"Moment 161. Onboarding New Hires the RIGHT Way"

No Bullsh!t Leadership Podcast
Host: Martin G Moore
Date: February 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this concise, actionable episode of “Moments with Marty,” Martin G Moore addresses the critical steps leaders should take to onboard new hires effectively. Martin challenges common onboarding mistakes, emphasizes the importance of the psychological contract between employer and employee, and shares practical guidance for leaders to set clear expectations and foster early success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Psychological Contract: Setting Mutual Expectations

• Mutual Overselling in Recruitment (00:24)
  Martin highlights that both employers and candidates often oversell during recruitment, creating unrealistic expectations for both parties.

  • Quote:

    "It's natural in an interview process for the employer to oversell the opportunity and for the employee to oversell themselves."
    — Martin G Moore (00:41)

• This sets the tone for the psychological contract—the unspoken mutual expectations between leader and new hire.

2. Two Parts of Onboarding: Administrative vs. Leadership

• Administrative Elements (01:07)

  • Ensure all job tools (laptop, phone) are ready.
  • Prepare a welcoming, functional workspace.
  • Greet the new hire warmly on arrival.
  • Notify the team of the new person’s arrival.
  • Provide a detailed checklist for induction and probation periods.
  • Memorable Insight:

    "There's nothing worse than turning up on your first day full of excitement, only to find that your arrival was the least important thing that your boss had on that week."
    — Martin G Moore (01:34)

• Leadership Elements (02:00)
  These are even more important than administrative basics:

  • Begin leadership dialogue immediately.
  • Clarify cultural expectations and acceptable behaviors.
  • Define any "no go zones" or non-negotiables in team dynamics and operating style.
  • Explain how the new hire can achieve wild success.
  • Consider sharing a "leadership user manual" to clarify your approach.
  • Quote:

    "You should help them to understand what they need to do to be wildly successful when working for you."
    — Martin G Moore (02:40)

3. Defining Performance Expectations

• Be Explicit & Measurable (03:00)
  • Don’t be vague about performance.
  • Identify “big ticket items” for focus.
  • Clearly communicate how success will be measured.
  • Regular, formal and informal conversations are essential to ensure clarity and alignment.

4. Continuous Leadership Dialogue

• No Surprises, Frequent Interaction (03:20)
  • Ongoing, honest dialogue prevents misunderstandings.
  • Helps establish tone, pace, and standard for team performance.

5. Further Learning

• Listener Resource (04:00)
  • For a deeper dive, Martin points to Episode 55:

    "If you want to take a deeper dive into how to onboard people properly, have a listen to our Golden Oldie, episode 55… We'll leave a link in the show notes."
    — Martin G Moore (04:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's natural in an interview process for the employer to oversell the opportunity and for the employee to oversell themselves." (00:41)
• "There's nothing worse than turning up on your first day full of excitement, only to find that your arrival was the least important thing that your boss had on that week." (01:34)
• "You should help them to understand what they need to do to be wildly successful when working for you." (02:40)
• "The leadership dialogue has to start early. There should be no surprises in either direction, just the ongoing, frequent interactions that build the relationship and set the foundations for the tone, the pace and the standard that you expect." (03:27)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:24 — The reality of mutual overselling during hiring
• 01:07 — Administrative aspects of onboarding
• 02:00 — Leadership responsibilities in onboarding
• 03:00 — Setting explicit performance expectations
• 03:20 — Importance of early and ongoing leadership dialogue
• 04:00 — Further listening recommendations

Summary Flow & Tone

Martin G Moore’s approach is direct, pragmatic, and focused on actionable leadership. He stresses that while basic logistics matter, the real leadership work is in establishing expectations, culture, and relational clarity from day one. The episode challenges leaders to be proactive, explicit, and present, avoiding the common traps of neglect or assumption during the onboarding phase.