Team Member: From Hand-holding to Autonomy

"A new member joining a team is like a new baby coming into the family!"

We all spend quite a bit of time identifying the right team member. We must spend much more time after they join to ensure the new member's success.

- The first phase is like a newborn. There is a lot of hand-holding needed and a lot of information has to be fed proactively. They need help at every step while they are getting comfortable with the environment. 

- The second phase is like a toddler. They are just beginning to start doing things on their own. They will still need a lot of guidance and support to stabilize themselves. Make them comfortable with the work they are doing.

- The third phase is like a primary school student. They are on their own for the majority of the tasks. They simply need more oversight, support, and learning guidance. Their needs are to be taken care of as per their desire to a great extent.

- The fourth phase is like a teenager. They now have a say in all the decisions that happen across the board. They need to be treated equally and should be taken into confidence. Demands will be higher and have to be handled in a mature manner.

- The fifth phase onwards is more like an adult. This is when they are able to have complete ownership, independent thinking and execution. They now have a lot of depth and understanding which helps them accelerate the organization towards the vision.

Today, the industry is agile, and loyalty is rare from both ends. When we are building an organization, all this matters in order to have that fantastic aligned team that can carry the legacy. The timeline of these phases depends on the amount of time we put along with the team members. 

What is your take? Who are those team members whom you are proud of and have been there for years together in your journey of organization building?