Mar 14, 2025 | Blog

LinkedIn Director of Talent: 5 Things to Know About Manager Onboarding

Engage Your People

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Need a better strategy for onboarding new people leaders in your organization? Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis, Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn, can tell you how it’s done. But to understand her approach, it’s important to know Roth-Francis’ background.

Roth-Francis worked in higher education for 12 years before joining LinkedIn in 2018, and throughout her career, she’s always had a role in leading and developing people. But she calls it transformation.

“The thread that pulls throughout my entire career experience is the ability to transform others,” she says. “That’s what fuels my passion. Transformation cuts across everything that I’ve ever done.”

Roth-Francis cites examples of ways she helps transform people: through upskilling, through providing them with knowledge that helps “flip the way that they think,” and onboarding.

Roth-Francis understands the crucial touchpoint of onboarding managers, and shares her advice so HR professionals can draw lessons from her approach. Below are five bullet points:

  1. Be intentional when crafting onboarding programs for leadership. Help them understand that the process is meant to be transformative.
  2. Clearly communicate company expectations with new leaders.
  3. Honor that people come with their own experiences, backgrounds, and superpowers.
  4. Ensure that your company’s systems support new leaders. For example, AI can help managers learn how to engage in difficult conversations, give feedback, and help with performance reviews. Roth-Francis says there are many AI tools that can help expedite the learning curve.
  5. Use research and theory to onboard mangers in a methodical way.

 

 

Want a deeper dive into manager onboarding? Join Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis at the upcoming SPARK HR conference at Lake Buena Vista, April 30-May 2, where HR professionals will hear her full and interactive presentation. You’ll also hear about engagement, leadership, and workplace culture from speakers at NASCAR, Chobani, Microsoft, and more. It’s not just another conference. It’s going to be hands-on, interactive, and a chance to connect with people who really get it. Plus, we’re adding some Disney magic, so you’re going to have a great experience. See you there!

 

This article is presented in partnership with HR Daily Advisor. HR Query is a Q&A series by HR Daily Advisor that focuses on HR professionals' insights on current HR trends and dives into their personal stories, helping HR peers connect with challenges and opportunities.

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