New Hire Checklist and Resources for Managers

A Training Guide for Your New Manager

Hiring a manager is expensive. Many employers estimate the cost of a new hire can reach three to four times the role’s salary. Yet when it comes to onboarding managers, many organizations rely on a sink or swim mentality. Experience alone does not guarantee success.

Why This Guide Matters

Managers directly impact retention, engagement, and performance. Many management failures are not due to lack of talent but lack of guidance. This resource provides the inside strategies that are often missing from onboarding programs and gives HR an easy way to support leadership development early.

Investing in your managers upfront strengthens culture, improves team outcomes, and protects your recruitment investment.

What’s Inside

Internal Manager Checklist

For managers promoted from within the organization:

  • Define vision and strategic objectives
  • Develop team skills and conduct evaluations
  • Diagnose team challenges using the STARS Model
  • Create early wins and structured 30, 60, and 90 day plans
  • Use tools such as DACI and project scope templates
  • Build emotional regulation and conflict resolution skills
  • Identify risks and barriers
  • Foster healthy team building grounded in psychological safety
External Manager Checklist

For leaders hired from outside the organization:

  • Understand company culture and expectations
  • Assess team dynamics and fit
  • Define departmental strategy and goals
  • Create structured 90 day plans
  • Implement decision making and transparency tools
  • Navigate emotional regulation and conflict
  • Diagnose team problems clearly
  • Build healthy, high trust teams
Leadership Development Resources

Includes frameworks and tools such as:

  • Strategic objective templates
  • Team evaluation and assessment surveys
  • STARS Model
  • DACI Decision Making Model
  • Project scope templates
  • Crucial Conversations and Nonviolent Communication
  • Emotional regulation resources
  • 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Who This Guide Is For

  • HR leaders onboarding new managers
  • Organizations promoting internal talent
  • Companies hiring external leaders
  • HR teams focused on retention and engagement

The Outcome

This guide helps HR move beyond basic onboarding and provide meaningful leadership support. When managers are equipped with clarity, structure, and interpersonal tools, teams perform better and turnover decreases.

Successful managers are not born. They are supported.

Download the New Hire Checklist and Resources for Managers and set your leaders up for success.