How Not to Waste Hiring a Manager

So, you've hired a manager. Now, they should start leading and improving your team immediately, right?

Unfortunately, it's not that simple, and without proper onboarding and integration, your new hire could end up feeling lost, leading to underperformance or even resignation.

The Reason You Hired a Manager

Hiring a manager means you are looking for someone with leadership experience—someone who can:

Improve processes and workflows.
Lead and mentor a team.
Solve complex challenges with minimal supervision.
Bring fresh perspectives to your organisation.

Since they are experienced, you may think they need minimal onboarding.

You might start by giving them basic tasks, expecting them to ramp up gradually.

While this approach might work for junior or mid-level employees, it can be a mistake with managers.

Everyone Wants a Manager, But Few Are Ready for One

A common challenge in hiring a manager is balancing expectations.

Employers often assume that since a candidate has prior managerial experience, they can immediately adapt and implement changes.

However, this expectation can lead to disappointment—both for the employer and the manager.

An experienced manager has their own leadership style and methods that worked in their previous company.

Your organisation, on the other hand, may have a completely different culture, processes, and expectations.

The real question is: how much are you willing to adapt to their expertise, and how much do you expect them to adjust to your company?

How to Ensure Your New Manager Succeeds

Instead of assuming they will "figure things out," take a proactive approach to integrating them into your organisation.

Here are some ways to maximise the impact of your new hire:

1. Assign a Strategic Project Early On

Rather than assigning routine tasks, give the new manager a strategic project that aligns with their expertise.

For example, if you hired a Sales Manager, let them review your sales pipeline and propose an improvement plan.

If they were brought in as an Operations Manager, ask them to assess your workflow and identify inefficiencies.

By doing this, you:

Allow them to showcase their skills quickly.
Provide an opportunity to introduce fresh ideas.
Give them a sense of ownership and purpose from the start.

2. Encourage Cross-Department Collaboration

Managers don’t work in isolation. Ensure they meet key stakeholders across different departments within their first few weeks.

This helps them understand how teams interact, align goals, and prevent communication silos.

Ways to do this:

Schedule introductory meetings with department heads.
Arrange job shadowing or observation sessions.
Include them in interdepartmental strategy discussions.

3. Let Them Compare Past and Present Approaches

Once they have a grasp of your organisation’s structure, encourage them to compare it to their past experiences. This can be done through:

Team discussions where they share insights on best practices from previous workplaces.
SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of existing workflows.
Identifying small, quick-win improvements to build credibility.

This exercise helps you leverage their knowledge while allowing them to acclimatise to your unique environment.

4. Encourage Them to Identify Areas for Improvement

A few months into their role, ask the new manager to draft a list of improvement areas.

These could be related to efficiency, team performance, client relations, or any other aspect of the business.

If their suggestions align with company goals, empower them to lead the changes.

This not only drives improvements but also reinforces their authority as a leader.

Good Managers Leave Good Companies Too

The success of a managerial hire depends on how well they integrate into the company culture and how much autonomy they are given to make an impact.

A common reason why managers leave within the first year is the lack of clarity in their role or their inability to implement meaningful change due to rigid structures.

To prevent this, ensure that:

They receive structured yet flexible onboarding.
Expectations are clearly defined.
There is a mutual learning opportunity—both you and the new manager should be open to adapting and improving.

By taking these steps, you will increase the chances of a successful hire, ensuring your investment in a new manager truly pays off.

Looking for Manager Job Ad for FREE?

If you're looking for managers, you can post your manager job openings on Maukerja and Ricebowl for FREE before 7 March after choosing a job ad package from AJobThing.

This will help you reach a wide pool of talented Malaysian managers in any industries such as F&B, retail, logistics, and more quickly and efficiently.