I just met a new hire. Very nice man. I said something to him, that I don’t believe I have ever shared with you.
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I said “Welcome, and don’t worry about learning everything too fast. We intentionally have low expectations of our new hires so that you don’t feel intimidated to ask questions.”
The meaning of that statement is not that our new hires are not smart, or that we want them to skate along doing nothing. Nope. The intent of that message is an acknowledgment that many people are afraid to show us their lack of knowledge out of a misguided fear that we will deem them unworthy. I want to have the opposite affect on new hires. I want people to know that we will teach them and fill in their knowledge gaps, and that we will be patient. If we have hired the wrong person, that is our mistake. But, if we are patient, have low expectation, and are mentor-like, they will be way more productive and way more loyal way more fast (I know that was grammatically incorrect, but I liked it).
If you are manager, be very patient and reassuring of new hires.
And, if you are a new hire, ask all the questions you can in the first month you are there. You know the old saying “the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask.”
Thanks,
Mike
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