How to Assimilate new talent with old-Continued

In continuation with the earlier post on why assimilation of new talent with old talent becomes seemingly difficult, let's attempt to understand this from another analogous system-Human physiology. 
Any new addition to our body develops something doctors call anti-bodies which try and fight these new foreign bodies, so whether it is a new organ or medicine the body is trained to fight it out and expunge it even though it actually may be good for the body. This is also the reason for the concept of a vaccine which makes the body immune to the main disease. You inject the person with some quantum of the disease so that the body is fit to fight the main disease.

Similarly, in organizations we often bring the Gladiators a step before their time, If the timing is wrong, high powered teams result in either getting thrown out of the system or demolish the system with the intent of creating a new. 

If one notices carefully, all new professionals generally bunch together and let me tell you with confidence whine and share their sorrow in unanimity (often at the local bar!). 

They seem themselves as one fraternity which is cursing themselves for landing in this place. They feel that they have done a favour by coming to this company vis a vis having joined an MNC or some super professional system. They are one team formed voluntarily that stands against the old(Birds of the same feather).

Hence to alleviate this problem, bring in people who are just right for that part of the growth phase. Not too high, not too low. So if you need someone to take the company from Point B to C don’t get one who has the experience to move the system from E to F. This is the vaccine we are talking of-small doses...

Another reason that these assimilation's don’t work is because of the professionals Demi-God status, the owners expectations rightfully increases and he/she feels that if I am paying them a premium they should be delivering from next week, next day, next minute. It’s like the meter of a limousine flagged down and the best part-he must know everything. The moment there is a mismatch there is dissonance and the Owner starts feeling that this is the wrong hire, I am not getting ROI. 

It’s not the wrong hire, it’s the wrong setting and management. I always encourage top management to have a change session with the system and with several Bluesky companies have adopted it in the form of Town Halls and other Training initiatives; explain to the team why are we doing this and before that what are we trying to doing, why must we do it, what happens if we don’t do it, how will they benefit….

Most owners do not feel the need to do such things thinking that why simply waste the time of these hardworking people, why create insecurity, what value addition can they make to these new people, in fact they should feel happy with these new people coming in because of the training and systems they will bring along. Of course some owners don't know where to start or fear the implications of initiating some things like this.

Another aspect owners must avoid is to make these new professionals the panacea for all problems. Since they talk the right things and have claimed to see the world and organizations, they are considered the last word on everything. They are pulled into everything and their opinion is sought on every aspect. It’s like “full vasool…”. My advise would be to have them achieve their own wins that enable them to build internal equity and credibility. With that acceptance will come easier.

The HR role to support these new professionals is very important as these individuals not only need a sponge to express their frustration but to also rationalize and arbitrate their complaints. However the HR must have that understanding and weight to pull this off. Recently one of the new inducted professionals in one of our portfolio companies made a statement that “if I continue like this, I will become like them and then no one will give me a job…”When I visit our clients 40-50% of the time goes in hearing these people out and mentoring them. Hence it’s imperative that you need a good professional system if you intend to bring top professionals.

The next thing owners must do is to have discussions with the old war horses making it clear that it is a shared responsibility to make these new professionals successful and any one working against that interest will be viewed differently. Moreover everyone stops to grow unless the company escapes the present orbit and to have a smooth escape we need these new professionals to navigate us. Make it known that they are here to stay. Those that are adamant must be made examples-devoid of emotions but with respect.

The fears of the old veterans must also be mitigated as now they realize that with these individuals coming in their importance will steadily decline. It’s an insecurity problem and human hence the HR must address these concerns too.

Communication meets, Review meets, Town halls, Skip levels, change sessions etc are all steps in the direction to reduce the chances of failure but more importantly when any new professional joins provide him with a detailed Job role and I don’t mean the “normal dhobi list-JD” but clearly articulating the decisions he can take, his powers, MIS etc and have his KPI’s clearly agreed with measuring systems.

These are some aspects which will make professionals settling in the organization easier and successful.

Assimilating and integrating new talent with the old

At the outset, let me wish you a very Happy New Year and I believe most entrepreneurs are reasonably optimistic for the new year than the one that has gone by. I do hope these expectations comes true...and if the business environment does indeed improve, it would probably once again trigger recruitment of talent, managers and leaders in many companies to support these plans.

My discussion with several entrepreneurs in the recent past revolved around one aspect; How do you blend the new talent with the old dependable war horses and most companies struggle to get this right. This is one challenge that Bluesky has heard extensively and is generally the standard kitchen order when contracted!! Handling such situations are extremely tricky, complex and if not properly supported can lead to situations that are quite irreversible..

In fact in quite a few experiences, the entire investment has gone futile pushing back the company even further behind from where it started.

For the benefit of some of our clients let me provide some understanding to these dynamics and animate the dilemmas and forces at play.

The old veterans(Ghar ki Murgi) are those individuals that have been loyal, trusted and dependable over the years and who personally have a direct connect and attachment with the entrepreneur(older gen). These are the ones who may not have the capabilities or perfection expected but have nevertheless weathered all storms to bring the company to the level where it presently stands. In fact the new talent that companies wish to hire could be afforded only because of these committed and zealous individuals that work more for the success of the owner than the company. They are in many cases like the extended family of the entrepreneurs and also treated in that manner.

The entrepreneur may often scream at these individual, admonish him, treat him roughly but would also show his/her affection by relying on his advise, views, suggestions. In fact these "holy cows" in most cases have a direct access to the owners and are rarely restricted by structures etc.

However most entrepreneurs know that these individuals do not have the potential to navigate the company to the next level. They indeed have reached a saturation or better put, hit a glass ceiling. In other words they have been the heroes of the past and possibly present but distinctly not the champions of the future(But they are never told about this). So the company rightly realizes that we need individuals and talent who have operated in the higher turf and look to hiring such professionals.

The new Gladiators who are hired are sometimes made to feel like as if they are "Demi Gods" brought to change the world. To attract these individuals, most entrepreneurs do all the gimmicks and marketing thinking that they will seek redemption and by joining will take their respective companies to a higher level. Of course compensation is the potent bait with most of them being offered remuneration that are even thrice then what the "old veterans" are getting. These gladiators are generally high profile professionals coming in from top notch companies and often MNC's.

Every entrepreneur that has gone through this phase feel excited with expressions like Mr XYZ from L&T, GE etc has joined us and so on so forth. They feel like they have the Jacks and Queens in the card deck and strong to take on the world.

Anyone would feel proud to encounter these experiences only until the fairy tale ends with the high profile gladiator putting in his resignation and the best of it is where all handing over the reigns to the "old veteran". The outcome of all this is that the investment on the gladiator has gone done the tube, the old veteran generally becomes richer because of him extracting higher compensation (leverages on the disparity in what he gets and what is paid to the Gladiator) and worst of all the old veteran has become mightier to have successfully warded off an attack on his turf....Individuals within now bow down to him more lower than earlier, fear him more than before and the entrepreneur is licking his wounds or rather more vividly wiping the egg on his face clueless on what to do next..

Sad ending in many companies trying to escape to the next level. Stay tuned for the next post to know the nuances around this...