LinkedIn’s COO on Why New Hires Shouldn’t “Hit the Ground Running”

When new hires “hit the ground running” in a job, they are expected to work full-speed on day one and deliver results with little hand-holding. 

The phrase makes its first recorded appearance in the late 19th century and by the 1930s had gone from a literal idea to a figurative one. Today it’s a cliché, but that’s not why it makes LinkedIn COO Dan Shapero shudder. What bothers Dan is that it means hiring managers are choosing a very short-term benefit at the expense of long-term growth. 

Making a hiring decision based on a three-month window is shortsighted and “it just makes me cringe,” Dan says in this LinkedIn video post. “Some of the best, most transformative people we’ve hired didn’t necessarily bring all the skills on day one. They weren’t hired for who they are, but for who they could be.” 

The problem with a “hit the ground running” mentality is that it celebrates speed over quality. It suggests that a top performer at one company can perform at that same level right away at another. But learning things like company norms, language, and hierarchy takes time — often even a year or two. And as we learn from Dan below, that time period should guide all hiring decisions. 

Look for peak performance one or two years into the job

Of course, when teams are shorthanded and overworked, it’s hard to resist wanting results from new hires right away. Dan says there will be situations when immediate impact is what’s most important, but he’s experienced too many managers overfocusing on day-one impact as the most important part of making a smart hire — and that can hinder the long-term success of the team. 

Given the need to balance results and potential, specifying the “timeline to performance” is key, he says. That means deciding when you’ll evaluate whether an employee was a great hire. The time frame will depend on the role and where the candidate comes from, but one thing is certain : It’s rarely three or even six months. 

If you want a long-term relationship with a new employee, you need to think at least 18 months out, if not 24. As one engineer commented on Dan’s video:”I’ve grown a rule of thumb that it takes me two years to get my full speed. That doesn't mean that I don't get anything done during the first two years, but I never expect to be able to drive collaboration between hundreds of engineers on day one.”

Once you and the rest of the hiring team agree on the time frame, then you can decide what you need to do differently in terms of onboarding and development to help get them there. “Changing the language,” Dan adds, “has helped us change the way we think about new hires.” And then evaluating managers on the long-term talent they hire and develop — not just immediate results — gives them incentive to act accordingly.   

Hire people who can hit the ground learning

There's an additional downside when you hire someone for a role they’ve already mastered. In the short term, they may be more productive and self-confident, but it likely won’t last. A 100% qualified employee is already ready for the next step, so may become dissatisfied with their levels of responsibility or compensation as a result.

“Hit the ground running” de-emphasizes learning and growing into a role. But as Dan notes in this Quartz article, some of his most successful hires don’t have the prototypical background for their jobs: “We see something in them, a real aptitude and motivation, and are willing to wait longer to see it play out.” And it’s worth it.

This culture Dan describes is all about growth mindset. He finds that “people want to be in a growth mindset if they’re encouraged to be in a growth mindset. If they’re reminded that learning is how they get ahead. The people we hire naturally gravitate towards that belief, as long as we celebrate the process with them.” That means giving them time to listen, learn, and make mistakes.  

Rather than plucking top performers who already have all the skills in the job description, it may be better to choose those with potential who can grow and be nurtured. This leads to more engagement. As one person commented on Dan’s video: “When I feel a company sees my potential and wants to help me grow, I’ll not only go above and beyond to be a valuable asset, but I’ll work harder than ever before.” 

The real magic is when candidates stretch you too

Hitting the ground running also implies doing things the same way as before. It doesn’t invite innovation. But the beauty of new hires is they don’t think conventionally because they don’t know conventions yet. They don’t know the corporate routines and ways of thinking, so their ideas and perspectives are innately fresh.

Companies that learn from these diverse perspectives and that welcome the two-way exchange of information are likely better off. Onboarding is no longer just inculcating new employees in corporate culture — it can and should be a time for new hires to influence the company too. 

“When you find a candidate who creates this cycle of mutually reinforcing growth,” Dan says, “where you’re going to stretch them and they’re going to stretch you too — that’s where the magic is.”

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