LEADERS INTENTIONALLY INTEGRATE NEW TEAM MEMBERS
No matter how large or small your organization may be, from time to time you as a leader are called upon to welcome and onboard a new team member. It may be because one of your teammates has resigned to take a different job, has decided to retire, or has been promoted to a higher-level position within your organization.
Sometimes it is because you have received authorization to create and fill a new position, perhaps an additional position similar to others on your team or, sometimes, a brand new position with new responsibilities due to organizational growth or mission expansion.
Unfortunately, in some cases we are welcoming a new team member because we have made the decision to terminate a teammate who has not been working out, whether for skill gaps, attitude challenges, lack of fit in the job, or some combination of all three.
When we as leaders are welcoming new teammates on board, there are several essential steps we can take to make them feel welcome and maximize their chances for effectiveness and success.
Initially, we can teach them about our workplace culture. Ideally, this can happen during the interview process. However, in large organizations, often the interview process is handled solely by Human Resources and we as leaders only see the finalists after they have been through multiple rounds of interviews. Even in these instances, it is important to give new teammates a clear picture of our office culture – not just in the overall organization, but on our own particular team.
You may notice that I have not used the words “staff” or “employee.” That’s because I believe the word “team” and the word “teammate” send a much different message than the words “staff” and “staff member” or “employee.”
New arrivals to our office want to feel like they are part of a functional team. They do not crave working in a silo. They want to believe that their own contributions matter. They want to learn how everyone can have a positive impact on the organization’s mission. They want to make a difference. When we use words like “team” and “teammate,” we are intentionally sending a message to each person with whom we work and we are serving as role models for other leaders in our organization.
What else can leaders do to optimize conditions for new teammates and help them get off to a good start, whether they are working in person at the office, online from a remote location, or in a hybrid situation?
-We can prepare our other teammates for the new person’s arrival by sharing their background information, their start date, and their job responsibilities.
-We can have our own one-on-one meeting with the new teammates during their first day on the job. During that meeting, we can listen attentively to their questions and help make them feel welcome and appreciated.
-We can address one element that is sometimes glossed over that initial day: expectations. We can be clear about the expectations we have as the leader of the team, relating to job responsibilities and personal behavior.
-We can encourage them to ask their own questions, not just of us, but of their teammates. In fact, we can suggest that they carry around their cell phone or a notebook, keeping track of questions as they think of them so no questions slip through the cracks.
-We can present them with an operations manual, which includes a description, written by prior team members in the same job, that describes how the job is best done. This manual can include processes, budgets, deadlines, screen shots, and tips.
-We can give them a Google doc directory of the people they will be working with most frequently, both inside our team, the department and the organization. This list can include names, titles, brief job descriptions, and contact information.
-We can provide them with similar contact information for their most important external customers and vendors.
-We can encourage them to set up one-on-one in-person or Zoom meetings with key team members who will be helpful to them as they learn the ropes.
-We can provide relevant communication channels in Slack or Microsoft Teams to ensure they are connected to the right teams and information streams.
-We can make sure that regular check-in meetings are scheduled with their direct supervisor or manager.
-Finally, we can impress upon them the importance of what I consider the most important element on any work team: trust. We can remind the new team member that trust is earned and not freely given, that trust always flows in both directions – from manager to team member and from team member to manager. We can emphasize that trust relates to “The Two C’s:” Character and Competence. To truly succeed at their new job, they must earn the trust of all their teammates and colleagues in those two critical attributes.
Bringing on a new teammate can be exciting, interesting and challenging. If done in the proper manner, it can also be culture-reinforcing and rewarding.
So the next time you are ready to welcome a new team member, please be intentional, be optimistic and be inclusive. It will be worth your time and effort!
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I will be taking a one-week break as my wife and I vacation in the Scottish Highlands. See you online in two weeks!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry