Building the Bench

Author Jim Collins (Built to Last, Good to Great) spoke of the importance of building the bench, ensuring that the depth of the team can sustain its performance over time. Teams that are truly built to last have depth at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom. This truly is a leadership imperative -- to ensure that members of any team have the skills and tools to enable success, now and in the future.

For my team, this means focusing on our new hires. Yes, I am in the enviable position, like many federal agencies, of bringing in new talent. This year, we have added nearly 40 recent college graduates to the team. What better time to build our depth than when we have so much work to do and so many exciting projects on which these new, very talented people, can learn their craft.

I have tried to stay very involved with this great crop of interns. I spoke to them recently about my expectations. I have been personally engaged in the recruitment and the placement of each of them in the organization. I have tried to meet with all of them, learn their story, understand their goals in joining our team. Finally, I took them on a "road trip" across the organization, showing them who we are, what we do, and what they could expect in a career with us. I wanted them to connect with our mission and with each other. (The picture above was of the group at one of our projects)

Mission accomplished! The trip was hugely successful. I told these young people many times that I wanted them to stay with us...for the rest of their lives! This trip will be a memory that they will reference for the rest of their careers as they advance from the bottom...to the middle...to the top of our organization! They left the trip tired, inspired, and...glad they were hired. And many of them just may stay...for the rest of their lives!

Now, I understand that many are not in the position to add to their team. But the requirement to build the bench, to invest in newcomers, to ensure the viability of the team and its mission, is important to every leader. What are you doing to add to the skills and tools of your new employees? How are you helping them want to stay with you? How are you ensuring that the newest members of the team feel connected and know that they are still being developed? How are you building your bench?

You see, when the economy picks up, people are going to start moving again. Unless you have taken measures to retain them now. Some call it "building the bench." I call it...Leader Business!

New Employee Orientation at West Point

I was reminded of the importance of new employee orientation when my buddy got back from dropping his son off at the United States Military Academy at West Point to start his journey as a new cadet. With tears still in his and his wife's eyes, his accounting took me back in time to my orientation.

First of all, I can't believe I am old enough to have friends whose babies are entering (or in some cases have already graduated from) West Point. Ouch! But I am equally amazed at how effective the orientation process still is. In one day, young men and women are transformed from civilian individuals to members of a high performing military team (see this video here for the parade at the end of Day 1).

While my own orientation (R-day for Reception) is still a blur, I remember some of the key components. I received uniforms, got a haircut, met my new leadership team, received some briefings, signed some forms, and learned the basics of marching. And by the end of the first day, I was "New Cadet Magness," participating in my first parade in front of parents and friends of the West Point Class of 1985. Aaaah...good times. (At least I will remember it that way for you here. I won't go into how I cried myself to sleep in my bunk...scared to death about what I was getting into! Ha!).

How does your orientation process measure up? Are you ensuring that you provide the time and energy necessary to give that good first impression, to make new employees feel like part of the team, and to help all team members see the big picture for the team they have just joined? How does your program compare against these key elements from my own orientation program?

-- Issue new equipment to enable success. I received uniforms, linens, a room assignment, foot locker, a bunk in the barracks, and everything I needed to function.

-- Provide information about the team and learn how to use all new equipment. On R-day, I learned plenty of rules. "Pick up your bags! Drop your bags! Salute, left turn, right turn, forward march! Your only responses are yes sir, no sir, and no excuse sir. Do you understand new cadet?" Wow...just typing that last part made me nervous! I learned how to make my bed (and how to sleep in it without messing it up so it would always be ready for inspection. More good times!), how to walk, march in formation, and sit in a chair (ok, some of these elements may not directly apply).

-- Learn about organizational culture. R-day provided an overview of the cadet honor code and the basics of the military which we had just joined. We raised our right hand and took an oath of allegiance to defend our country.

-- Take care of all administrative and HR issues. While again most of it was a blur, I remember signing plenty of paperwork to enter into the system for pay, benefits, and notification of next of kin (you may not all need that last item!). We were told when we could take time off (Christmas) and when we could retire (24 years seemed like a long time but wow did it go by fast!).

-- Meet the leadership team and be formally welcomed into the organization. I was one of 11 young men assigned to a squad leader. This cadet junior would be our mentor and instructor for the first summer (yes, orientation extended for a couple of months -- NOT good times!). We heard from the cadet chain of command and the leadership at the Academy. All of these leaders welcomed us and provided an orientation to what we had just joined.

There are any combination of elements for an effective orientation. In sum though, new employees must feel like they have the necessary skills and tools to be effective, they understand the fundamental administrative elements of the organization, they know their leaders, and they are educated on the company's culture, vision, and goals and objectives. New employees should know and understand their role and see where they fit on the team.

How does your orientation measure up? Are your troopers marching as one by the end of the day? It can be done! That's...Leader Business!

Re-enlistment Bonus

While many leaders lament the difficulty of recruiting new talent for their team, I often think we neglect the equally important task of retaining those we have. We tend to put so much into recruitment pitches, job fairs, job announcements, headhunters, etc. -- but we forget the people that we already have -- and watch them go out the door.

Some estimates put the cost of replacing an employee at 150% of that employee's salary (see Cost of Employee Turnover). Factors such as lost sales, recruitment costs, training, and decreased efficiency all add up -- big time. This can be even higher for management, sales, or very technical positions.

The Army recognized the importance of retention in its balanced approach to increasing troop strength to meet the demands it faces around the world. Recruitment of new troopers (see the Army Strong campaign) is critical. We must have new Soldiers committed to service and willing to join the Army at its lowest ranks. We must also have those that are already in uniform -- stay. And they must stay at a higher rate in order to meet the goals of the larger force.

How is it going? The pictures at the top are from the largest military re-enlistment ceremony in history. General David Petreaus presided over this ceremony on July 4th, 2008 at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad, Iraq. Thousands of young (and some probably not so young) troopers raised their hands and said, "I'm committed to what I am doing...I want to stay."

What does it take to ensure that capable talent stays?

-- A sense of purpose. People want to be a part of something important. If we can convince them that what we are doing as a team is important...and that their contribution to the mission is valued...they will stay.

-- An opportunity for growth. Teammates want to know that their is a pathway for them to progress in the organization. They want to know that they can expect to be trained, to have opportunities for promotion and development, and that there is no limit to the potential for their advancement. If they believe it...and see it in role models around them...they will stay.

-- Good leadership. More than half of our employees will leave because they don't like their supervisors. This should be enough for all of us to strive to be the role model, the mentor, the leader that will be the reason people will stay. We must also ensure we are providing adequate training to our supervisors to help ensure they are not the reason people leave. It should be no surprise that this many troopers wanted General Petraeus to personally re-enlist them. Good leadership will make a difference...and they will stay.

-- Help people find the right fit. Many people will re-enlist if they have an opportunity for a different job. One of the options in Army re-enlistment is to select the assignment or the specialty of choice. Leaders must recognize that often we must be flexible in meeting the needs of good people. To borrow from author Jim Collins -- if they are on the right bus, but not in the right seat...help them move.

-- Use incentives. Note that I put this last in this list. Incentives are important but generally not enough to tip the scales and prevent someone from leaving. But it is something to keep in the tool kit and be able to apply for those who are close and help push them over the top. Incentives such as a re-enlistment bonus, education opportunities and benefits, considerations to help meet work/life balance, adjustments to salary, are all available and are generally going to be considerably less costly than finding and training a new hire.

While I have been pushing my HR staff to recruit new employees to meet our increased work load, I have been working this retention piece even harder. I tell my staff that it is my intention that they stay with us for the rest of their lives. I make it clear that I will never, never, never let them leave me! I will do anything I have to do to help them decide to stay. (The exception to this, of course, is if they are not worth keeping...then I will help them pack!). I believe the result of these efforts is a workforce that knows they are valued, who will work their tails off to see the organization succeed, and when faced with the decision to stay or to leave...they will stay. That's the re-enlistment bonus. And that's Leader Business.

New Employee Orientation

As a new employee myself, I have had many opportunities to examine how the company I now lead welcomes new teammates. And after seven weeks...I am still waiting. It is safe to say that this is something that I need to fix. And consistent with my charge to put people issues front and center, it is definitely on my "get right on it list!"

I can only imagine how difficult it must be for teammates to join the company that I now lead. Whereas I have received briefings from each division and branch and have had opportunities to examine up close the missions that we perform, the customers and stakeholders that we work with, and the areas in which we have responsibility, I know that this introduction is not available for the rank and file. Instead it likely goes something like this: Here is your desk. Here are your keys. Here is your first project. Now get to work!

This is clearly one of those investments in people that has long term returns. Employees that are warmly welcomed, who understand where they fit in the organization, who see the big picture, and who have the important issues (parking, pay, vacation, benefits, health care, etc.) addressed early are more likely to remember that reception - and stick around.

Among other topics, new employee orientation should include discussions of the following:

- Organizational structure.

- Team values and vision.

- HR issues (pay, vacation, holiday schedule, benefits)

- Leader development opportunities, i.e. how to advance in the company.

- Briefings from key leaders in the organization.

I think it is critical that I personally be a part of these sessions. If I want my new teammates to understand my leadership philosophy, to embrace my vision, and to be as passionate about our future as I am, then who better to hear it from...than me?

So I have cleared my calendar for the next new employee orientation session, coming up in a few weeks. I haven't quite figured out how I will brief myself as the "new employee"...but I'm sure it will be good!

So how about you? What do you do to bring new teammates into the fold? New Employee Orientation is...Leader Business. Hooah!

P.S. If you are like me and need some good ideas to drive your new employee orientation program, check out John Edmond's 15 Steps to How to Welcome Your New Employee.