Your worst employee is your own fault

Summary

• If your employees are performing poorly, consider it might be due to your hiring and training processes. It's your responsibility to set them up for success.
• Successful incorporation of a new hire involves onboarding, setting clear expectations, and providing context for their role.
• Clearly verbalize how you want tasks done, as new hires will initially bring habits from their previous jobs.
• To avoid discrepancies between expected and actual job conditions, either slightly underpromise or overdeliver.
• To set expectations clearly, use a detailed job description, ensure the interview process is consistent, establish goals for the first 90 days, address problems upfront, and have a thorough orientation process.
• For contextual understanding, share company-specific information such as mission, goals, values, and operational data, as well as role-specific details like department KPIs and systems used.
• Onboarding should reflect the ongoing support and environment the role will entail, to avoid future dissonance and dissatisfaction.
• At acquisition.com, we onboard by letting new hires meet leaders, sending exclusive company swag, and providing follow-up meetings to ensure a smooth transition into the team.
• Focusing on setting clear expectations and matching conditions to those expectations is key to retention and preventing employee turnover.
• Spreading this knowledge and context equips employees to make better decisions and contributes to the overall success of the company.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest starting with a solid hiring process. Make sure to create a detailed job description that clearly explains the role. In interviews, consistently explain what the company and the role do. Find the best person for the job, not just based on experience, but also their ability to fit into your company's culture.

When you hire someone, give them a proper welcome. Have an orientation that teaches them about the company and their role. Share our vision, goals, and values. Let them meet other leaders and the team. This makes them feel included and part of something important right from the start.

Let new hires know exactly what you expect from them. Tell them how their role helps the company. Explain how tasks should be done. Have goals for their first 30, 60, and 90 days. Encourage them when they meet these goals. This shows that you notice their hard work.

Be honest about the job and maybe even make it sound a little harder than it is. This helps to manage their expectations. Then, if the job is not as tough as you said, they will be happily surprised.

Finally, if there are problems, talk about them upfront. Work together to find solutions. This shows that you trust them and value their ideas.

All this helps make employees feel secure, valued, and more likely to stay. It's important to invest time in onboarding and setting the right expectations to create a supportive environment for everyone.

Quotes

"expectations are simply the verbalization of how you would like something done"

– Leila Hormozi

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"most people come in even when you hire someone who's experienced, they're still playing the game based off the rules of their last job"

– Leila Hormozi

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"to stay at the line we want job expectations to match job conditions"

– Leila Hormozi

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"if you want to eliminate turn, here are the five things that I do to create the bridge between what they understand and what is reality"

– Leila Hormozi

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"most employees want to do really well and most of them can make good decisions if they have the same knowledge as you"

– Leila Hormozi