Coaching or preparing to fire, which is it?
I got a call from someone who had attended one of my presentations several months ago. He said he landed a job after 50 weeks of searching and had been on the job about 30 days. His question, “Am I destined to fail in this job and should I quit now and I start a new job search?”
Hearing fear in his voice, I ask what had just happened. He shared that in 20+ years of work he had never been coached on his performance until that morning. His new boss sat down with him to discuss his performance during the first 30 days. His reaction was that he was destined to fail and that his “30 something boss” did not like him because of his age and experience and he wanted to know if he should go in the next day and quit.
WOW! The company he joined had high standards. He was told during the interview that the boss would review his performance and goals monthly. His attitude was he had heard that before, it had never happened. He viewed this experience in a very negative light and wanted to quit rather than be fired.
As the severe recession ends and companies rush to hire they may relax their hiring criteria, but not their standards. They may also hire rookies without industry experience and train them. Not at all a bad thing, everyone does their best to consistently hire talent with the skills to do the job, and who fit into the culture of the organization but no one bats a 1000 all the time. In my view, a 30- day check in is great for all and a win-win.
One bad hire can cost a department or a company big time, in profits, morale, etc. As this gentleman noted in over 20+ years, no one had discussed his performance with him. Was his new boss doing the right thing?
How do you feel when someone agrees to a meeting with you to review progress, and offers input on areas that require improvement?
Many people work for 90 days or a probation period without the personal awareness to ask about their performance or a boss who trains, coaches and is interested in their performance or its improvement. The result the job does not continue and they don’t have a clear understanding of why they didn’t make it.
What advice would you offer? Should he quit?
What would you do?
The fact that he is being coached tells me that they have a vested interest in his success and want him to succeed. A 30 day tune up is a great way to get a look see at what you are doing right and in which direction you need to improve. The coaching gives you an opportunity to make it right before the train derails. Many people don’t get the opportunity he has been presented with. I think he should embrace the review and make it work. Jim
Great suggestion – I too agree he should embrace the feedback and the opportunity.