Ops Insights #016 Sink or Swim
July 28, 2023 | Read Time: 4 minutes | Written by Jenny Kleintop
Have you ever started a new role with little support, feeling like you were left to fend for yourself? Personally, I have always excelled at sink or swim. For some reason, the challenge of survival over failure pushed me into swim mode. I've even half-jokingly said I not only sawn, I swam like I was in the Olympics and won the gold medal…every single time. Then I think of Michael Phelps and it knocks me back to reality.
The sink or swim approach can be daunting, and while some might thrive on the challenge, it’s time to take a different, more uplifting approach to onboarding a new employee.
It’s time to replace “sink or swim” with “swim or swim.”
The Onboarding Timeline
Anyone who I directly led, I refused to adopt the sink or swim motto. Instead, I would say I am going to help them swim or swim. I I created an onboarding timeline that was customized to their role.
Here’s how I did it:
The onboarding timeline included a 30/60/90 day plan. This was essential for their success. The timeline provided a detailed roadmap, guiding them through their first 90 days. Then after the 90 day onboarding, it was at least a check-in every quarter.
The onboarding timeline included:
Training: a mixture of self paced learning via documentation, educational materials, and pre-recorded videos.
Live instruction covering company structure, the ins and outs, and topics specific to their role. These would be group training sessions of anyone starting with similar roles so they went through it together. I had them pre-read notes from past new hires who went through the training and during the training, I had them rotate who updated notes for future new hires.
A dedicated mentor to have bi-weekly 30-minute check-ins for 6-weeks for Q&A. The mentor would help get the new employee up to speed with the company’s inner workings and also answer questions that the mentee had about the role, materials, or processes.
Weekly 45-minute sessions with me for Q&A, progression check-in, priorities review, and additional learning opportunities. During these sessions I would ask questions, such as:
1. How do you feel about the pace?
2. How are you adapting to your new role?
3. What can we add to your onboarding timeline that would be meaningful to you?
4. What can we take off your onboarding timeline that may be weighing you down?
5. What else can I do to support you?
Various 30-minute meet and greet calls with cross-functional teams within the first 8 weeks. If there were multiple new employees who started, they all went through it together. Cross-functional collaboration (aka cross-departmental collaboration) is vital for long-term success so this helped set the stage to get them talking and engaging with each other.
The First 90 Days are Vital
The first 90 days are key to lay the foundation - to inspire, to educate, and to allow the new team member to truly swim once the training wheels are taken off.
Don’t stop after the first 90 days. That’s why there are those quarterly check-ins, and generally you will have connection, collaboration, and training opportunities ongoing with your team.
Is this an intense onboarding timeline? Yes. Is this effective? Yes.
Every single new hire said exactly the same thing (as I always surveyed them after). “It was intense, but very effective and the best I’ve ever had.”
Make the decision today to say no more sink or swim motto for our new team members and embrace a swim or swim motto.
Take these steps today:
1. If you have an onboarding timeline for new employees, review it to see if it still meets today’s needs.
If you do not have an onboarding timeline for new employees, take the ideas from up above and create one.
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