How important is new employee orientation?

Disney University exterior view
Yesterday, lunch meeting at Disney University.

 

Q. How important is it to conduct new employee orientation as the very first day (no exceptions) of work for newly hired employees?

A. If an organization doesn’t immediately set context for everything else that will happen in an employee’s career, what is at risk?

Seriously, let that sink in for a minute…

  • New people filling in the blanks by guessing
  • Making assumptions about priorities and focus
  • Questioning why their questions aren’t anticipated, and answered without having to ask
  • Feeling like the slick marketing doesn’t live up to the real thing
  • Setting the tone that winging it is acceptable
  • And on and on

Disney over-focuses on this question and insists that every new employee (Cast Member) attends Disney Traditions, every new employee’s first day of work.

The day is spent building an emotional connection to the Disney company culture that by the end of that first day, it’s something everyone wants to defend.

When done with excellence, that feeling should last a lifetime.

 

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i never asked the right question

Mickey Mouse Logo on Twitter
Yesterday on Twitter.

 

Twitter Mickey Mouse logo
Yesterday on Twitter.

 

A friend and i spoke for an hour yesterday about entrepreneurial effort.

Not until this morning did it occur to me to ask her, “Are you running to something or away from something?”

Fear probably does not have enough juice to fuel success.

Purpose, when we would literally die for something, is rocket fuel.

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This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

Most (ego-centric) leaders aren’t fond of people like me

Father and Son at Disney World
Most ego-centric leaders have a big heart that competes with career ambitions, fear, and security.

 

Truth be told, most (ego-centric) leaders aren’t fond of me.

This used to bother me.

A lot.

So much so that i tried to change.

And in a way, i did, without selling out.

The creative solution (to keep personal integrity intact) is simply to only ask them questions if they ask for input.

Nothing asked, nothing offered.

Safe.

Meanwhile, writing became the outlet for asking uninvited questions.

Questions every leader should have a ready, instantaneous answer to, but, remarkably, don’t.

Next Blog

Are we aware of our question’s focus?

Airport bookstore sign
Atlanta airport bookstore sign two days ago.

 

Are we aware of our question’s focus?

What do i need to know today is a good question.

But it doesn’t become a great question until we add a prioritized context.

Most of us skip this step because of the increased degree of difficulty in thinking through the bigger picture beyond today’s to-do list.

Next Blog