Roll Out the Welcome Mat!

The past few months have seen me accept new responsiblities and complete a lifelong goal of completing a doctorate degree (woohoo!).  With these milestones being met and challenges accepted, I thought back to how I was introduced to my field…and it was not a great start.

I was left alone, not knowing where to go…who to meet with first or what to do.  I was adrift in a strange city, getting paid wrong and my furniture was lost in transit.  I was informed upon arrival at my new location that I would “hate it here” and “do not expect much.”
Yes…someone said that to my face within twenty minutes of arriving.

<<Think about it for a minute>>

As a strong extrovert, I fought through by meeting people on my own and setting up a network that could assist me – and things slowly…very slowly…got worked out.  But I will admit…in the midst of it all I wondered, is this worth it? I wondered if my next move would be the same and if I could handle doing this all over again.

How do organizations expect company buy-in if we fail to introduce employees to our business in a manner that is reflective of our business philosophy?

Some organizations fail over and over again to welcome and quickly share with new employees how the company wants them towards each other or their customers.  They fail to understand that first impressions are not just one-way…the new hire is evaulating the organization just as much as the trial period evaluates them.

So continue to date the new-hires even after you hire them.  Remind them what makes your organization a fantastic place to work and grow.  This applies to temp hires and part-time employees as well – as they are part of the fabric of who your organization is now and what it is growing to become.  You can make such a difference in the longetivity of hires, your reputation as an organization…and later the buy-in for changes to be made…but more about that topic later.

Leaders…your legacy does not start at the end – but begins the first day.