You’re Starting Wrong!
By: Ethan Taylor
Tags: Leadership, Team Building, Leadership Skills, Toxic Work Culture, Team

You’re Starting Wrong!

Most leaders have some form of orientation that involves showing the new staff the ropes. This usually involves other team members, subordinate leaders, and sometimes helpful tools like employee handbooks or training and orientation programs. These programs must be well structured and all inclusive so that employees are properly trained and integrated into not their job but their role in the organization and that they fit and learn the culture you’re actively working to cultivate.

Day Zero…

Day zero is the new members first day. They’ve officially been recruited or assigned and they’re part of your team. They were told to show up at 9am and they’ve been waiting outside the locked door at 8:45am to ensure they’re not late! They’re nervous and excited, they don’t know where the bathroom is, or if they brought the supplies they might need for the day. Day zero should be a time where you’ve allocated a large amount of time to helping them orient to their surroundings. You should train as much as you can and if you can’t ONLY ALLOW TRUSTED TEAM MEMBERS to train in your place. The worst thing you can do is allow disgruntled employees who don’t believe in your culture set the tone on someone day zero.

The Initial Meet

You meet them at the door, identify yourself if they don’t know you and make them feel welcome. Too many organizations allow for the F***ing New Guy (FNG) mentality to take over and start the hazing of new staff immediately to see if they’re going to fit. Our mission here is to help them fit, not make it harder than it already is.

We first cover any issues they might have already, like parking, paychecks, or maybe keys to the doors. Make sure they don’t have anything stressing them out that you can’t fix easily now. This will relieve some extra stress early on, making everything else easy.

Then cover organizational standards, policy, and this is where you introduce the culture you’re cultivating. You must share with them the ethics you practice and your team and company practices. They must buy into it here, or find a new place to sell paper (as De’Angelo Vickers would say). Your culture has been cultivated since your time as a leader, whether you know it or not. Tell them what you expect of their conduct in particular.

Cover all aspects of their role so they understand exactly what’s expected. This should be broken down very deep, so there is little room for confusion. You should also cover a few roles of positions one above and a few below so they understand how they fit as well and who should be doing what.

Ensure they understand who they report to with questions and how they should resolve any future issues. If they have a problem with their immediate supervisor, how should they resolve it and with who? Ensure they know that hazing is not tolerated and how to resolve it. Provide them with a leader for larger issues, and a peer for issues like “Is their paper plates anywhere I can use”. We’ve all been somewhere new where we don’t want to ask those questions and go hungry all day because we don’t have a plate.

Give them a tour of the grounds, and explain where the bathrooms and other key locations are, and make sure you specify if anything is off limits.

Write 2 Things Down.

During this meeting, write key points that you talk about like “Initial issues” and list a small note like parking under it. Do this for everything you talk about. Don’t write word for word but write the key points so you remember what you talked about a few weeks from now. Make a copy for both of you to look back on. Write down your standards. I’ve done this initial receiving of a new team member more times that I can count, and I know from experience that I will tell them I want memos in blue ink only and two days later they forget because of how much information I dumped on them the first day. Write down the important stuff you expect so they can reference it when they’re actually doing that. It helps them learn the way, keeps them accountable because they can look it up and helps keep us from creating standards of the day.

Follow Up

Every time you see this person for the next month, you need to personally connect with them and ensure they understand. You need to make minor corrections and teach them about double spacing or single spacing on your correspondence. Make sure they don’t have questions and are fitting in well, if not, talk with team members who have influence and identify the problem early so it may be solved before it evolves into something bigger.

Chat With Your Team

If your team thinks hazing any new member is acceptable, you have a problem. If you’re supporting it, or not stopping it, you’re allowing bullies to lead and you’re watching. Have this conversation before it happens and be sure to cultivate a professional environment.

Talk with your number 2 and ensure the team member is fitting in. If your team goes out for happy hour every Friday after work, make sure your team member gets an invite and add them to the group chats. Make them feel welcome and they will add value to your team faster.

I’m available for help with any team and any issue. Contact me below and stay tuned for more investment on your leadership and your team.

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