On-Boarding New Staff Members in Your Group

Employee Orientation programs are good for getting a new employee linked up to:

• their benefits enrollment
• organization's mission/values
• products and/or services provided by the organization
• parking access
• compensation, safety, code-of-conduct and attendance policies

However, many other needs are out there that can be otherwise addressed by implementing a more robust On-Boarding process. The intent of such a process is to get the new employee connected to critically important social networks (other team members, other functions and client/customer groups for whom they will interact), to facilitate intimate familiarity with electronic navigation of systems, to build trust within the manager-contributor relationship, and to establish a shared understanding of performance expectations that have a clear line of sight to supporting the business strategy.

Although there are a host of ways to address these needs, here are some ideas to consider using within the first 2 weeks:

• Absolute first step is to introduce/welcome the new employee to the team; in advance, ask the new employee to prepare a brief synopsis on their background as well as points that help summarize their personal life = personal disclosure is a good way to start establishing trust.
• On the first day, set into motion the steps necessary to acquire UserID, access to certain systems, etc. As a manager, monitor progress on these steps and contact HelpDesk or other IT professionals that are highly regarded as responsive. Personally help or delegate assistance so that the new employee becomes familiar with how to effectively navigate any systems, email, or folders = these steps shorten the downtime/inefficiency span typically experienced within the first 2 weeks.
• Encourage the new employee to sit down with each team member for 20-30 minutes over the next 2 weeks to understand roles, current projects, interests, interaction preferences = this conversation creates an initial appreciation for others' capabilities and areas of expertise, as well as builds familiarity with communication/interaction preferences
• Conduct a three-part 1-to-1 discussion. First, facilitate a deep discussion about the business strategy and the unit's specific goals. Second, help the employee co-author numerous performance objectives for the next period ("SMART" goals -- specific, measurable, yadayadayada). Preview how you will manage performance and coach your staff. Third, share behavioral expectations, or examples of effective vs ineffective behavior, that are inherent in the competency model associated with the job. Conclude this discussion by addressing any employee concerns or questions. Throughout discussion, do a pulse check on employee understanding and comfort level. = This discussion gets the employee engaged by facilitating an understanding of the value of the position and its contributions toward the achievement of business strategy. It also jumpstarts early execution of performance. Furthermore, it establishes the role of the manager in driving productivity within his/her group.
• Use a host of ideas to connect the employee to other functions in the organization and with client/customer groups. Set up meetings, invite employee along to networking lunch or client/customer calls, point employee to intranet sites that will breed higher familiarity, access current organizational charts and call lists, give a tour, etc. = Building a social network early will breed connectedness, usually in a positive sense
• Identify a peer or two of the new employee that can be available and positive for "how do I ..." questions. = Helpful support minimizes frustration and trains new employee on proper approaches to issues
• Point to or help launch any training programs that are necessary for the employee to experience

Signs of Effective Development Planning

If you've recently been asked to create your own development plan at work, or are attempting to influence others (direct reports, managers, or senior leaders) in creating their development plans, I wanted to share some signs of a healthy development planning process.

1. Development should be viewed as a process, not as an event or series of events. Often, there is too much pressure to show short-term results, "just get things done." Development is an expansive universe, traditional training is a galaxy. Create a roadmap. What are the first steps? Where is that intended to lead? How will you measure your journey, what are the milestones? What stops do you plan to make along the way for reflection? What steps can you map into the future? What level of behavioral consistency are you comfortable with before determining some success at a development objective? Whom might give you feedback? Think through these issues very carefully, and take your time.

2. At a minimum, development plans generally consist of 3-5 stated objectives. These objectives are fairly specific (e.g., develop financial acumen in order to use business metrics to monitor division performance, and to influence decision making on budget) but not so granular as to represent quick wins (e.g., learn how to read a financial statement) and not so broad as to likely generate failure (e.g., become division VP). After stating an objective, determine how you go about developing within it. Some consultants say play to your learning style. I say use a host of learning methods and tools; on some issues, even target tools/methods that are more effective versus others for a specific competency. Your world can consist of a mix of seminars, conferences, webinars, new duties and stretch assignments (!!!), adopting new approaches/behaviors on current duties, books, workshops, manuals, group presentations, facilitation of group meetings, workbook exercises, 360-feedback, continuing ed, MBA programs, technical reports ... the possibilities are endless. Determine who can partner with you to give you feedback. Determine how you will measure your progress. If you think an attendance
checklist will serve you well, think again. Establish a timeline on each step within an objective. Effective people write out their goals and timelines. This keeps it front and center. Helps you be accountable.

3. Competencies and technical knowledge are the backbone or target to what you are attempting to develop. Regardless if you are targeting mastery at the current position, targeting areas for lateral moves, or are targeting areas needed at the next level, you will be developing competencies that are important for delivering on the business strategy. If you are fairly fuzzy about what these are, seek out a development consultant in your organization or your manager to get more clarity on what these are.

4. Development plans can and do change. They are dynamic, not static. For the right reasons, you may find yourself in a position of recalibrating your approach to development. You may also learn something extremely important along the way that engages you toward detouring and deepening your knowledge and skill in a specific area.

5. There are a lot of people you know and possibly don't know at this point in time that can be extremely helpful in your development. The manager you report to is important but is merely one source among many. Tap your current network and build important players into your network that will be instrumental for knowledge sharing, advisement, devil's advocates, feedback, etc. If possible, find or create an affinity group that is focused on a specific area of interest for your development. Ask other observers what they think about your development efforts; this is not a sign of your indecisiveness. We get so caught up in our own performance execution, we sometimes fail to fully see the effective and ineffective behaviors we are delivering.

6. Share your progress frequently. One, this creates more discussion around next steps and allows for additional coaching by your support network. Second, when it comes time for annual review processes on performance management or talent planning, individuals are already intimately aware of your progress. This indicates you take accountability seriously, as the organization has been investing in you. Second, this prevents you from appearing like you are stacking the deck just for the "incentives/kudos conversation."

7. Honesty, humility and a positive attitude are key. Don't be afraid to fall short. You most certainly will. Doing something new is a learning process. Be confident in yourself over the long run, restrain from being over-confident.

8. Keep a journal/log inside or outside of your development plan. There are some tools like Friday 5's that assist you electronically on keeping it altogether. Regardless of your resources, it is good practice to reflect weekly about what you are experiencing.

Other thoughts?

Treat Your Top Performers Differently

Having consulted extensively on improving the "work environment experience," I think there are broad strategies that positively impact all of your employees and subsequently have positive outcomes -- attitudes, productivity, retention, and customer loyalty. In other words, managers and senior leaders can adopt and deliver more effective behaviors that will engage their entire workforce.

From time to time, I have heard the question, "Should I treat my top performers differently?" To read between the lines, the inference from the manager is usually along the lines of "I've got little time to administrate to my staff, is it okay to invest where it counts?" or "I don't really want to waste my time with all contributors." To this question, I go back to my first statement that there are a number of broad, group-based strategies that are useful to engage your entire workforce. Do it. It's still worth the time. Of course, for purposes of this discussion, I am not approaching the rhetorical subject of different incentives and compensation strategies -- that's a given.

I then say, consider what you could do differently in your one-on-one performance/career discussions with top performers. From my survey research on top performers, I found a few interesting items that lend themselves to me offering a few practical suggestions that pay off in the long run:

• Top performers have an extreme amount of focus/attention toward the business strategy and how their role and contributions fit into it. They simply need to be comfortable with it and at times will want to help shape it. (A) Engage them in discussions about the strategy, particularly if an emerging strategy is on the horizon -- they will want to weigh in. If they're not on board, they will likely be the first to leave. Guess what? They will also look carefully at business strategy characteristics in their next prospective opportunities. (B) Consider stretch assignments and other developmental resources that will allow them to exercise strategic thinking muscles. One well-known retail organization is currently doing this with their leadership high potentials. They fund projects that are formulated and implemented by their high potentials. These projects also have a positive financial impact on the organization where the benefits actually overrun the expense of the development program. I have a slightly different take on this strategy: make the resources available (whether it's funding or activities) to strong performers at all levels.
• Don't be afraid to signal the 'alpha order' among your contributors, allowing them to do special things from time time. One, it allows them to start performing some activities typically conducted at the next higher level. Two, it signals to the group that top performers will get perks from time to time. (A) Let a top performer lead a regularly-scheduled meeting you would otherwise be leading. (B) After talking through the opportunity to participate in an upcoming course, seminar or conference that will pay back large dividends, unlock your budget to fund this experience. Saying no is simply short-sighted and quite frankly shows poor business judgment.
• Top performers need to feel like they're growing. If things get stagnant, many get bored. I frequently hear the complaint that they do not get enough feedback. While you do want to reinforce positive behaviors they are doing and the outcomes they are achieving, don't be afraid to facilitate discussions (coach) on what they could do differently/better/more of. This includes (A) discussions about the competencies they are expected to deliver currently, and (B) previewing competencies they will need to develop in order to take on lateral, diagonal or vertical roles they may be interested in. (C) After understanding their aspirations, assist them (don't write) in the creation of a development plan that is targeted toward developing the competencies that are important in the next role that will grow their career. (D) Hold your top performer accountable for striving toward milestones within their development plan. I am not specifically talking about success or failure. They will fail and learn. That's part of the process. I am talking more about evidence on effort. (E) Offer to bridge your top performer over to network with people that could be important relationally to them in the future. These individuals could exist inside your organization or exist externally in associations, community groups, etc. (F) Don't stand in their way. Don't horde them. The organization can still win if they transition into other roles.

Those are just a few suggestions. Certainly, there are others out there. Care to offer up any?