ASSIMILATING NEW LEADERS: THE KEY TO EXECUTIVE RETENTION
By Diane Downey (with Tom March and Adena Berkman

This book won the SHRM 2002 Book Award and is a helpful handbook for HR leaders working with top executives to develop an assimilation strategy or anyone adjusting to being a new leader in a company. Downey points out that many companies overlook a structured assimilation process for their top leaders. She suggests that an HR leader can act as a “touchstone” for the new executive to help assimilate and assure that organizational needs are being met.

The book is easy to read and organized into chronological sections. Part One describes the successful assimilation process and why it is so critical (cost of turnover, length of successful time, etc.). Chapter 3 in Part One gives tips for “pre-hire goals and actions” and can be used by any HR leader managing their own career transitions. Part Two further defines the process, and Chapter 5 in Part Two is full of guidance for coaching new leaders.

There are many practical checklists, charts, and other helpful navigations. This book is worth the investment ($26.95 at the SHRM bookstore) for the appendix alone: The New Leader’s Handbook. If you’re managing your own career transition to a top leadership position, or coaching other executives, this handbook gives guidance every step of the way.

Assimilating New Leaders: The Key to Executive Retention was published in 2001 by AMACOM. Diane Downey is president of Diane Downey Associates International, a consulting firm that specializes in organizational change, helping new leaders assimilate, and executive development and coaching. (Submitted by Mary Lynn Billitteri, July 2003)

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Additional Reviews:

- HR From The Heart
- Human Resource Management In The Knowledge Economy