By Dan Elliott

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We all have or have had that one person who we thought was going to bring so much to the team. Everything about them exuded promise. They were sharp and engaging during the interviews, they grasped concepts quickly and were conversant.  It was clear they were going to be a great hire and like a new piece of fancy software, we installed them into the organization and went on about our business.

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Fast forward a year, and the reality is disappointing. Our star hire hasn't lived up to the anticipated potential, mirroring the software that failed to deliver on its promises. What went wrong?

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The issue probably stems from a variety of factors. One might be that our ego saw something of ourselves in them, and that similarity bias made them feel like a good fit. While this is likely to be true, it doesn’t explain why they are underperforming.  

Typically, employees under perform for several reasons - they are in the wrong role, poor job design, ineffective orientation or training, unclear expectations (often due to ineffective communications or insufficient performance feedback), or a lack of rewards or motivation.  An overarching term for this is poor employee development.  When we fail to learn more about them beyond the interview, we have failed them, not the other way around. Maybe it's a wake-up call to invest more in understanding our employees.  

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Everyone, whether new employees or seasoned business professionals, needs development. By utilizing the assessment tools available through Paradigm Associates, we can gain valuable insights into their personal skills, behaviors, and drivers/motivators, as well as the keys to effectively motivating and managing them.  Armed with this valuable information, we can begin to tailor a development plan best suited to the individual.  However, there remains a core set of fundamentals that must be followed.

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Make sure they are in the right job: Confirm that the job is best suited to their skills and abilities, aligns with their interests and personal motivators, and has clear performance expectations and outcomes.

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Providing them with clear goals and objectives: Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals to guide development and track progress.

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Personalized Coaching and Mentorship: Provide tailored guidance and support based on individual strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Take what you have learned from the assessments and work collaboratively with the individual to build a plan.  If not you personally, find someone in the organization who can act as a mentor.

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Continuous Learning and Skill Development: Encourage ongoing education and provide training to enhance their skills and knowledge.

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Feedback and Evaluation: Offer regular, constructive feedback and conduct frequent performance evaluations to identify areas for improvement and to celebrate achievements. Never forget to celebrate the wins.

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Motivation and Inspiration: Foster an environment that motivates and inspires individuals to reach their full potential through recognition, rewards, and a positive culture.

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Supportive Environment: Create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes teamwork, collaboration, and mutual respect.

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Now imagine if we had taken a different approach with that promising individual and had a process something like this.

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We identify someone as a potential hire and ask our Paradigm consultant to order their recommended series of assessments for a prospective candidate.  Once the candidate completes the assessment, the consultant debriefs us on the results, and we discuss potential follow-up questions for the next interview to make sure that the candidate is clear on the role and expectations and whether we are making the best decision.

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We then implement a well-thought-out onboarding process that introduces them to the leadership team and their team members and includes in-depth one-on-ones with their supervisors. Over the next several months, there are frequent one-on-ones and peer reviews to provide meaningful feedback on their progress and performance and areas for improvement. Their supervisors and managers are well-informed by the assessment results and have helpful insights into the motivators and keys to effectively communicating with and managing that employee.  

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During this time, the employee and their supervisor work together using the information and insights from the assessments to develop a set of SMART goals that the employee aims to attain, job skills they need to improve, and performance goals they need to achieve to be successful in their role.

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Imagine the transformation if every promising employee entering our organization experienced a dedicated, employee-centric approach to development, ensuring their best chance to succeed.  With all employees benefiting from this continuous improvement, their enhanced skills, knowledge, and confidence will drive increases in productivity, innovation, and efficiency.  Ultimately, when employees feel valued, it leads to higher job satisfaction and morale which boosts retention. The cumulative effect is a more dynamic and resilient organization poised for sustainable success.