Bad Leader Chronicle: Ineffective onboarding

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My goal is to share brief stories about ineffective leaders with practical tips on how to apply highly effective behaviors & skills.

A few months ago, I witnessed something horrendous. I was out to eat at a restaurant. An employee came over and gave us water and menus and told us it was her first day (as if to ask us to be extra patient with her). A little while later, no one else had come to the table, the new employee came over again and started taking our order. Almost immediately, the manager/owner came over and told the new employee that she was only supposed to be bussing tables and provided her with a little bit of instruction (for the first time). This all happened right in front of us so I was privy to seeing their interaction. 

I was appalled and cringing. In what world did this girl NOT know what her job entailed after starting her first shift? What were the conversations they had where she got the job? Her boss hadn’t given her ANY instruction or indication as to what she was supposed to be doing. Then, her boss let her start her first shift entirely winging it. Bravo to her for stepping up to do what she thought needed to be done (serving us). 

Here’s an example of what NOT to do. Please do NOT let employees start a job without any knowledge of their duties, expectations, instructions, training/onboarding. 

This establishment is consistently closed because they don’t have enough staff… and it’s clear why – ineffective leadership.

See this for more: Best practices for effective onboarding