What Is Self-Onboarding? Why You Don't Have to Be New to Need It
Have you ever started a job and realized pretty quickly:
“Nobody is really going to train me.”
Maybe you were given the basics and then expected to figure out the rest. Maybe you learned by watching someone else, asking questions, making a few mistakes, finding the right person, and simply refusing to stay stuck.
Somehow, you figured it out.
What you may not have realized is that you were already doing some of what I call self-onboarding.
I define self-onboarding as taking appropriate ownership of obtaining the clarity, knowledge, relationships, resources and development you need to perform and grow professionally.
The word appropriate is important.
I'm not suggesting that employees should be responsible for training themselves.
Employers absolutely have a responsibility to properly onboard their people. They should provide training, expectations, policies, resources, support and the information employees need to safely and successfully perform their jobs.
But I also believe professionals have some ownership in what happens next.
There is a difference between saying, “Nobody told me,” and recognizing, “I don't know this yet. Who can give me the correct information?”
That doesn't remove anyone else's responsibility.
It gives you agency.
You Don't Have to Be New
This is where I think we need to expand the way we think about onboarding.
You don't have to be new to need onboarding. You only have to be new to something.
A teacher who's worked at a center for five years may move into a new classroom.
An assistant may become a lead teacher.
A teacher may suddenly be responsible for curriculum.
A strong employee may be promoted into leadership and discover that leading adults requires a completely different set of skills.
A center may introduce a new system or procedure.
These are all onboarding moments.
And instead of simply hoping we eventually figure them out, we can approach them intentionally.
That's why I developed Own Your Onboarding™ and The 5 Moves of Self-Onboarding™.
The 5 Moves of Self-Onboarding™
1. Read the Room
Pay attention to where you've landed. Observe the people, communication, culture, routines and expectations—but remember: reading the room doesn't mean copying the room. Observe the practice and verify the expectation.
2. Get Clear
Don't let assumptions become mistakes. Ask questions. Understand your responsibilities. Find out what's expected and where to get accurate information.
3. Know Yourself
Pay attention to what you're discovering about you. What do you naturally do well? Where do you need support? What strengths might already be showing up in the way you work?
Sometimes you're already operating in a strength before you recognize it as a strength.
4. Build Your Circle
Self-onboarding doesn't mean onboarding alone. Know who can provide guidance, who can challenge you, who you can learn from, and where authoritative information can be found.
5. Build Your Receipts
Keep evidence of what you're becoming.
What have you learned? What responsibilities have you taken on? What training have you completed? What problems can you now solve? What accomplishments can you point to?
Don't just count the years. Account for the growth.
So, What's Your Onboarding Moment?
Here's the question I want you to think about:
What are you new to right now?
Not necessarily a new job.
Maybe it's a new responsibility, new classroom, new team, new system, new age group or new leadership role.
Once you identify it, ask yourself which of the Five Moves you need to make.
Because your employer has a responsibility to prepare you for your job.
But you also have a responsibility to prepare yourself for your career.
Jobs change. Organizations change. Leadership changes. But what you've learned, developed and discovered about yourself can go with you.
Never surrender ownership of your professional development.
Own your onboarding—not just for where you are today, but for where your professional growth may take you next.
About the Framework
Own Your Onboarding™ and The 5 Moves of Self-Onboarding™ were developed by Coach Frances Davis, founder of Serve Well Solutions, to help professionals take appropriate ownership of their professional learning and growth while maintaining clear organizational responsibility for effective employee onboarding
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