As You Climb Higher, Are You at Your Best (Or Worst)?
Have you ever watched people in your company rise to the occasion? It’s even more special when it’s someone that you weren’t sure had it in them.
But you’ve also seen the opposite of that. People who appear to be on the verge of success, just don’t make it. Research says that the most common time people fail is in the first six months of a new job. People need those first six months to “climb the learning curve.”
In that same research, we find it may take even longer to gain the confidence that comes with competence in a new role.
The Solution?
At our firm, we do something called Onboarding, which is a fancy name for orientation. What it amounts to is there is coaching that takes place early in a person’s movement into a new position. It includes an examination of competencies required, competencies lacking (from their personal inventory), and, if its’ a person from the outside your company, Culture Fit.
Even if you don’t want to hire a firm like ours to do that, there are some key things you can do.
- Be aware of role competency shifts. What people were good at before may not be the same things they need to be good at in the new position.
- Leave time for honest discussion. If you’re the leader and you have new people in new positions, take some time early to talk to them about the new position. How are they doing? How do they feel about it? What are surprises?
- Do feedback. We love 360 feedback at our firm. There is no better way to change behavior than to have other people look at someone and honestly assess them. For new people, this is even more important.
