Few organizations have a defined manager onboarding program for newly hired and promoted managers through which they receive the tools they need for success starting with day one, writes Sharlyn Lauby in "A Road Map for Onboarding Managers." Such programs should focus on topics that someone doesn't need to know until they become a manager, such as interviewing potential new hires or having performance discussions with employees.

But what if your C-suite doesn't buy into the idea of a specialized program? Lauby provides facts to sell the idea.

Turnover is expensive. Recruitment, training, lost productivity. Those are just some of the costs associated with employee turnover—costs that run an estimated six to nine months of an individual's annual salary. But there's more: An employer's brand suffers if too many people leave in a short time frame, and there will be extra wear and tear on staff who pick up the slack.

Employee engagement. High levels of employee engagement mean lower absenteeism, greater productivity, and higher success rates.

Managers play an instrumental role in their team's engagement and morale. So, giving them tools and helping them gain the know-how—such as effective communication skills—to best work with their staff while getting their own projects done can improve the organization's bottom line.

In "A Road Map for Onboarding Managers," Lauby also shows how to develop an effective onboarding program using a model akin to ADDIE.