Hiring is worthless unless you can keep great people around.
I only influence a small part of what determines if a great employee sticks around.
I don't control salaries. I don't control the culture outside my team. I don't control how well the business is doing. I don't control our roadmap, our tech stack, or our company-wide goals.
I absolutely contribute to each and every one of the areas listed above. But my influence only goes so far.
You know what I can do?
I can control how my team is supported. I can control that the right conditions for growth exist. I can control that my full focus is on ensuring the success of my team.
The hard work starts as soon as someone says yes. Much of what I do is common sense; the special part is making it a consistent practice that improves over time.
I once waited 3 weeks to get my work laptop; that won't happen on my watch. Day 1 you have what you need to do your job. It's not just equipment and accounts, but a fully realized plan for your first few months.
- An onboarding plan aligned with your role—1st day, 1st week, 1st month, 60 days, 90 days.
- Introductions to the team and partnering you up with folks that can ease your first days.
- Our first 1:1 to kickstart relationship building: What are your interests? What motivates you? What are you excited about?
- A clear path to quickly contribute with full support from the team.
Every single step is just the first in a long process. To keep great employees I create challenging problems to solve, increase opportunities for growth, increase investment and ownership in what we are doing, and rectify gaps in team and company culture.
It's really hard work to get right. But damn if it isn't worth it.