So why do we give new hires the keys to the car with no driver training? And expect them to drive expertly? And worse yet, be disappointed when they don't!? It's always a good idea to "onboard" new staff. Let the onboarding process track with the Playground Personalities for the ultimate new hire connection!
The onboarding content is important, but just as important is knowing "who" you are onboarding - which Playground Personality. If you miss the "who," the new hire is never going to get the "what"! Of course, a new hire wants to make connections, learn about the processes and checklists, figure out who's going to back him or her and understand where the company is headed. The onboarding program doesn't have to change. There's important information that needs to be explained. But as managers you have to meet the new hires where they are - starry-eyed that they are working for your company - and differentiate how the orientation is presented. Know what is important to each and start from there. All the other onboarding information will stick!
So how can you motivate each Playground Personality during the onboarding process? Here are some ideas:
Peacemakers - have a social lunch for the new staffer to meet others.
Organizers - give them all of the company's checklists, processes and rules.
Revolutionaries - give them just what they need to know, and cut them loose.
Steamrollers - sit them down with the company librarian and give them the firm's history since its inception.
Here's how the miscommunication happens early in the game: the Organizer Manager meets the Peacemaker Staffer and says, "I've been drowning in work. So now that you're here, the backlog of work has to get done within the next seven days." Where does that leave the Peacemaker? Or the Revolutionary Manager says to the Organizer Staffer, "We looked high and low for you; here's the pile of stuff that has to get done - have at it!" So the new hire is feeling, "Yuck, this person is a either a workaholic or a maniac. Not sure I want to work for him/her!"
What's the "juice" for the Peacemaker that the manager missed? Yes, that interpersonal connection, the relationship. Okay, okay, you don't have to be gushy about it, but you do have to engage the Peacemaker personally first. And what did the Revolutionary Manager miss? That the Organizer Staffer really does need structure and due dates upfront!
So how could those scenarios been different, irrespective of the manager's own Playground Personality?
Peacemakers - like to know why people need to be included in a process.
Organizers - like to be told what to do, how the boss wants it done, and the due date.
Revolutionaries - like to be told when it's due, and they back into the work from there.
Steamrollers - don't mind being told what to do, just don't tell them how to do it!
I know I can't change people, but I know people can change! So here's hoping you change up your onboarding process and try some of these communication ideas on your new employee's first day. They will make a difference!
