Early Career Patience
We just had a young staff member resign. Honestly, it was a sigh of relief. We call it ‘Positive Attrition' in HR world.
They just were not ‘getting it’, despite feedback and ultimately a performance improvement plan. They resigned before we needed to fire them.
And yet…….
It is too easy to dump on the new generation in the workforce. I cringe when I think back to myself at the start of my career, those first couple of internships and jobs.
I had no clue what I was doing (because I hadn’t done it before - duh).
I was executing tasks with limited context for my intended audience or client (I wasn't curious enough to ask).
The actual work was incredibly boring and had nothing to do with my schoolwork.
Even though I identified with the mission and enjoyed the people I worked with, I sucked as an employee.
Honestly, Today Me would have fired Then Me.
It took a full seven years after college before I felt I had enough understanding, nuance, and confidence to add any value. Why? Time on the track, some good mentors, and enough curiosity to ask for context (and for help). Observing who got promoted and what they did to get that recognition. Learning how to work, not just to study. Iterating over time to get to the finished product, not just the ‘right answer’.
So before you throw your hands up, remember: they are just as bored/frustrated/clueless as you probably were when you started out.
Ask yourself:
Who mentored me? What did they say or do that stuck?
What was explicit and what was implicit?
It is the implicit that takes time and is hardest to ‘see’ when you are just starting out. Surface that for your young employees.
Do they actually know what excellence looks like?
Have you had a clarity conversation that explains what done well on time looks like?
Understand that some will thrive, many will learn and grow, and a few will think you are a dork/mean/the worst boss ever and quit.
But at least give them a fighting chance to change.
