My daughter Katy recently attended a baseball game with a group of friends. One of the pitches hit the catcher in the shoulder and bounced off. Katy cried out in alarm, “The squatty dude is hurt!”
Her friend Jorge looked at her in alarm, exclaiming, “Oh Katy!” and threw his head in his hands. He sat up with a deep sigh, and said “What is the squatty dude called?”
“Uhh… I don’t know.”
“The Catcher. What is the guy called who is holding the ball?”
“Uhhh… the thrower?”
“He is called the pitcher, because all players throw.”
“Ohhh!” Katy said.
By this point, all of her friends gathered around for Katy’s education. Another friend asked “What is the name of the guy with the bat?”
“Well, he’s the swinger, of course!”
Welcome to spring training! This is what your new employee feels like on their first day of work. Even if they had experience in their particular role in the past, they don’t know your company’s culture and they don’t know some of the terminology and language that your people use. What’s more, they don’t know the “inside jokes” that come from day-to-day interactions with coworkers and special events with the organization; the new employee barely knows where the bathroom is!
Training a new employee is much more than just showing someone where the files are saved and how to process reports. It’s an opportunity to welcome a new person into the fold and show them the best of your organization: to demonstrate the knowledge and experience of your team members and to showcase the bond that those people have when they’re interacting with each other and doing their jobs.
Bless Katy’s friends for filling her in on terms that she didn’t know. Yes, they laughed at her, but she laughed right along with them. They formed a bond with each other because her friends took the time to train her!
And when Jorge asked her “Do you know who the Kansas City Royals are?” she replied (in true Katy fashion), “Of course! They are the baseball team that won the… uhh… really, big game…”
Last month I flew back to Texas to celebrate my grandmother’s 92nd birthday with the whole family. We had a blast! My favorite part of the weekend was the serendipitous hour-long conversation that she and I shared at breakfast.
My grandmother made her famous pancakes and little sausages on Saturday morning. My family eagerly poured into seats around her kitchen table to enjoy the best pancakes in the world. As luck would have it, I slept a little late and was the last one at the table. She sat down with a cup of coffee and we had one of the best conversations we have ever had.
She is articulate, smart, witty and resourceful. She texts friends and family from her iPhone, she is active on Facebook, and she could write a textbook on how to respond to anyone in a sticky situation. She walks every morning and volunteers with her church. She lives by herself, cooks lunch for several of her children most days of the week and drives herself to the grocery store to shop.
At age 92, she remains relevant. I am lucky to have her in my life.
Virginia Ann (“V.A.”) Rawlins Littleton is a class act, possesses excellent customer service skills and knows how to give advice in a way that is easy to accept. If she were a candidate I was interviewing for a position, I’d hire her in a heartbeat.
The next time you begin a job search, please keep in mind that age means nothing when you are looking for the right candidate. There is ALWAYS an exception to every stereotype out there, and V.A. Littleton is not only that exception… but simply, and in all ways, exceptional.
A few years ago, my daughter came home with Harley, a fish that she saved from certain death in her science class experiment. Reviewing the saga of Harley in a Fish Bowl and Harley in a Fish Bowl continued gave me a great reminder about the power of investing in your employees. I am sad to report that Harley is now swimming in the fish bowl in the sky after a long, productive life at the Smith house… May he rest in peace.
After the fish bowl was thoroughly drained and cleaned, it sat on our kitchen counter for a few weeks. Finally, I said, “Let’s get rid of the fish bowl. There is no reason to have it without a fish in it.” My family’s response was noncommittal, so the fish bowl continued to sit on the kitchen counter. I tried again asking, “Should we move the fish bowl?” Still no response. Then, recently out of the blue, Randy says to Katy, “Let’s go get a fish.” She screamed “YES!” and they scurried out of the house. One hour later, we had Coby, short for cobalt, a blue betta who is now swimming in the fish bowl on the counter.
All too often, we may need to quickly remove an employee. We tell ourselves that we HAVE to have that desk filled ASAP, and we frantically start looking for a butt for that seat. This can (and often does) lead to poor hiring decisions. To find the A-list employee that is ideal for the position, there must be space between the old employee that left and the new one that is coming in; the fish bowl must remain empty for a period of time. Don’t rush into anything new until you are ready. Take the time to contemplate and explore the options: Maybe you don’t need that position any more, or maybe that position should morph into something else. Or maybe, just maybe, it is time to hire the absolute BEST employee EVER! When you give it space and time, you and your team get the opportunity to review the job description, determine the ideal candidate… and only THEN begin to search for the next employee.
This newsletter is dedicated to Harley, who provided hours of entertainment and fodder for my most read blogs. RIP Harley!
One of my long standing, most beloved clients called wanting to meet with me to discuss some potential new hires for her company. I had not heard from her in several months, so I was grateful to hear her voice. Over chips and salsa, the conversation started like this:
“Do you remember that woman that you interviewed for me 4 months ago?” she said.
“Vaguely,” I said.
“You told me not to hire her,” she replied.
“Ummm… okay,” I replied, thoroughly confused. If I remembered correctly, the candidate had not been a cultural fit for the rest of her team. I wasn’t a part of the actual hiring process for this individual and had instead been invited into evaluate her top three candidate selections.
“Another consultant told me to hire her, so I did.” My client sighed deeply, threw her head in her hands and wailed “I am in HELL!” She promptly ordered a margarita and began to tell me the horror stories related to her bad hire.
First of all, I have such empathy for this woman. There is nothing worse than making a bad hiring decision and then have to watch how it effects the rest of your organization. From employee morale to bottom line results, a bad hire creates turmoil that feels very much like a slap in the face every time you go to work.
Second of all, my best advice to her was be kind to herself and remind her that some lessons need to be learned despite other people’s insights and experiences. Remember: interviewing and hiring is a skill set and any new skill takes time to learn. You don’t just wake up one day knowing how to staff your company. You have to practice, and that means making mistakes. A bad hire is a mistake, and just like any other mistake, learn from it, correct it and move on.
About 5 years ago, I had an injury to my eye, and the eye doctor said that I could never wear contacts again. What a shock! I wasn’t happy about it, but the diagnosis was very clear. I had no choice. I bought a pair of glasses that I really liked, and I never looked back. Then, at my annual eye exam last week, my doctor suggested contacts. I couldn’t believe it. Apparently, contacts have dramatically improved, and there was a healthy option for me to now use. I was ecstatic!
So, imagine my surprise when I began wearing my new set of eyes, and I felt like something was missing. I would walk by a mirror and think “Who is THAT?” I noticed that I pushed my no-longer-existing glasses higher on my face several times a day and even poked myself in the eye. I smeared my mascara multiple times, and one time, I put my glasses on AFTER I put my contacts in. OOPS!
The adjustment period for me after I ditched my spectacles was at best unexpected, and at its worst, really uncomfortable. However, now that I am through the transition, I am loving life and seeing clearly!
In business, we often expect an adjustment period after an employee leaves. But honestly, the bigger adjustment happens when a new employee starts. Adding someone new to your team is a big change that can be awkward, even when you have hired the ideal A-list employee. The adjustment period not only affects you, but also the new employee, the other employees, clients and vendors. Now you may walk by their desk and think “Who is that?” or even poke yourself in the proverbial eye a few times while you all adjust, but as the employer it is your job to make that transition easier for all parties involved. Be patient with yourself and your team. As a result, you will all be able to see more clearly.
“Uhh… I don’t know.”
Last month I flew back to Texas to celebrate my grandmother’s 92nd birthday with the whole family. We had a blast! My favorite part of the weekend was the serendipitous hour-long conversation that she and I shared at breakfast.
After the fish bowl was thoroughly drained and cleaned, it sat on our kitchen counter for a few weeks. Finally, I said, “Let’s get rid of the fish bowl. There is no reason to have it without a fish in it.” My family’s response was noncommittal, so the fish bowl continued to sit on the kitchen counter. I tried again asking, “Should we move the fish bowl?” Still no response. Then, recently out of the blue, Randy says to Katy, “Let’s go get a fish.” She screamed “YES!” and they scurried out of the house. One hour later, we had Coby, short for cobalt, a blue betta who is now swimming in the fish bowl on the counter.
“Do you remember that woman that you interviewed for me 4 months ago?” she said.
