
  

Gartner found that up to 50% of executives fail within 18 months, and the top reasons include poor integration, misaligned expectations, and weak onboarding.

“Only 35% of HR leaders believe their onboarding processes effectively accelerate new leader performance.”

— Gartner, 2017

The 120-Day Window

In The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins notes that early wins significantly shape whether a leader succeeds or fails. But without a plan, new hires often drift — and by the time concerns surface, trust is already eroding.

“The actions you take during your first three months in a new role will largely determine whether you succeed or fail.”

— Watkins, 2013

What Strategic Integration Looks Like

✅ Pre-start alignment: Define success metrics, stakeholder maps, and team dynamics before Day 1.

✅ Mandate clarity: Ensure the team knows why this person was hired — and what they’re here to achieve.

✅ Coaching support: Provide a neutral sounding board so the new leader can properly reflect and course-correct in real time.

✅ Feedback loops: Regular stakeholder check-ins to flag issues early and build confidence fast.

This isn’t hand-holding. It’s value protection.

Retention Matters

According to a SHRM Foundation report, employees who experience structured onboarding are 58% more likely to still be with the organisation after three years.

That’s not a nice-to-have. That’s ROI.

The Takeaway

Senior hiring is a high stakes ride. But too many companies treat onboarding like logistics, not strategy.

At Vantyr Group, we treat onboarding as a leadership performance window. That’s why every executive placement we support includes tailored integration coaching for the first 6 months — because the real value of a great hire begins after the contract is signed.