Reality Check

We have talked before about using your employees for what you hired them to do and making sure you use the individual contributions your employees bring. These are important. Not only do you want to get the most out of your talented employees, you also want them to be motivated enough to offer you their best.

You and they still need to realize, though, that when they are new, there may not be much they can do. If someone is new to this career, or even just new to your organization, they should take the time to settle in and make sure they know their way around before acting too much like an authority on, well, everything.

Case in point: a friend of mine works for a major international organization, having completed his master’s degree at a very prestigious school. His transition from the classroom to the office has gone pretty smoothly. When he started work he was very enthusiastic, ready to get to work after years of school, and ready to change the world. But he also realized something very important: not only was he new to the organization, this was also his first regular job. He understood his capabilities and knew what he could do, but also knew how much he still had to learn. He is very engaged and very energetic at work, but he focuses that energy where he can be most productive, safe in the knowledge he will be able to accomplish more later. He takes on new challenges but seeks out guidance when he does, whereas in areas where he feels more comfortable he is more willing to strike out on his own.

This is the kind of balance that you, as a leader, need to help your new employees maintain. You want to give them freedom and you need to put their enthusiasm to good use, but at the same time you should recognize where their lack of experience can be a detriment. Help them see where their education, and any experience they have, aligns with your organization’s strategy. Identify the gaps between what they can currently do and what they need to be able to do, and help them find ways to fill those gaps, whether through formal training, coaching and mentoring, or structured on-the-job learning.

You will get some new employees who, because they are very talented (or think they are), will come in and try to dictate how things will work now that they have graced you with their presence. Your goal should not be to rein them in; your goal instead should be for them to rein themselves in. Through your effective leadership, they should learn how to do that. Not only will they be more productive now, they will also be more open to learning as they go along. That is what we call “a good thing.”