You’re Not Alone - Job Transitioning Is Difficult, And Especially So During COVID-19.

Having previously transitioned into new leadership roles, job transition is one of the most challenging times I have experienced. A global McKinsey study of leaders transitioning into new job roles show that more than 80% of leaders feel unprepared and almost 70% feel their organization do not appropriately support new leaders.

And doing it during a global pandemic can be an extremely difficult situation. For many new leaders in subsidiaries of multinational companies, lockdowns have meant:

-       Unusual business activities make job transition confusing and un-focused. 

-       It may impossible to attend the same on-boarding activities as previous.

-       Senior executives, superiors or mentors are busy elsewhere or “putting out fires”.

The circumstances can result in an actual or perceived lack of organizational support for the new leader. Not only can it cause frustration and disappointment, in worst case causing your newly recruited leader to leave the organization. Moreover, these circumstances will certainly increase the risk for a longer transition time, who can cause a number of potential costs for the organization.

Making sure a new leader can have a fast and effective job transition not only reduces frustration and potential costs, research shows that successful leader transition has positive impact on both engagement, as well as a company’s top line, bottom line and strategic deliverables.

Organizations are highly reliant on their leaders’ ability to make astute decisions and take charge in a critical situation. At Transition State, we help leaders complete job transitions faster and more effectively, and thereby ensure a higher likelihood of reaching companies’ strategic goals.