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The People Gardener Podcast with Rhonda Delaney
The People Gardener Podcast with Rhonda Delaney
Crafting the Ultimate Employee Journey for Business Success
Unlock the transformative power of a finely-tuned onboarding process this week with me, Rhonda Delaney – your People Gardener – as we dissect the art of nurturing relationships within your business. We're not just talking about a hearty welcome; it's about fostering connections that last and ensuring your team feels as much a part of your brand's journey as you do. Imagine the difference when every employee is seen, heard, and valued – that's the environment we're aiming to cultivate. I'm rolling out an invaluable onboarding checklist, revealing the subtle nuances of 'soft ghosting' in professional settings, and discussing how to genuinely embody your company's values in every interaction.
This episode isn't just about the blossom of new beginnings; it's also an invitation to join an exclusive community where growth is the collective goal. By subscribing and downloading the Raving Fans Society app, you're stepping into a space buzzing with resources, coaching, and insights from quarterly guest speakers laser-focused on small business and leadership excellence. Whether it's through the free materials or the comprehensive paid membership, this is your greenhouse for growing not just a business, but a community where each member is a thriving part of your ecosystem. Join us, and let's cultivate a garden of raving fans together.
Well, hey there, welcome to the People Gardener podcast. I'm Rhonda Delaney, your host, also known as the People Gardener, thrilled to put this podcast together to help small business owners, new business owners, frustrated business owners and aspiring leaders, whether they're inside business or outside. Each week, we bring you some actionable steps so that you can actually improve your skill as a leader. That's what we're about. We're here to help you become a better leader by giving you access to lots of different perspectives. By giving you access to lots of different perspectives, the guests are varied. We're thrilled to have them. Get out your pen, get out your paper and be ready to learn Every single episode. You're going to be able to take something away that you can implement. Are you ready? Let's get to work. Well, hey there. Welcome back to the People Gardener podcast. Happy to have you here this week. Hey, I have a brand spanking new download freebie for you.
Speaker 1:It's all about onboarding. It's putting your best foot forward in onboarding new employees. It's a great starting point. It's something that you can build from. This isn't a plug and play. These are just some great foundational pieces that you need to work with and massage to make sure that it is best for you and how your business operates. Consider it kind of a checklist, an under the hood, bringing in somebody to check the structure of what you've got going. As far as onboarding is concerned, it is an incredibly important piece of the experience for new employees. So you can go to rondadelaneycom forward, slash onboarding and it will be there and we'll get you headed in the right direction and put that best foot forward.
Speaker 1:So what's been on my mind, and I don't even know why it has come up, but in fact I've had two dreams about it. So it's like okay, rhonda, this is definitely something you need to talk about on your podcast, because it's just there and it's this relatively new term called ghosting. Typically it's related to a personal, often romantic, relationship where somebody just abruptly cuts off all communication Period. They don't answer phone calls, they don't answer texts, they don't respond in any way, and the person on the receiving end is going like what's going on? They have no clue and it's considered very rude and disrespectful. It certainly says a bit more about the person who is doing the ghosting than the one that is being ghosted. So why the one that is being ghosted? So why? Why was it such a big deal in my mind that I had to have two dreams about it, and I think it's because of this new freebie, this new download and the onboarding.
Speaker 1:So often companies start out really, really animated and passionate and welcoming and then all of a sudden it stops. The interaction with the new employee, that relationship building part of it with the new employee, stops really, really unhealthy, because what's that saying to the new employee? Yeah, it says a lot. There's no empathy, there's no compassion, there's no kindness. Could be that there's no integrity, there's no follow through. This company says that they value this, but they don't value this, but they don't. There's a lot of negative connotations that go on and it certainly is detrimental to your mission of transforming employees into raving fans so that you have more freedom in your life and more profit in your business. It doesn't bode well if you're just going to abandon these people as soon as you hire them on.
Speaker 1:So what are some of the things that are the red flag, that could be classified as ghosting? Well, you have somebody come in, fine, they fill out all the paperwork, they go to their desk or their cubicle or they log on if they're remote, and that first day there's lots of attentiveness to anything that they might need. Day two rolls around and sometimes there's not even a hello. They get to their desk or they log on and there's no checking in. One of the biggest challenges of small business owners is the many hats that you're wearing and you trying to focus on all of these hats. And the reason you still have the hats and this is a completely separate topic is your refusal to delegate to people who could take things off your plate so that you could be more intentional and more focused when you need to be, and you need to be when there is a new employee.
Speaker 1:Now you may have someone in your operation that you've delegated this to, and congratulations if you have, but if they're not doing their job, if you're not following up and making sure that this new employee is being communicated with continually, constantly, as they're working through Now, I'm not saying every minute of every day, sometimes it might be a day or two in between, but there has to be a regular interaction with them in order to build a relationship with them. In order to build a relationship and that is what you're trying to do with every single employee is build a relationship so that they know that you have their back, they know that they're appreciated, they know, without a doubt, that they are seen and they are heard. None of those things can happen if you're not interacting with them regularly. So my question to you is are you ghosting during the onboarding process? That's one area, but then what about the rest of your employees, the other ones that have been there for maybe a few months, a few years, a whole bunch of years? Are you continuing to interact so that you are building this relationship, or are you ghosting? And that soft ghosting is just a slower non-communication that happens with that Onboarding?
Speaker 1:To me, it is what sets the tone for the experience that this new employee is going to have in your organization. And when you do it right, when you do it with enthusiasm and integrity and do it intentionally, they know quickly that you are a person of your word, know quickly that you are a person of your word. You are someone that values sticking to what you said you're going to do. And they can, they can, I'm going to say they can let their shoulders down and they can rest easy that, hey, this person said that this is what was going to happen when I started with this company, and now it's actually happening. So I can believe them. I can believe them when they say that they're so happy that I'm here.
Speaker 1:So check yourself for any ghosting that you might be doing and get in there and build those relationships with people. And again, check out the freebie it's rondadelaneycom. Forward slash onboarding. Check out your procedure right now. Tweak it. Do what's necessary so that you if you're the one that is doing the onboarding as the business owner, that you have a workable plan that makes sense to how you're running your business and what is necessary to make sure that this new employee feels valued right from the get-go and that they have a positive view of you, the business owner, and the company, because ultimately, what you want is employees that absolutely love to come to work, they love their job, they love you and they love the company and the company's customers, because that employee is going to be highly productive and will have your back so that you don't have to be there all the time, if that's your choice.
Speaker 1:Most small business owners started because they wanted more freedom, and most of them are. I've got a ball and chain around them with regards to their business Because they can't leave. They haven't developed a team of people that can give them that freedom. So that's it for this week. We will talk to you next week.
Speaker 1:Well, thanks for joining me today. Just a quick reminder if you are not on my email list, go to my website, rondadelaneycom, and there's a place there that you can subscribe, keep you up to date on all things people, gardening and leadership. And also a reminder that the Raving Fans Society app is available on the Apple Store and the Google Store. I do have a free membership in there that you'll be able to access some of my material, and then there's also a paid membership, and right now it's $49 a month and you will receive access to all of my material, all of the teaching content, including a resource library that will really help you along, as well as group coaching every month and then quarterly bringing in guests that will talk on topics that pertain to small business owners and leadership. Thanks again for listening and we'll see you again next week.