Act Before They're Gone

Increasing the chances of retaining your diverse hire begins on day 1

After many attempts, you have hired a strong new professional who finally brings diversity to your team. You look forward to the team benefitting from the fresh and differentiated perspective you have added to the mix.  

But according to research (Kapor Center.org/tech-leavers) chances are high you could lose the new team member much sooner than you would like.  And according to our experience, the pattern leading up to their leaving is predictable and it triggers this typical type of call we get:

“We would like to get a coach for someone who is faltering in a new critical role,” is the request.

After asking a few questions, it’s clear the person they are referring to is from a traditionally underrepresented group.

“They are not fitting in.” “They keep doing things in ways that we don’t do around here.” “They just aren’t getting it.”  “And she had come with such great credentials and a stellar track record!”

By the time this call comes in, often about eight months after start date, it often is too late to turn things around. By then, the focus is on “fixing” the new hire and there is very little self-awareness by the manager and the rest of the team of how they may have contributed to what is going on.

Turns out that how you onboard the new and different person has a predictive negative or positive impact on their near- and longer-term ability to thrive and contribute, and no surprise, the likelihood that they’ll stay.

Turns out that how you onboard the new and different person has a predictive negative or positive impact on their near- and longer-term ability to thrive and contribute, and no surprise, the likelihood that they’ll stay.

Bringing together diverse talent requires the intentional work of inclusion. When onboarding a new hire (internal or external) who is not like the people in a long-standing relatively homogeneous group, several things can go wrong. People often assume that the person will join the team as successfully as those that have come before them have done with little effort. The problem is that the precise reason that we desire them to join the team, their uniqueness, also presents some challenges to their success. When we make assumptions about what they know, how they prefer to work, or their understanding of how we work, we often get it wrong...and tend to blame the new person.

Fortunately, by understanding common issues that arise and addressing them early, we can increase the likelihood that we successfully onboard new diverse talent, that they’ll stay, and that we can unleash their potential and contribution. It all must be done with intention and a collaboration with the manager, new hire, and ideally with the involvement of a coach. What needs to happen?

• Build rapport. An easy rapport and trust forms quickly with those with whom we share some affinity. With those who are different, work must be done to build rapport and foster a relationship between the manager and the new hire that is both authentic and built on trust. Insights can be shared by both about style preferences while storytelling can reveal things that the pair may have in common and foster an understanding about who they are, the experiences that shaped them, and how those things influence how they show up at work. Mutual trust is essential to support the person’s success in the new role.
• Recognize and remove potential barriers. Those who have not experienced typical barriers faced by women or others in the minority do not necessarily understand that certain headwinds can diminish success and limit opportunity for some. An experienced coach can support the pair to anticipate, recognize, and overcome typical barriers. By having these headwinds explicitly identified and dealt with, the new hire can move more quickly toward productive contribution.
• Uncover unwritten rules. For some, how work gets done in the group may be obvious. But for someone with a different set of experiences or who is entering a long-ago formed team, how decisions are made and who needs to be involved, or what is the protocol for how people conduct themselves is a mystery and may be quite different than assumed. A frank discussion and understanding of unwritten rules, from whether people are expected to be unplugged or connected on weekends, to whether people always make appointments or tend to stop by, can accelerate a person’s ability to navigate the new organization or team and enable them to contribute effectively.
• Craft and implement a networking plan. Those new in a role often need some help figuring out who they should prioritize in their networking plan and can benefit from some coaching around how to best work with those identified. In some cases, an introduction and positive positioning of the new person for success with the individuals in the network plan is also critical. Remember that those that who are different may not get the same natural introductions by the new manager or build easy rapport with peers. Ensuring critical relationships are established takes intention by the team when the new person doesn’t share the same background, education, hobbies, or fill-in-the blank things in common.

The success of a diverse candidate in a new role can be determined by their early onboarding experience. Working with a coach in the early days can be critical to support the employee to effectively navigate the new organization. Coupled with other known best practices for the first 100 days (like identifying a few achievable early visible wins), a fresh approach to onboarding may just be the key to unleashing the potential and the promise of diverse talent.

#diversity #inclusion #kornferry #diversehires #employeeretention #retention