HOW TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON HIRED
By Ken Adkins
A conscientious employer wants to make sure that the person they hire is able to make the greatest possible contributions to the success of the organization, be a positive, contributing team member and execute their functions with the best possible impact on the company. Working with me on a search project basis, together, we can achieve the goal of hiring the right person to achieve those objectives.
However, it has been my sad observation that many companies do not take the equally important steps necessary to ensure that when that person comes to work, they will be all the success they hope for and expect.
The critical time period that profoundly affects a new employee’s probable success is in the first few days, weeks and months. Unfortunately I have observed many cases where companies left a new employee alone for the first few days and weeks and allowed them to get way off track and lost. With no input as to what the job should be or what performance equaled success, the new employee was left unable to be salvaged.
I have restructured an old but seldom used idea into a simple, easy and effective process to ensure to the highest probability, the success of a new hire. 5 minutes a week, that’s all. It is based on communication and consistent meetings to discuss and review objectives, goals, and progress toward goals.
NINETY DAY TRIAL
STEP ONE: define the job. Ask the following questions of yourself and write down your answers; what duties, actions and responsibilities will this person be ultimately required to handle? What problems will they be expected to solve? Most importantly, establish goals. Pare your answers down to the most critical ones and to those that can be clearly explained, observed and measured. Prioritize your list as to the most important. Assign your estimate to the amount of time needed to achieve the defined goal. Do not have too many things on your list. Be very prepared for this list to be flexible, changed and modified as you go along. Write this down in a clear, concise and direct plan, the shorter and more direct the better.
STEP TWO: the initial meeting with the new employee must cover your list, their input and mutual agreement as to what must be done and how that can be measured.
STEP THREE: Establish meetings to occur at a regularly scheduled time, at least once every week, if not more frequently, to be initiated by the new employee. During the first week and first few weeks the meetings should be more frequent. If the boss is not available the new person must establish an alternative time ASAP. Both parties must give this meeting top priority.
STEP FOUR: The meetings must be short and specific. (5 to 10 minutes tops) Philosophy must not be a part of these meetings. Both parties must understand and practice this principle. The meetings should be to specifically review objectives, achievements and performance against goals. Consistency of achievements should be a part of measurement. If philosophy needs to be imparted, it should be done in another setting. Keep this meeting unique. Any other meetings do not count as this meeting.
STEP FIVE: Be willing to change and modify goals and objectives. You will always be smarter next week than today because you will have new information. It is probable that items on the initial list will fade or disappear and new things will replace them. Be perfectly willing to make the necessary adjustments.
STEP SIX: make sure that the new employee is encouraged to have input. Goals should be mutually agreed upon and not dictated.
STEP SEVEN: Keep records and each person should have a copy of each meeting, all notes and changes.
ASK ME FOR A REPORT FORM AND I WILL SHARE MINE. IT CAN BE COPIED AND USED FOR EACH MEETING AND SERVE AS A RECORD OF PROGRESS.
5 minutes a week. That’s what it takes to ensure that all that effort and time in the hiring process does not go for naught. This is a very old idea but unfortunately it is often lost in the shuffle of modern executive multitasking work days.
Ken Adkins
