Just-in-Time Management Advice
Join Jed and Bob as they discuss how you can go about introducing yourself to a new organization or department when you are taking on a new leadership role.
Watch ‘Introducing Yourself as a New Leader’ Video (15 mins 05 sec):
Join Jed and Bob as they discuss how manager, Monty Orr should be onboarding his people. Some managers wait for the HR group to get this sorted for them. Other managers, like Monty Orr, take matters into their own hands.
Watch ‘Onboarding Employees’ Video (14 mins 46 sec):
The whole idea of meeting one on one with their direct reports on a regular basis is scary for many leaders. There are a variety of reasons for this, none of which hold much water.
Excuse #1: I don’t have time. This is the most common excuse managers cite for not meeting regularly with their people. Interestingly, they don’t have time to meet with their people individually on any regular basis, yet they seem to have time for an unlimited series of drop-in (or “drive-by”) meetings every day. Here’s an idea: buy yourself an hourglass that has two-minutes worth of sand. Next time one of your direct reports asks you if you’ve got a minute, reply, “For you… I’ve got two minutes.” Then turn over the hourglass.
Excuse #2: It’s too intimate. When we suggest one on one meetings, we’re not suggesting that you light some candles, dim the lighting, and put on some John Tesh at Redrocks bootleg music. Rather, have your direct reports be responsible for planning, scheduling and running of your one on one meetings. If possible, go to their office or station to have the meeting – it’ll do you good to get out of your office.
Excuse #3: I don’t like my direct reports. If you don’t like your directs, it’s probably a condition of the prejudice you’ve developed about them because you don’t interface with them very often. It makes no sense not to like people, just because you don’t know them. If you take the time to really get to know your people, you’ll find all kinds of legitimate reasons not to like them – and this would make sense. Besides… one of the conditions of sitting at the big-kids table is dealing with the fact you have to deal with people you don’t like.
I would never suggest you have to like all your direct reports – but you do need to communicate with them, and there’s no better way to do so than with highly-structured, highly-focused, regularly scheduled one on one meetings.
Short, highly-structured and focused one on one meetings with each of direct reports on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, can save you time, and drive performance in your organization. Join Jed and Bob as they discuss how and why to do effective one on one meetings.
Watch the ‘One-on-One Meetings’ Video (16 mins 11 sec):
Make a strong first impression in your new management job with Fast Start, our 90-Day Onboarding Program. It will help you avoid the 8 Fatal New Manager Mistakes.
People start new jobs everyday, and most are well aware of the first-impressions they are making upon others. When you start as a new leader, that scrutiny is amplified simply by virtue of being the boss. There are many cues as to the tone that a new manager sets, and leaders should take control of that messaging to ensure that the impressions they make upon people are what they intend.
As such, here are a few ideas on how to set the tone, when you join a new organization as a leader:
These ideas would definitely give your people an indication of what to expect of you.
As ridiculous as it sounds, doing one or all of the above is probably a better course of action than simply showing up as a new leader and hoping that things go well. You can increase your odds of success as a new leader by doing just a little bit of planning prior to showing up.
It’s either that, or get out the Minnie Mouse suit.
Make a strong first impression in your new management job with Fast Start, our 90-Day Onboarding Program. It will help you avoid the 8 Fatal New Manager Mistakes.
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There are many ways to make a first impression in a New Leadership Role. Preferably, you will want to make that impression deliberately and with some forethought. Below we suggest four steps to introducing yourself when taking on a New Leadership Role:
Assess the Situation in Your New Leadership Role
Your entry into a new business or department should be guided by the situation you find when you get there. In some circumstances you may have arrive and act quickly, in others you will have more time to ease in to the situation.
Build the Narrative for Your New Leadership Role
Based on the situation, frame your story appropriately:
Target your audience, and adjust the delivery as necessary.
Build Rapport With Key Stakeholders
Layout a Plan and Define Expectations
3 Things to Remember About Introducing Yourself in a New Leadership Role
Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Introducing Yourself in a New Leadership Role (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):
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Hit the fast-forward button and quickly turn new employees into positive contributors. Get instant access to the Onboarding Employees Video and Cheat Sheet by becoming a Wily Manager member today.
Some organizations do an outstanding job of integrating new people into the mix. Other organizations let people fend for themselves. My most memorable orientation was literally my first day on the job – any job. I was fifteen years old, and I got a job bagging groceries at the local supermarket. Ron Grant was the manager on duty, and he met me at the door.
Ron toured me through the whole store, stopping along the way to introduce me to everyone on staff that we met, and to point out the things I might need to know for my new career wrapping groceries. He also doled out advice that was very useful and well intentioned, but easily could have been included in the best-seller, “Sh*t My Dad Says.” Needless to say, I learned some new words and expressions that came in very handy when I recycled them back at high school.
I learned in the months and years to come, that Ron oriented me to my new workplace completely of his own initiative. The organization really had no process for bringing people on besides the requisite signing of the official paperwork.
At the end of this orientation, he returned me to the front of the store, where I’d spend the next several years bagging groceries.
“Any questions?” asked Ron.
“Nope… I’m ready to go.” I replied.
“Great”, he said, as I turned to get started. “Hey Brad,” he asked, not quite getting my name right.
“Yep?”
“Your fly’s open”, he said without cracking a smile, and turning to walk away.
Presumably, he’d noticed this before he’d toured me through the whole place, but had waited until now to share this news with me. It’s been a while since I’ve been teenage boy, but I’m assuming at the time I would have had checklist of basic hygiene items – such as making sure one’s zipper was properly secured. Apparently, first day job jitters successfully eclipsed basic personal maintenance items.
Walking around in a public place with your fly open — I suppose that’s one way to make a first impression on when starting a new job.
Next week we’ll be talking about introducing yourself as a new leader. You won’t want to miss out – become a Wily Manager member today.
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Onboarding Employees is a routine task that is rarely done well. Some organizations have HR groups or other infrastructure to help Onboarding Employees, but individual managers should not allow a lack of such infrastructure stop them from doing so. Below we talk about:
Why All Managers Should Pay Attention to Onboarding Employees
The Three Components of Onboarding Employees
Orientation
Orientation is the first component of Onboarding Employees. As the name implies, this is the stage where we help them become familiar and comfortable with their new surroundings:
Adaptation
The second component of Onboarding Employees is Adaptation. In this phase, we integrate the newcomer into the culture of the organization.
Acceleration
In this phase, an organization can really benefit from a well thought-out process for Onboarding Employees. This is how we get new people to “hit the ground running”, and accelerate their journey to full productivity.
The Minimum Requirements for Onboarding Employees
It may be difficult to implement a comprehensive process for Onboarding Employees all at once. As a minimum, the following elements need to be covered:
3 Things to Remember About Onboarding Employees
Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Onboarding Employees (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):
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Join Jed and Bob as they discuss why, how and what managers should delegate.
Watch the ‘Delegate Effectively’ Video (25 mins 06 sec):
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Effective Delegation is core managerial skill that almost all managers can improve upon. Below we talk about:
Why Managers Don’t Delegate
If Effective Delegation is such a good idea, why do some managers not bother to do it? There are several impediments to Effective Delegation:
Why Managers Should Delegate
Regardless of the reasons why managers don’t delegate, there are several compelling reasons to practice Effective Delegation:
What Managers Should Delegate
The first step of Effective Delegation is deciding what tasks should be passed off to someone else:
How to Delegate
Now that you have decided what tasks to delegate and considered to whom to assign them, you must communicate appropriately to those people:
3 Things to Remember About Effective Delegation:
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