Not Everyone Gets a Trophy, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER THREEGET THEM ON BOARD AND UP TO SPEED QUICKLY … AND TURN THEM INTO KNOWLEDGE WORKERS

I never even met most of them in person—hardly anyone—but from even before my first day officially, I was talking with people on the team every day. Once I started, they had me scheduled to talk one-on-one with every single person, learning what they did, where they fit. I was in one meeting after another, with only one assignment, “learn!” Pretty much that was my whole job for the first couple of months: One learning assignment after another with great tools and support. One relationship assignment after another. They did a great job welcoming me and making me a functioning member of the team.

—Twenty-something

In our research, we rarely hear about this kind of highly engaged on-boarding and up-to-speed experience. Way too often, young people tell us about a fundamental day-one disconnection between new employees and their bosses. Too many young people tell us about arriving for work excited and enthusiastic about the new challenges ahead, only to find that their feelings are not completely requited by the managers and coworkers who await them in the workplace.

A senior manager in a financial services firm told me, “They act like they expect the top job on their first day … I know you are excited that this is your first day of work, so I hate to tell you, kid, that for me, this is just another Monday. So go fill out these documents for HR, then look around for work. Sometimes I'll ...