Do This With New Employees to Set Expectations
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Set the bar from day one.
As a company or a leader, you get to set the tone for new employees. You get to say, “This is what exceptional looks like. This is the bar. This is how you need to show up.” That's a conversation that you need to have from the get go.
This week’s topic is a response to two things I hear a lot, whether it's suggestions for topics or just conversations with leadership teams and companies
The two sentiments I hear often.
The first one is the “kids these days” sentiment. The belief that younger workers don’t want to work, they're entitled and want everything handed to them. They don’t have basic etiquette about how to be professional, be part of a team, how to answer the phone... a lot of leaders feel like they're having to explain things that should just be obvious.
The second one I hear from the company side. Leadership teams share that they've built a really good culture, they're intentional about what we provide to employees, they pay well, we offer great benefits, we do all the right things. And the challenge is that people just don't seem to respond in kind. They don't pull their weight enough. They don't perform at the level that company would expect based on their efforts to create great employee experience.
“When companies give employees a lot, they often have a hard time holding people accountable to a high bar.”
And there's a tension baked into the second one that can feel really challenging. When companies give employees a lot, they often have a hard time holding people accountable to a high bar. Because the moment they try to hold people accountable, they get push back. That they're being mean, harsh, or unreasonable. So leaders back off, and become frustrated by standards and effort that don’t feel good enough, or that keep slipping.
You get to choose what it means to be part of your team. Full stop.
Here's my take, and it won't solve everything, but it's a great place to start.
You get to determine what it means to be part of your team. Before you even offer somebody a job, you get to determine and express to them: this is how you show up here. This is how you approach your work, this is how you treat other people on the team, this is the work ethic we expect.
It doesn't matter if this is someone's very first job or if they're coming from a place where the bar was low. You get to choose what your standard looks like, and you can communicate it clearly from day one.
Everything requires balance. You can't give employees everything and expect nothing in return. And you can't expect everything from employees while giving nothing back. That balance, a high bar paired with high reward, is what actually creates a higher level, productive culture.
“Hiring someone and hoping they magically fill your unspoken expectations is a recipe for frustration for you and them.”
Draw the line and show people where it is.
When you bring someone onto the team, tell them exactly what you expect to see. “This is how I'll evaluate your performance, this is what doing a good job looks like. This is what exceptional looks like. This is what bare minimum looks like. And everything below this line means you don't get to stay here.” Explain it all plain as day.
Different organizations will draw that line in different places. A sales team is going to look different from a library. But in every case, you still get to say clearly: this is what I want to see from you.
So when I hear those comments about entitled employees or people not appreciating what they're given, my first question is always: are you setting genuinely, crystal clear expectations? Are you telling people what it means to be part of this team and what professionalism looks like here, whether that's how you answer the phone or how you treat customers? And you can’t just say it, you have to follow through and hold everyone accountable to it.
If someone is younger or doesn't have much career experience yet, take it upon yourself to show them the norms. How we clean up after ourselves, how we treat people, how to answer the phone. You get to set the tone. Hiring someone and hoping they magically fill your unspoken expectations is a recipe for frustration for you and them.
“Employees need to understand that if they’re performing down at the bottom of expectations, that’s not the conditions to ask for a big raise.”
Don't be secretive about what gets rewarded.
Part of setting that tone is being upfront about what gets people promoted and what earns them a nice raise or bonus, and what doesn't. This matters a lot for small businesses where you're working more closely with people every day.
Employees need to understand that if they're performing down at the bottom of expectations, that's not the conditions to ask for a big raise. If you're clear about what strong performance looks like versus mediocre performance, people know exactly where they stand. There's no ambiguity, no awkward conversation where someone feels blindsided.
I know that this can feel uncomfortable for leaders. Being that direct can be hard and it takes courage to say exactly what you mean to say. But you have to set the expectation. You get to say, this is what being awesome looks like here. Don't assume or make people guess. Be cosmically clear.
Another benefit: This raises the bar for everyone.
Here's a big bonus to this, especially for smaller companies. If you start setting this level of clarity with brand new employees, it's going to force you to look hard at your existing team too.
A lot of organizations grow without ever really setting clear expectations, and they end up with longtime employees who've been coasting while the bar for what's required has quietly moved. Once you start being explicit with new hires about what exceptional looks like, you can't ignore the gap if you're letting longtime employees perform at a mediocre level. That gap is on you to address.
“Raising your standards doesn’t push good people away. It’s exactly what attracts and keeps them.”
Yes, raising the bar for your whole organization is hard and uncomfortable, and almost always requires hard conversations. But it's absolutely necessary if you want to level up, grow, and be better. Sometimes a role can outgrow the person in it, and if you don’t address that you hobble your success and the entire company.
The good news there: highly accountable, high-performing employees love a high bar. They love being surrounded by people who show up and do great work. The people who love a low bar are the ones who don't perform well and are generally all around mediocre.
Raising your standards doesn't push good people away. It's exactly what attracts and keeps them.
Related Blogs:
7 Ways to Make New Employees Feel Welcome
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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