Like any good business leader, I want my new hires to feel at home as quickly as possible. The sooner they can feel like they are a valued part of the team, the sooner they can begin engaging and contributing in a meaningful way.
5 Questions New Hires Like to Ask
- What are your favorite foods?
- Where do you live?
- What’s your favorite book?
- What do you wish you could go back and change?
- What are some examples of setbacks and failures you’ve had?
That’s why our new hires can ask me anything, including questions about my personal life. It’s an easy process. We have new hires write down their questions and during the Q&A, someone else reads the question. This offers anonymity plus an opportunity for people who are introverts to participate.
What the CEO Q&A Accomplishes
We created this no-holds-barred event for new hires as a productive onboarding event. It builds rapport, creates transparency, breaks down barriers between employees and leadership and also encourages dialogue around the company.
Establishes Rapport
The sooner you can establish rapport with new employees, the sooner you can begin building trust. A good rapport leads to better new hire training by creating an environment in which employees are more receptive to feedback.
A good rapport also improves internal communications, leading to the type of clarity that fosters better performance. I set the tone for this by showing from Day One, no question is off the table. Our Q&A tradition makes it clear that our leadership is approachable and interested in their questions, thoughts and concerns.
Creates Transparency
Encouraging new hires to ask me any questions also establishes an environment of transparency that further builds trust by showing new hires they are valued and respected. It communicates they are an important part of the team from the moment they are on board and that they have access to honest information about the company, its leadership and the role they will be playing.
It also helps them see beyond their particular role and gain a deeper understanding of the company and its journey, which can go a long way to increase speed and depth of engagement.
Breaks Down Barriers
This practice also has the potential to break down barriers, as traditional corporate structure can create a hierarchy in which leadership is disconnected from those on the front lines. When this happens, leaders lose access to valuable information and insights.
Encourages Dialogue
By providing our new hires with answers to whatever questions they want to ask, we establish an open dialogue where we can easily show that their voice is valued and respected. We also invite them to bring to our attention issues they feel are limiting our impact.
What New Hires Ask Me
When we started this practice, we had no idea what kinds of questions new hires might ask. But we were committed to answering everything, so we prepared for anything.
We discovered the questions were tamer than we expected and also more repetitive. For example, people always want to know about the moments that have been most challenging for me. I get those kinds of questions because new hires are anxious about facing challenging moments as they launch into their new job. Hearing that the person who runs the company faces challenges and maybe even occasionally fails at them can be reassuring.
People also always ask if there are decisions I’ve made that I would change if I could. In a veiled way, this is a question about whether I’ll admit to making mistakes and by honestly answering it, I show that I am fallible and willing to admit it. My responses to this can also invite new hires into the decision-making process, highlighting how valuable their insights can be to the company’s success.
Failures and embarrassments are other topics new hires bring up regularly during initial Q&A sessions, which only serves to highlight how new hires are less interested in my strengths — which is what most CEOs are eager to share — and more interested in my weaknesses. Discussions around these topics provide an opportunity to show that your company’s success was not built on perfection but rather on perseverance, patience and a commitment to get back up when life knocks you down.
It would be easy to see our tradition as a kind of gimmicky game show in which the crowd gets to have a good laugh by putting the boss on the spot but, in reality, it’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity for all of us to connect on a deeper level, revealing how alike we are.
One of my main goals as a CEO is to lead with humanity. I want my new hires to know I’m a person just like them and this tradition helps to accomplish that from their first day at our company. It shows I understand them, value them and am committed to working alongside them to see our company achieve its goals.
