With my background in recruiting, I get exposed to a lot of information that can help HR pro’s (and new managers) in their search for new talent and their efforts to improve company culture. I was able to share my insights in a panel discussion last week which was a great experience!
For those that missed the opportunity of joining us live, the video recording is available on-demand from the folks at InvGate. If you would like to have a look at either the video or the slides from the event you can sign up for a free copy of that.
I was pleased that i got the chance to provide some weight and context on several different questions during the session. Here are just a few of the items I got to talk about and what I was able to share in the discussion.
The Value of Being Transparent
People want to work for companies that embrace transparency but I think that transparency can, and should, go both ways. Not only do your employees want to understand what’s happening in other area’s of the company, they want to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns with management.
One of the most overlooked elements of transparency is that supervisors and those that report to them can use it as a vehicle for setting the right tone in their working relationship. First and foremost, you should incorporate transparency as a part of the discussion when you’re explaining your expectations and desired outcomes to your team.
Also, be clear and open with your team about what your company is able to deliver to your team in terms of culture, training, and tools. If you want to take things to the next level let them know what you, personally, are going to do to facilitate. There’s a difference between leading a team and managing a team and it usually boils down to the personal investment of the person at the top. When your staff feels supported and empowered, they’re going to be happier and more productive on the job.
The Matchmaking Process
Time and again I hear candidates talk about their need to “connect” with the people they’re going to be interfacing with the most. As a hiring manager or direct supervisor, you can test that connection by allowing candidates to buddy up with those individuals during the interview process.
I think the most important thing to remember is that matchmaking isn’t just something that happens during the hiring process. If anything, once you bring someone on, your matchmaking process has only just started. During the panel discussion we talked as a group about things like values matching, mentoring/coaching, and looking for the ambassadors on your staff. These are all things you can do to keep things moving in the right direction through an employee’s experience with your organization.
Preparing Younger Team Members To Be Leaders
On this particular topic, I had a lot to say because it lines up so closely with what I experience every day. What I’ve learned in my own experience is that Millennials sometimes get painted with the wrong brush. While it’s true that they expect a lot from their employer, I’ve found that they also put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform and ultimately succeed.
Whether it’s a personal challenge or a career objective, I think that the younger generation has an expectation of early success – but that it’s actually a good thing. If your organization takes the time to build out a transparent roadmap and career path for new hires (especially the younger ones), you’ll find that they will flourish and even stick with you longer. Maintain an open dialogue on new upcoming challenges and opportunities with your team and you’re going to be able to take full advantage of the youth movement in the modern workforce..
What I Learned
The process was a lot of fun and pretty eye opening as well. The thing that impacted me the most was that even though we were chatting about an industry I don’t work in personally, the struggles and pain points we discussed are the same ones I run into in Electrical Construction every day.
I saw a lot of overlap when it comes to mentoring, management styles, and ongoing professional development. Everyone had a slightly different take based on their own experience but the thing that kept surfacing is that there are a lot of managers out there who still struggle to “do it right”. Everyone on the panel talked about what you can, and should, do right away but there were also some great nuggets in the discussion around how to kick things up a notch. I highly recommend watching the recording and going through the slides!
Up Next: What I Would Recommend For New Managers
To wrap the panel discussion we had a question about what someone should do in their first 12 months as a manager and that really got me thinking. In my next post I’m going to set out a sort of action plan that you can follow if you find yourself in that position!
Tyson Conrad