So said a leader I was speaking with last week.
We were discussing an HR situation that had gone off the rails.
Here’s how it happened:
A leader in the business made a hire that looked promising. From the beginning though, he saw some issues in his new hire that he thought needed correcting.
“I’ll wait for just the right moment to bring it up,” he thought to himself. It felt cold to have a big formal sit down and lay out expectations.
Problem is, a year into the new hire’s tenure and that perfect moment still hadn’t come. Instead he tried to be encouraging and hoped the guy would pick up on some subtle hints he tried to throw his way.
As always happens, the situation got worse, not better. A broken leg gets better when a doctor intervenes and takes action. It doesn’t just mend on its own.
So, when he finally, reluctantly, brought up the issues, the new (now old) hire was outraged. “Why didn’t you bring this up sooner?” he blustered. “You told me everything was fine and now I find out it isn’t?” He was seriously choked, and the relationship was harmed badly.
The new/old guy felt betrayed.
Back to my original conversation. The leader I was speaking with said, “If he had just laid out expectations from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
Clarity is kindness.
Be clear from the beginning. Address the situation as soon as you see it. It’s not going to be as bad as you think.
Getting ahead is about getting started,
