A sloppy yet successful onboarding
"Great leaders genuinely care for and love the people they lead more than they love leading itself." Rick Warren
Oscar, a retired military veteran runs a trucking company. He has a small fleet of vehicles and seven drivers. Business is good and he has ideas for expansion, yet he finds himself anchored to the business running the day to day, unable to break free, strategize and network in his area to expand his offerings and grow. Time for an office manager! Last Tuesday he mentioned this to one of his drivers who knew of someone. Tracy, a veteran herself and a single mom was looking for work. Oscar, excited about hiring a veteran and eager to break free of running the business asked to be connected with Tracy. A group text message followed, and Oscar arranged to meet Tracy the following Monday.
Oscar is a people-centric leader. He runs a great company which enjoys no employee turnover. He understands what makes for a challenging, yet supportive and fun workplace. His people, his community, and his customers respond favorably to him and his company. He is eager to meet Tracy and hopeful she will want to jump in and join the team, but he is nervous because he realizes he is moving fast.
Tracy arrives on Monday, a few minutes early, dressed professionally, with an enthusiastic, confident demeanor. Oscar is immediately impressed. After asking if she would like a cup of coffee or water, Oscar asks her to have a seat in his office and to relax. Oscar walks in after she is settled and asks with a smile, “ok, when can you start…?” Tracy, taken by the question, laughs and says, “I’m ready!” Oscar spends some quality time with Tracy asking her questions about her experience and desires for work, life, and play. He talks about the company, its history and his vision for the future. Oscar confesses his frustration being mired in the busyness of the company and explains what he would want Tracy to help him with. Tracy describes her experience in the military relating it to the tasks Oscar outlines. Oscar has a good sense of what Tracy did in the military and because she climbed in rank, he has confidence that she can lead, problem-solve, and influence people. Oscar confesses he does not have a job description written but tells Tracy he wants to bring her on the team and give her the flexibility she needs to care for her daughter. Tracy accepts.
Day one arrives and Oscar feels a bit unprepared. He does not have a formal onboarding checklist, Tracy’s desk set up and other administrative tasks completed to make Tracy’s integration to the company smooth. He knows that first impressions are lasting ones, and he wants Tracy to feel instantly welcomed, comfortable and safe. He meets Tracy at the door. “Tracy, I’m going to spend the next hour with you getting you set up. We are building this plane while in flight but I’m so glad you are here. I beg your patience and understanding.” Oscar shows Tracy around and sends a group text out to the team welcoming Tracy. He helps her establish an email account, set up payroll, and gain access to business operating systems. He hands her a key to the office, talks to her about parking and all the small details he can think of to prevent Tracy from having to ask. There are other teammates present to help Tracy and Oscar hands her off to them as he tends to the needs of the business. Between his tasks, he returns to Tracy, guiding her, teaching her, asking her what she needs and ensuring she feels welcomed.
A few days pass and Oscar sits Tracy down for her initial guidance. He outlines the company’s vision and values. He tells Tracy how he will evaluate her performance and he describes in more detail the duties of her position. Oscar emphasizes that he wants Tracy’s feedback as a ‘new set of eyes’ to help improve things in the company. Each day Tracy gets more integrated. She forms good bonds with the other teammates and more and more, Oscar is free to serve the company as he truly needs to. Tracy’s tenure with the company is off to a great start in large part due to Oscar’s direct, people-centric leadership approach.
This story is true though I’ve changed the names. I share it to emphasize that leadership can save the day when a business is moving at the speed of light. There is a lot of risk in what Oscar did. He hired a person practically on the spot without a job description and onboarded her without a plan. This approach is, indeed, not a model but it is the reality in many businesses. And it can succeed as this story has with direct, people-centric leadership. Oscar knew he had to focus on the important things such as inclusion and belonging – of making someone feel like a teammate. His people radar was on and he focused his leadership to ensure Tracy blossomed in her new role.
Often, things move fast. When they do, a focused leadership approach will save the day. Know when these moments are upon you and your team and insert yourself at the right place, time and with the right person or people. As sloppy as it may be in execution, sound leadership will save the day.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell