My View of Onboarding
Hi, I’m Graham.
On my first day in one role as an excited 20 yeart old, I was once shown to a cupboard and asked to organise files, and left alone all day.
In another, as a newly qualified teacher, I was asked to “run the department” within weeks, because the head of department was on a long term absence.
Not unusual experiences, but they stayed with me, because they reflect something bigger.
How people start in a role shapes how they feel, how they perform, and how long they stay. My aim is to ensure every person is given the chance to succeed in their new role.
Looking Beneath The Surface
I’ve since spent my career working across learning, leadership, and organisational development, supporting individuals and teams to perform at their best.
What’s always interested me is not just what’s happening on the surface, but what’s driving it underneath.
What looks like a performance issue or a lack of confidence is often influenced by a combination of factors, how clearly someone understands their role, the environment around them, the expectations placed on them, and how safe they feel to contribute.
These factors are connected.
81% feel overwhelmed and unclear
70% decide if a role is right for them within the first month.
40% find onboarding disorganised
Only 12% think their organisation does onboarding well
My Approach
Designed around people, not just process
Most onboarding is built around checklists. I take a different approach, focusing on how it actually feels to step into a new role and what helps people feel clear, confident, and able to contribute early on.
When you understand the real experience, you can fix the right problems. That means creating clarity around expectations, supporting early confidence and psychological safety, and helping people feel connected to their role, team, and organisation.
I support organisations to find out what is working well and what those problems are, then help you plan the next steps, manage change and empower leaders of the onboarding process.
It all starts with your own onboarding review.
Experience and Qualifications
I bring over 20 years’ experience across education, leadership development, and organisational learning, focused on helping people perform effectively in their roles.
My work draws on coaching, leadership development, and organisational learning, alongside experience in project management, change management, and people-focused improvement, with a focus on what helps people feel clear, confident, and able to contribute early on.
I bring over 20 years’ experience across education, leadership development, and organisational learning, focused on helping people perform effectively in their roles.
My work draws on coaching, leadership development, and organisational learning, alongside experience in project management, change management, and people-focused improvement, with a focus on what helps people feel clear, confident, and able to contribute early on.
