The first 90 days determine the next 3 years.
Our executive coaching services support newly hired VPs, SVPs, and C-suite leaders through the integration period that decides their tenure.
Executive onboarding coaching is structured support for a newly hired VP, SVP, or C-suite leader through the first 90 to 180 days. A coach helps you map stakeholders, secure early wins, diagnose your inherited team, and avoid the derailment patterns that sink 40%+ of executive hires. See our guide to the first 90 days as a VP.
According to McKinsey, 40%+ of externally hired executives fail within 18 months. The cause is rarely skill: most organizations have no structured executive onboarding. Stratos Coaching provides executive coaching for Directors, VPs, SVPs, and C-suite executives, delivered by coaches who have held senior leadership roles themselves, to close that gap.
New executives face dynamics no interview revealed and norms nobody writes down, as our research on leadership transition challenges shows.
A failed executive hire costs 5–25x annual salary in severance, re-recruiting, lost productivity, and team disruption. For integration patterns of executives who succeed, see executive onboarding done right.
Four areas decide whether new executives integrate or derail.
Custom onboarding programs. 48-hour proposal turnaround.
A structured 90-day arc that mirrors the phases of executive integration.
Executive onboarding coaching supports newly hired VPs, SVPs, and C-suite leaders through their first 90 days. Standard onboarding covers systems; this coaching covers stakeholder mapping, organizational dynamics, cultural integration, and the strategic moves that decide whether a new leader thrives.
Research shows that 40% or more of externally hired executives fail within 18 months. The main causes are integration failures, not skill gaps. New leaders misread the organization, lock in first impressions too early, neglect peers, and underestimate the gap between interview pitch and real role.
Ideally, coaching begins before the start date. The pre-start phase covers stakeholder interviews, a culture assessment, and a 30-day plan, so the executive arrives with context instead of starting cold. If the leader has already started, begin with a rapid listening tour and stakeholder map. For how this plays out, see executive onboarding done right.
A typical engagement spans 90 to 120 days, from pre-start preparation through the first full quarter. The first 30 days focus on listening and relationship building, then days 31-60 on strategic priority setting. Days 61-90 set a 100-day plan and decide on ongoing coaching.
A failed executive hire costs 5x to 25x their annual salary in severance, recruiting, lost productivity, team disruption, and opportunity cost. Onboarding coaching costs a fraction of that and reduces transition risk. Organizations that invest in integration see faster time-to-impact, higher retention, and stronger first-year performance.
See how we've helped organizations navigate leadership transitions, with real outcomes from executives we coached through onboarding.