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You Just Hired a New Leader—Now What?

Barb Krantz Taylor | August 2, 2015 | Blog | CEO Advisory | 2 minute read

fireflyI just got a new employee. Okay, I actually got a new Aussie puppy, Firefly. Since I got her, I have felt like a CEO with a new team member. And, she’s reminding me of what I, and all CEOs with new team members, need to do.

Get to know her and build trust. What are her strengths? What are her weaknesses? What motivates her to work hard and have fun? I have performance dogs, which means I do the dog sports of agility and herding. To excel, my dogs have to have lots of internal motivation to do their jobs and they have to work with me, accepting me as the leader of their activities. Sound familiar to your job as CEO? And while I have raised her daddy and great aunt already, she is NOT the same as my current team members. Like any new employee, she is her own dog, with her own amazing talents and quirks. She has much to learn and many jobs to do, some of which she knows how to do right now and others which will take time to nurture. But, if our relationship is not based on trust, working together and having fun while we do it, she will not be the dog I want her to be. Yep, lesson one, CEOs: Build a relationship of trust, learn what motivates your new leader to be their best and nurture that!

Have a plan to on-board your new leader. Knowing the other members of your team—with their talents and quirks—how will she fit in and what do you expect regarding how team members interact? With Firefly, I knew one member of her team (cranky Great Aunt Solar, the Baby Boomer) would be a bit independent and totally unwilling to work together with my new Millennial. If only I could talk with Firefly and Solar—which luckily YOU can with your employees—I would put them on a project together. Firefly is full or spit and vinegar; Solar knows exactly what to do, though she does it on her own terms now that’s she’s 11. They have a lot to learn from each other. In fact, there are tons of teachers/mentors out there for your new leader to form relationships with. So, get that socialization going quickly!

Assure the new team member really knows what she’s been hired to do, understands what the expectations are and what success looks like. Both of you have pictures in your heads that you will need time to explore together and get aligned. Full performance takes time to reach but a foundation of shared vision, goals, roles and responsibilities need to be set as soon as realistically possible.

Spend a little more time with the team as a group so they can re-orient to a new member. Each time a new member of the team comes on, the team starts “forming and storming” all over again, though it moves more quickly through those stages IF you team has already been “norming or performing.” I spent lots of time supervising my new pack, rewarding great pack behavior and watching for early signs of doggie miscommunication/misunderstanding. I let some growling occur and assure they work through it. Treats help my bunch, though I’m pretty sure kibble won’t help you here. But seriously, don’t prevent the growling—monitor it and work through it. A little new tension can help the old team grow!

Think about what you need to do to up your game as a leader. Having a new, younger dog has motivated me to be an even better trainer to her and my older dogs. I am changing some things—doing reading, getting some mentoring, taking beginner classes again. It is time for me to break some old, lazy habits and reinvigorate myself.

Do you have a new team member? What do you have to learn or relearn? I’d love to help!