First Day on the Job – Downhill From There!

By Ric Shriver

I walk my dog early in the morning, every day. It is part of a routine and discipline that keeps him healthy and starts my day off on the right foot, regardless of the weather.

This morning, I happened to cross paths with one of my close neighbors whom I have periodic conversations with about a variety of topics. He is a retired professional with very similar personal values. I always enjoy the opportunity to exchange insights about current events and issues that are of interest to both of us.

My exchange with him this morning focused briefly on some current political news followed by me giving him an update on a recent visit with a new grandson. I shared with him that it was a positive visit because he was now old enough (7 months) to have a sweet and inviting personality that both my wife and I found engaging.

His response to my update was “well enjoy it while you can – it goes downhill from there!”  Ugh! Unfortunately, I believe he is right. Many parents can identify with the pattern of growth that too often leads to many unwelcome challenges arising at every stage of a child’s life. Even into adulthood we find that our children can too often instigate many sleepless nights.

Then I thought about the pattern that too often we see with new people we bring into our organizations, people whom we have recruited, interviewed, and have been excited about socializing into our cultures. Much like with newlyweds and new babies, the initial excitement and joy of having new talent join our team is hard to beat! But how often that exuberance fades away, evolving into disappointment, potential frustration, and regret about the decision to bring the new talent into the business.

What went wrong? Was our recruiting, interviewing, and selection process flawed? Did we not have a firm understanding of what and who we needed in the open position? Did some other force within or outside of the organization derail the performance of the new talent? We can drive ourselves crazy wondering what we might have done differently to realize a better fit and outcome.

I have found throughout my career that most leaders take the recruitment, interviewing, and selection process seriously but too often are disappointed within a year of the new employee’s arrival, typically for a variety of reasons. What I have also found is that most of the organizations I have been employed by or consulted with have not exercised due diligence with and during the onboarding process.

I spoke with an accomplished leader recently who conveyed to me that their requirement for effective onboarding was to commit to a full twelve-month process of socialization. That process focused on:

• Ensuring that positive social connections were supported within the team.
• Regular interaction with the new employee’s leader was occurring.
• A formal connection with a more seasoned, positive team member who could enable successful navigation of challenging processes and tools was expected.
• And regular, objective feedback and coaching for improved performance.

Positive reinforcement and personal recognition for milestones reached in the onboarding process by the leader and other members of the team were stressed.

I compared this leader’s description of the new employee onboarding process that they oversaw with what we often see with new family arrivals – exuberance and joy at first, but frustration and irritation when problems and challenges arrive during the growth process.

Parents too often do not serve as positive role models, they often neglect the quality of the influences their children might be exposed to and may not dedicate the time and attention to the child’s development, growth and accomplishments the child may experience.

The result is typically a child who ultimately transitions into adulthood lacking a positive self-image, confidence, and a comfort level with who they are as a human being, contributor to the world, and a positive partner in a loving relationship.

No wonder we see such dysfunction and toxicity in our cultures. No wonder we witness conflict and disruption. No wonder a new employees’ performance goes downhill when we fail to see how important the initial time in the new job is to their success!

In our book, Jeff and I stress the importance of hiring and developing skills with a continuous focus on and leader accountability for coaching, support and regular feedback for the new members of the team.

This principle holds true not only for new members of our teams but also for members of our teams whom we promote, transition into new roles, or orient to new technology and processes.

Several years ago, when Jeff and I were employed by the same organization, we asked a well-known public figure how they were brought onboard into an internationally recognized and, at the time, prestigious organization. Their response was “I was told to figure it out – you’re on your own!”  I mention “at the time, prestigious organization” because over the years that followed the organization’s prestige and success have suffered significantly!