Why does a seemingly great candidate who has excelled at his previous company, gone through a rigorous interview process, and beaten other qualified candidates soon find himself struggling with the job 3 to 6 months in? He is unhappy, his boss is unhappy, and other employees (perhaps his staff) are unhappy, too. What went wrong? What happens when the best thinking goes awry? The cost of a bad hire is not easy to calculate. The subjectivity of performance ranking is difficult to calculate. It takes at least 30-90 days for someone to start their new role once they have been hired, plus another month for onboarding and then several months to get them up to speed with organizational norms and processes.
It could be up to 12-18 months to recognize consequences of the decision are fully realized.
Of course, there are numerous reasons why someone fails at his or her job. This may be a lack of persistence. They may not have been tough enough to ride out the difficult spots, or perhaps a lack of conviction left them unable to persevere. According to the HR director, the number one reason why people fail is a lack of communication around expectations. Oftentimes, the expectations between the company and hiring manager and the candidates have not been communicated clearly.
A high-performing team is made up of individuals who are committed to their position. They know what results are expected and the standards by which they need to be delivered. They have confidence that the rest of the team will do their part, they have the reassurance that help will be there should they need it, and they have no question that the work they do is valued. They agree with the organization as a whole that the work they are engaged in is important and worthy of their best effort.
Position agreements are written documents that outline the commitment required between an employee and his or her manager to produce the results expected from the position. They include the following five sections:
- Position identification: The title must be clear and non-ambiguous
- Reporting line: Clear reporting line, organizational chart including dotted reporting lines
- Result statements: Clear descriptions of the high-level outcome that a position is expected to achieve should be stated in the work listing, which outlines the specific strategic and tactical work to be accomplished.
How will success be measured?
- Strategic work establishes a routine, policy, standards, and practices in service to the strategic objective.
- Tactical work produces and delivers products and services, and also includes the administrative work required to support the business.
4. Position-specific and company standards: Standards provide position-specific and company-wide clarity on quantities, qualities, and behaviors.
5. Sign on the dotted line: Signatures confirm the commitment of both the employee and their manager to delivering the agreement.
As we all know, there are no guarantees in life, but these five criteria can ensure that your star is also a star at your organization.
