Early in 2011, after finishing a seminar presentation, one business owner came up to me in order to discuss an issue he was having with a new recruit. Referring to their new telemarketer, he said, “She seems to be bolting off in different directions; we constantly are having to pull her back on track because she tends to be a bit independent.”

Upon hearing this, I immediately thought of an illustration with race horses... Imagine the starting gate at the race track: The bell rings and the gates swing open, with riders on saddled horses
dashing out! What if the horses were to run off in different directions? The question then becomes, who is in charge?

Good jockeys, from my knowledge, bring out the best in race horses by painstakingly, day after day, working with these magnificent animals. Then, and only then, will they know how to hold the reigns, how to position themselves relative to the saddle, time the horses' breathing, etc. There is no difference when it comes to working with new recruits.

In reality, it may take ninety days to twelve full weeks for a new person, let alone the existing team, to operate together powerfully and seamlessly. This ambiguity in a recruit's acclimation process is due, primarily, to unknowns that may arise—also, leadership and management skills that are required. For this telemarketer and countless others, it is not just about the tasks at hand; they are people-driven operators who need to understand the environment, the “language” of a company—let alone, an understanding of the company’s clientele and marketing presence. If a strong induction plan is not in place, then recruits will resort to independence, relying on their past experiences to secure a successful outcome.

The induction is based on a five step delegation process, found in The Invisble Entrepreneur. Here are the questions I ask any business owner or manager regarding the induction of a new staff person:

• How is a new recruit set up for success during their first day, first week, second week, and so on, until the end of the first three month period?
• What is your plan of action for that person during the recruit's first week? How do you and your managers prepare for the arrival of a new team member (realizing a lot of anxiety, bothconscious and unconscious, come into play)?
• What are your expectations and what is to be achieved?
• How are the above expectations going to be discussed with this new team member?
• To whom does this person report? How?
• Do you have a stop and review process in place each week? (Usually conducted at the end of each week, continuing for at least the first three months. Includes evaluating the recruit's achievements and lack of, pointing to what could be done differently).

If a new recruit is “bolting off in different directions,” does this indicate that no clear induction process is in place? Think of it this way: just as a race horse “bolting off in different directions” means the jockey is not in control, you can not blame the horse for misbehaving.

Also, like the jockey with the horse, you need a strong game plan to bring the best out of a new recruit. That way, there will be a daily, or even a weekly focus, which he or she can then build on for the next 12 weeks. This will provide them with a dependable structure and a healthy set of expectation boundaries. By charting out the first 90 days, you are providing a new team member with their very own road map. For achievement-driven people, this will be a great start because they will be able to create their own benchmarks for success, being able to self-monitor progress.

Contact me with any comments, questions or issues with inducting new staff.

Louise Woodbury