The 3 types of information your new hires need

New hires need to learn so many different aspects of the business that covering them all can feel impossible. Onboarding managers can get organised by dividing what the person needs to learn into three categories: technical learning is the company’s products, customers, technologies and systems; cultural learning includes attitudes, behavioural norms and values; and political learning is how decisions are made, who has the power to make them, and whose support the new hire will need. Help new employees pick all of this up by connecting them to the right people. For each category of information, think about who has the relevant expertise (and communication skills) to explain the essentials. The head of product, for example, can probably talk at length about customers and systems, a senior leader might be willing to lay out how big-picture decisions are made, and a long-time trusted employee could be a good reference about important cultural norms. Make these introductions for the new hires early on, so they can start getting up to speed as soon as possible.

(Adapted from “7 Ways to Set Up a New Hire for Success,” by Michael D. Watkins.)

Help your team embrace change

Companies are constantly changing. And whether the changes are big or small, leaders need to inspire their employees to embrace what’s new. Here are some ways to do that:

— Talk about how people feel: change stirs up lots of emotions (fear, frustration and anxiety, to name a few). Hold regular meetings for people to express what they’re worried about, and encourage them to be honest.

— Tell stories: stories can be powerful examples of how people overcame challenges. Think about the challenges your employees are facing, and share stories that relate to them.

— Ask ‘what if?’ questions: “what if we built our workflows from scratch — what would they look like?” “What if we were all freelancers — how would we solve problems differently?” Use change as a catalyst to rethink the ways things are done.

— Treat mistakes as learning opportunities: everyone messes up, so encourage people to talk about how their mistakes have helped them grow. Build a culture that rewards employees for taking smart risks.

(Adapted from “5 Ways to Help Your Team Be Open to Change,” by Edith Onderick-Harvey.)

You want to use your phone less. Okay, but why?

Many of us would like to spend less time attached to our phones. But to make a real change, you need to understand why you want to use your phone less. You’ll have a better chance of succeeding if you identify exactly what is motivating you. Here are three common reasons people want to unplug and tips for each:

— To focus better at home or work: put your phone on silent, turn off cellular data, or — best of all — keep the phone entirely out of sight.

— To set better digital boundaries: use a landline at work, ditch your smartphone for a more basic model, or create strict rules for your devices (say, no phones during mealtimes).

— To stop being rude: In social settings, turn your phone off, disable notifications for tempting apps, or agree on a penalty for whoever checks their phone (maybe buying a round of drinks).

(Adapted from “If You Want to Use Your Phone Less, First Figure Out Why,” by Marcello Russo et al.)

Leaders need to learn how to take criticism

If you’re in a leadership position, you need to know how to take criticism well. Being resilient will help you stay focused on what the company needs, rather than on the naysayers. One strategy is to brainstorm several ways to respond to criticism and write them down for reference. It can be hard to know what to say in the moment, so general responses will ensure you have something ready. They could include: “thank you for sharing your point of view. I’d like to consider it more and get back to you” or “let me repeat what you said, to make sure I understood you”. Another good strategy is to remind yourself that the criticism may be aimed at your role rather than at you personally. If you’re the head of production, for example, it’s possible that the head of sales will always clash with you, no matter who has the job. Distancing yourself from criticism this way can help you think through what was said — and what the criticism is really about.

(Adapted from “How to Take Criticism Well,” by Sabina Nawaz.)