"Companies choose managers based on experience, performance, fit, vision, and various intangibles, but even the most skilled executive is going to face some obstacles and blind spots in taking a new leadership role," says Sherry Barrett, Organizational Development Practice Leader and Coach at CRG Lee Hecht Harrison. "Sometimes it's a matter of repeating behaviors that made them successful in other environments but that aren't appropriate for the new company's culture. Other times the bar may be set so high that there's no way to reach it, or they may have difficulty creating alliances or identifying high-impact projects that can create results quickly."

Usually the new employer pays for assimilation coaching, but sometimes the executive seeks it individually. Lately, some search firms have begun encouraging companies to include coaching as part of a new executive's compensation package in order to protect their investment. Assimilation coaching is so in demand that CRG Lee Hecht Harrison offers it in two programs: Early Impact Assimilation coaching for newly hired or promoted leaders, and as a standard part of Lee Hecht Harrison's "Signature Service" for corporate officers and top executives. Barrett believes assimilation coaching has become increasingly important because companies have developed a greater appreciation for the costs of attracting and retaining talent. "With business demands constantly changing, companies can't afford a revolving door of under-performing executives," she says.