There are many ways to help a new hire to make a positive contribution to an organisation. This piece describes one approach.
Imagine that you are hiring somebody for a senior role. You will probably have communicated the specific outcomes they will be expected to deliver. It will then be to make clear contracts about the following things.
The positive contribution – the specific outcomes – you want the person to deliver in a particular role;
The principles you would like them to follow when making this contribution;
The practical support you will provide to help them to make this contribution.
Here is a framework you can use for following this approach.
Imagine that you have made clear contracts with the new employee about this things. If appropriate, you can then invite the person to do the following exercise.
My Positive Contribution
In The First Three Months
This is a well-known exercise that invites a person to focus on how they can do good work in their first three months. It invites them:
To clarify their key stakeholders both inside and outside the organisation;
To clarify the specific things they would like each of their stakeholders to be saying about their contribution after their first three months;
To clarify the specific things they can do to increase the likelihood of them saying these things.
The following pages describe how to help the person to take this approach. It can be useful to invite them to take the following steps.
They can clarify who are their stakeholders
and write the names of these people
The person can begin by writing the names of their internal and external stakeholders. These may include, for example:
Their manager, the other senior managers, their peers and, if they are a leader, their team members and their external customers.
There may, of course, be multiple people in an organisation that they need to satisfy. It can be useful to identify these specific individuals.
Imagine that the person has written the names of their various stakeholders. (In some cases, they may also write their own name as a key stakeholder.) They can then move on to the next step.
They can clarify the actual words – the phrases –
they would like their stakeholders to be
saying about their contribution after three months
This step calls for the person using their imagination. Different people will obviously write different things when exploring this theme. The things they write will to some extent depend on:
The specific individual stakeholders and what each of them may want the person to deliver.
Bearing this in mind, here are some things that a person may write regarding what they may want each stakeholder to be saying about their contribution after three months.
“They have a positive attitude and have made an excellent start in the organisation … They have delivered some early successes … They have kept me informed about their progress towards achieving the goals.
“They take responsibility and are proactive … They have behaved in a professional way towards their colleagues … They have provided positive leadership for their team.
“They plan ahead and prepare properly … They have built positive relationships with customers … They are definitely somebody I would hire again … They have made a positive contribution to the organisation.
Imagine that the person has clarified some of the actual phrases they would like to hear their stakeholders to be saying. They can then move on to the next step.
They can clarify how they can do their
best to increase the likelihood of
their stakeholders saying these things
This step involves clarifying the specific things they can do to increase the chances of their stakeholders saying these things. When doing so, it can be important for them to focus on what they can control in the situation.
Bearing this in mind, the person may say that they will continue to have positive attitude. They may also say that they aim to do some of the following things.
To continue to make clear contracts with my stakeholders about the specific outcomes to achieve … To behave in a professional way towards my colleagues and customers … To get some early wins.
To plan ahead before meetings with my stakeholders … To clarify the outcomes to achieve in the meeting … To rehearse how I can behave in a professional way – plus deal with any difficult challenges – in the meeting.
To do things that give me positive energy in my personal life … To continue to take care of my own wellbeing … To do my best in my work but also see things in perspective.
Imagine that the person is willing to take this approach. Here is a framework they can use to do this kind of exercise. The names of the stakeholders will obviously depend on their particular situation.
There are many versions of this exercise and you can adapt it in your own way.
One approach is for the new hire’s manager to invite the person to do the exercise and then they can review it together. This can also help the person to be clearer on the specific things that they can deliver for each stakeholder.
Let’s return to your own work. Imagine that you are hiring a new person for a particular role in an organisation and you want to help them to succeed.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to describe how you may want to help a new hire to make a positive contribution.
You will, of course, follow the route that you believe will increase the chances of success. Here is the exercise on this theme.
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