New Hires, New Potential: Making the Most of Your New Kids on the Block

First, a clarification: we’re not actually going to be talking about the New Kids on the Block in this article. Perhaps it was a bit misleading to use that phrase in the title, but we meant it in a purely colloquial tone. Unless, of course, you have actually managed to hire the New Kids on the Block, and in that case, good for you. That Jordan Knight looks like a real forward-thinker.

For the rest of us who find ourselves sadly Donny Wahlberg deficient, there is still a lot to be learned about how to fully unlock the potential of your newest employees. After all of the hard work you’ve put into recruiting who you’ve deemed to be the best of the best for your company, the last thing you want to do is hinder them (however unintentionally) from fulfilling all the promise they’ve shown. Getting a brilliant person to sign on with you is only half the battle – the other half is allowing and encouraging them to put their talents to work.

So how do you do that? Well, first of all, you have to show your employees that you’re not afraid to chase big dreams. Just to pull an example out of thin air, plenty of people thought producer Maurice Starr was in way over his head when he recruited five Boston teenagers with super-fly hair in an attempt to create the next breakout band, but just look where it got him. You didn’t start a company by thinking small, so why start now?

Brilliant and capable people are inspired by leaders who don’t hesitate to wave the battle flag, and they’ll be eager to meet a challenge if they see that you are as well. Give guidance when necessary, but don’t be afraid to expect great things from your newest great minds. Shoot to top the charts, and even if you land at the bottom, at least you’ll know where you went wrong.  After all, even “Hangin’ Tough” never made it to number one. I know, right? Doesn’t even seem possible.

While you’re busy leading the charge towards greatness, don’t forget to keep having fun. A successful start-up has to work hard and move quickly, which requires a large investment of time and energy from its employees. An investment like that creates a solid camaraderie amongst your team, so it’s important to give them the opportunity to blow off steam together. Talent thrives on stimulation as much as achievement, and making a point to keep fun fundamental will ensure the continual flow of ideas and productivity. Take breaks, indulge silliness, maybe play a little “Step by Step” on Rock Band (just sayin’)  – anything to keep the fun and creativity bubbling.

Remember, though, that while your presence as leader is vital to your employees, it doesn’t overshadow the importance of stepping back in order to give them room to grow. Ensure that they fully grasp your standards and let them know that you’re available for guidance as needed, then give them the freedom to do their own jobs in their own way. You hired them because of their unique capability, so let them do what they do best without being micromanaged or hovered over. Growth is a good thing and a natural thing in life as well as business. Just ask anyone who managed to outgrow her embarrassingly unhealthy obsession with one Mr. Joey McIntyre (CALL ME, JOE-JOE!).

Along those same lines, your trust in your employees should be clear enough to let them own what they do. From the very beginning, let them know your expectations, and that you trust they will be met with minimal intrusion from you. Encouragement is great, but you shouldn’t have to do any tedious hand-holding or regular checking-in to know that each person is on task. Your employees’ impetus to maintain a high quality of work should come from them, not from the tip of an invisible cattle prod. Knowing that they are expected to own their successes as well as their failures inspires employees to bring their A-game to every project without any extra supervision or encouragement.

Also, if you’re not paying people hourly, resist the temptation to treat them as if they’re being paid hourly. If you’re building a great company that your employees really believe in, they’ll put in whatever time it takes, and you’ll make up those 75 minutes your marketing manager spent on eBay trying to snag NKOTB reunion tour tickets (not to mention that he might ask you to go with him. EEEEE!).

If you keep these things in mind while bringing your new hires onboard, you’ll be allowing them to prove to you why they’re the perfect fit for the job. You already know they’ve got the right stuff, so why not give them every possible opportunity to show it off? As a wise man (or five wise teenagers) once said (or sang): “Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh, the right stuff.”

Indeed.