Onboarding 101: The 30/60/90 Framework That Prevents New Hire Confusion
Use these 3 checkpoints to see whether new hires are on track for long-term success: Part 5 of 5 in the Onboarding New Hires Challenge
Coming Up
Who benefits most from clear 30/60/90 milestones (and why some new hires need this more than others)
How to build a roadmap together that defines what success actually looks like
What these checkpoints tell you about whether your new hire will succeed long-term
Some companies already have formal performance review processes built in. If that’s you, great.
But if you don’t have structured check-ins during those critical first 90 days, this framework gives you something simple and practical.
The 30/60/90 approach that we’re about to get into today is especially valuable for new hires and leaders with the Judging personality trait, who prefer clear structure and defined expectations over “let’s see how it goes.” It creates a shared roadmap that helps both of you gauge whether this hire is likely to succeed long-term.
Don’t think of this like a rigid report card. Rather, you’re building guideposts that help you both spot early whether someone is on track – or whether you need to course-correct before month four.
Before we dive into the final day of this Onboarding New Hires Challenge, here’s a reminder of all that we’ve covered together over the past week:
Day 5: Determine What Success Looks Like (30/60/90) (You Are Here)
Co-Creating Your 30/60/90 Framework
If you’re creating a 30/60/90 plan for the first time, then you might be tempted to create it all on your own before presenting the finished product to your new hire.
But here’s a better approach: build it together with them.
Getting them involved in the process signals to them that you care about setting them up to actually succeed. You’re not just setting standards to measure them against.
You might share a draft of the framework with them and say: “Here’s what I think success could look like. But you know your strengths and your learning style better than I do. What would you add or change?”
For each milestone, you’ll work together to define both outcomes and behaviors. Outcomes are what gets done. Behaviors are how they work and think. More on that in a minute!
