Lessons in On Boarding Strategies from the Dog Park

Jack, our young black/chocolate lab, and I visited the dog park on the east side of Cincinnati this week. There is certain camaraderie there and I typically meet some interesting dog owners. This week was no exception and I had an intriguing conversation with a fellow dog owner that owned a business. He had recently hired several new employees and was struggling to develop a plan to effectively acclimate them to the firm. Last week’s blog post focused on Servant Leadership. This week’s post focuses on Servant Leadership in the context of on boarding new employees.

As the economy gets back on its feet, more and more firms are slowly beginning to hire employees. In addition, firms are concerned about high performers leaving their jobs for new opportunities. The Cincinnati Enquirer published an interesting article recently, “As economy improves, workers leave”. According to a study from the Harvard Business Review in May 2010, “approximately 25% of companies’ top performers are planning to leave their current job within a year”. It is critical that the business owner or leader is proactive and develops a strategy now to effectively on board new employees so they can be successful in their roles.

1. Develop a plan and goals for the new hire.
The company has invested significant resources in hiring a new employee. It is important that the leader develops a plan that takes into consideration the skills, knowledge, experience, resources and relationships the new employee will need to be successful in order to maximize their return on investment. Companies can no longer afford to hand the employee a manual, instruct them to read the manual independently and chat with co-workers to learn about their job. They need to have a plan with specific and measurable goals and objectives.

2. Identify key individuals the new hire will be working with and facilitate networking opportunities for them during on boarding.
Business relationships and networking are critical to an employee’s success whether they are in a large firm or a small business. By incorporating networking opportunities into the on boarding process, the leader is placing a high priority on this skill when the employee is in learning mode. 

Employee Engagement Lessons from the Dog Park

My black lab, “Jack”, looks forward to spending Sunday afternoons at the dog park. It is a treat for both the owner and the dog. Yesterday, it was raining in Cincinnati, yet there were still a lot of people at the facility. I wondered what compels people to come out and stand in the cold rain to watch their dogs play; beyond their basic love of dogs. I put on my business hat and pondered what key learnings would apply to business. After much reflection, it came to me. As business leaders, how can we create an environment in which people are excited to come to work, even on difficult days, and fully engage their natural talents?

Jack and I visited a new dog park this weekend. Upon entering facility, there was a sign that provided guidelines for using the park. We stopped to read the sign and observed other dog owners and their pets. Our goal was to identify both the written and unwritten guidelines for the park. This prompted me to think of new hire orientations and on-boarding. As business owners, we need to communicate our expectations to new employees upfront. It is important that new employees learn both the written and unwritten policies and procedures. In addition, we need to help new employees develop positive working relationships throughout the organization. When performance expectations are clearly communicated, employees have a greater opportunity for success.

As leaders, it is critical that we identify employees’ natural gifts and talents, and place them in roles which allow them to freely utilize their strengths. There was a beautiful greyhound at the dog park. He was standing quietly in group and did not interact much with the other dogs. His owner threw a ball to the far side of the park. The greyhound took off running to fetch the ball. He broke into a beautiful, fast stride around the park. The other dogs in the group followed, but the greyhound leaped out in front of them. It was beautiful to see the greyhound striding with such freedom, grace and confidence. Employees inherently want to do good work and feel a sense of accomplishment. We need to look for opportunities and create an environment which unleashes their natural talents.

Another interesting observation was related to learning and knowledge acquisition at the dog park. There were several mini communities that formed. Dogs and owners would cluster around one group for an activity such as a game of tennis ball toss and fetch. One dog started the game while the others watched. The other dogs joined in after a few tosses. After the dogs progressed in their knowledge and mastered the tennis ball game, especially the “teaching” role, they would move on to a new and more challenging game such as Frisbee toss and fetch, and become a “student” again. While the dogs were learning from each other, the owners were sharing their lessons learned in training their pets. As business leaders, we need to search for opportunities to create “learning communities” in our organizations, which fosters relationships and facilitates the lateral transfer of knowledge. Every person has life experiences from which learning can be derived. Additionally, we need continually assign challenging assignments that empower and foster growth in our employees.

Employee engagement can be cultivated through a number of methods. When employees are fully engaged, they can propel your business forward and help you to leap ahead of your competition.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. A human resources management consulting business, Black Lab Ventures focuses on on-boarding, training & development, performance management, and health & wellness initiatives. Our signature service, called Culture Branding, is a form of employer branding designed to help companies attract top talent and retain employees they already have. For small businesses, we offer our HR Start-Up Kits – a simple and affordable method to achieve an HR presence. We also offer full service packages for mid and large-sized companies, and function as a complement to their HR departments so they can focus on their core business.

For more information, please visit our website at
http://www.blacklabventures.com/ or feel free to call us at 513-443-2365.