Why So Many Companies Fail New Employees On The Very First Day
I recently had an interesting conversation with a former colleague, one who had managed to navigate a pretty difficult series of interviews.
And landed a big job with a new company.
They were telling me about Day 1 – The “On-Board” day.
· The requisite paperwork.
· The mind numbing overview of standard operating procedures.
· The Human Resources summary.
· The sign up for benefits.
· The explanation of healthcare.
· A few introductions to key colleagues.
· And most important, a deeper dive on job responsibilities.
It was, my friend said, a tad tedious.
Day II was coming, and the real work was to get underway soon.
I’m guessing my colleague will likely start to figure out what really matters then.
Most of this sounds pretty familiar, doesn’t it?
That first day is painful – and then you start getting down to business.
Almost every company – and every leader - effectively begins the new employee’s journey with the anesthetic we call the “On Board”.
With a heavy dose of management – what I call a “hands and feet” focus.
Some leaders have abandoned that tack.
They’ve decided to start with the “heart”.
Because they know that first day can be a lot more.
Much of my work in the last few years has focused on what I refer to as The Leader’s Compass – it’s a remarkably simple tool.
Its premise - to truly carve a leader’s path you must first understand every follower’s journey.
Few “would be” leaders do – because they fail to recognize that journey begins in the very first hours.
A Better Way
I’ve worked my share of “jobs” – beginning in a warehouse as a teenager where I loaded transfer trucks to earn money for my first car.
Blue collar – long hours – low pay – and I loved it.
My time began with the standard paperwork – a short meeting with my supervisor - and quickly advanced to the loading docks.
When I reflect on it now – and consider the long career that followed – that protocol never really changed – even when my assignments became a bit more professional.
Sign up – sign on – job basics – get to work.
And then figure it out from there.
We call it “The On Board”.
But we spell it incorrectly.
A better version – “On Bored”.
There is another way to introduce newcomers – an On Board strategy that actually begins with authentic leadership.
Not just management.
Here’s how – instead of paperwork and protocol, there are some leaders who begin with, of all things, a conversation.
It looks something like this….
· The First Step – A discussion – but one that doesn’t focus on the WHAT (the job) but instead, the WHO (the person). Leaders do that by:
o Tossing the paperwork out the window and…. finding out a little bit more about the newcomer’s:
· Hopes
· Dreams
· Aspirations
· WHO they are
And then (radical thought here) sharing some of that same information about themselves
Then talking about WHO this company is – its culture – its beliefs - and why this newcomer can make that culture stronger
The Key Insight is this – Strong companies – and strong leaders – make sure that culture comes first. Paperwork be damned.
· The Second Step – A discussion about the WHY. This means a conversation around:
o Why you’re here (yes, leader…why YOU are here)
o Why this new person is here – and why they are so very important
o Why this company exists
o Why your collaborative efforts can make a difference in the world
The Key Insight – Strategy can be magic – if we understand the rationale behind it. When we appreciate that single point we are one step closer to alignment.
· The Third Step – Beginning the conversation around the HOW. It’s a conversation that will continue for the course of a career and it should include:
o Discussing mutual obligations for the work – key word “mutual”
o Mutual accountabilities
o Talking about the training the new associate should expect
o Discussing why coaching is a part of this organization
o Creating a tone of transparency
o Setting the stage for collaborative success
The Key Insight – Strategy without execution has a name – it’s called dreaming. Very few new employees encounter a leader early on that is prepared to share the load. But those that do – soar.
· The Fourth Step – Now, and only now, the WHAT
o Dig the paperwork out of the waste paper basket. Move to the standard sign ups – what most companies make the core of Day 1 now has context.
The Key Insight – Regardless of what the Administrative gods proclaim, On Board Day doesn’t have to be an exercise in boredom – it can be the beginning of something amazing.
Experience has taught me a few things about the needs of all followers – basic human needs – things like:
· Stability
· Affirmation
· Hope
· Compassion
· Trust.
Truly elite leaders seem to understand this.
Seem to appreciate the first steps of a follower’s journey are some of the most important.
And they start helping to write that narrative where all great stories must start.
At the beginning.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.