What an executive onboarding plan is for
An executive onboarding plan sets out what a new senior leader and the company will each do in the first three months, and when they will stop to review it. Its job is to get the executive making good decisions quickly, and to surface early any gap between the role that was offered and the role that exists.
The plan belongs to the person the executive reports to: the CEO, or the board for a new CEO. In a PE portfolio company the operating partner usually has a hand in it. A People leader often builds the plan and keeps it moving. Whoever runs it, the promises in it were made by the hiring side, and the hiring side answers for them.
Before day one: write down what was promised
Senior hires are closed on specifics. Along with the title and the pay, the executive accepted a role scope, a reporting line, a budget, a team they could build and a level of access to the CEO or the board. Some of that is in the offer letter. Much of it was said in conversation.
Before the start date, put it in writing:
- List up to five promises, in plain words. One sentence each.
- Ask the executive to confirm the list. If their version differs, settle it now.
- Name one person on the company side who owns each promise.
- Give each promise a date when it should be visible.
This takes an hour. It is the part of the plan most likely to be skipped, and the part both sides will want to reread later.
The 90-day executive onboarding plan, phase by phase
Use this as a starting template and adjust the detail to the seat. The reviews at 30, 60 and 90 days are meetings the CEO or board runs with the executive. Ros does not run them.
| Phase | The executive | The company | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the start date | Reads the plan and confirms the promises as written, in their own words. | Writes down up to five promises made to land the hire. Names an owner for each. Sets up access, the calendar and the first-week meetings. | The CEO or board chair agrees the list of promises with the executive. |
| Days 1 to 10 | Meets the direct team, peers and board contacts. Learns how decisions are made here. | Delivers what was due on day one: access, authority and introductions. | Optional Promise Check. Both sides answer on day 1, day 3 and day 7. The readout arrives on day 10. |
| Days 11 to 30 | Listens to the team, customers and the numbers. Forms a first view and holds it loosely. | Keeps a weekly one-to-one with the executive. Holds back large new asks. | 30-day review, run by the CEO or board. Reread the promises together. |
| Days 31 to 60 | Shares a diagnosis. Makes the first decisions on team and priorities. | Backs those first decisions. Delivers any promised budget or hires that have come due. | 60-day review, run by the CEO or board. Note any promise that has changed and who owns the follow-up. |
| Days 61 to 90 | Presents the plan for the year ahead and takes ownership of the numbers. | Confirms the scope, authority and resources that plan depends on. | 90-day review, run by the CEO or board. Decide what carries into the first year. |
Days 1, 3 and 7: the early check most plans skip
The first review in most plans is at 30 days. By then a new executive may already have a view on whether the role matches what they accepted, and may not have said so. A short check in the first week gives both sides a reason to say it early, while it is still easy to fix.
That is what a Promise Check does. You name one hire and write one to five promises. Ros emails those promises to the company and to the executive on day 1, day 3 and day 7 after the start date. On day 10 you receive a readout: each side's answer for each promise, when they answered or that there was no answer, and where their words differ. Ros does not score the answers. People decide what to do with them.
A Promise Check ends with the day-10 readout. It does not continue through the 30, 60 and 90-day reviews.
Promise Ledger · Example data
| Hire | Promise | Status |
|---|---|---|
| VP Engineering | Platform roadmap ownership | Different answers |
| Controller | Board reporting line | Both answered |
| Head of Product | Weekly CEO meeting | Awaiting answer |
Example data. Day 7, VP Engineering, "Platform roadmap ownership": the company says held, the executive says not yet. Follow-up owner: CEO.
Stakeholders and the 30, 60 and 90-day reviews
Give the executive a short list of the people whose support the role depends on: direct reports, peers, the board or sponsor contacts and two or three customers or partners. Book those meetings before the start date so the first two weeks are not spent chasing calendars.
Hold each review on the date it was planned. Keep the agenda the same every time:
- What the executive has learned and decided.
- What they need from the company that they do not have.
- The written promises, read one by one. Is each still true?
- Who owns each open item, and by when.
Onboarding a new CEO: what the board owns
A new CEO has no manager to run the plan, so the board has to. Name one director, usually the chair or lead director, as the CEO's point of contact for the first 90 days.
The promises look different at this level. They tend to be about authority over the leadership team, the budget and strategy the board has already agreed, how often the board expects to hear from the CEO, and what the former CEO or founder will and will not do. Write those down before the start date, and reread them at the 30, 60 and 90-day board check-ins.
Example promises by sector
The promises that land an executive differ by sector. One example from each:
- Technology: Ownership of the platform roadmap from the first day.
- Healthcare: A dedicated operations lead reporting to the executive within 60 days.
- PE portfolio companies: A weekly meeting with the operating partner through the first quarter.
- Consulting: No more than two client accounts in the first six months.
After 90 days: the first year
The plan ends at 90 days. The promises do not. For a record that both sides can revisit through the first year, Ros keeps the agreed terms in an Appointment File. See executive onboarding: the first year after hire.
Common questions
- How long should an executive onboarding plan run?
- Plan the first 90 days in detail, with reviews at 30, 60 and 90 days. The first year still matters, but it needs a lighter rhythm: a record of what was promised, an owner for each item and a date for the next check.
- Who owns the executive onboarding plan?
- The person the executive reports to. For most executives that is the CEO. For a new CEO it is the board chair or lead director, and in a PE portfolio company the operating partner usually shares it. A People leader often runs the logistics and keeps the record.
- What should be in place before day one?
- A written list of what was promised to land the hire, agreed by both sides. An owner for each promise. System access, a first-week calendar and the introductions the executive needs to start making decisions.
- What is a Promise Check?
- A Promise Check is a one-time, $750 check on one hire. You write one to five promises. Ros emails them to the company and the executive on day 1, day 3 and day 7 after the start date, then sends you a readout on day 10 with each side's answers, when they answered and where their words differ.
- Does Ros score the executive or the answers?
- No. The readout shows what each side said, in their own words, and when. It does not score or rank anyone. People decide what to do next.
Start with one hire
Name one executive hire and write the promises you want both sides to answer. A Promise Check is $750, one-time: three check-ins in the first week and a dated readout on day 10.
See the Promise Check