We can get new team members better acclimated to the group and to the work of the group’s initiative when we take the time to get to know them and understand what’s important to them. Additionally, by getting to know them, we begin to establish a strong working relationship as well as build trust with them. Whether we are a team leader or a member of the team in a non-leadership role, we can and should take the time to get to know other team members.
Consider these 6 ways to get to know new team members.
- Introduce yourself! Don’t wait for an introduction by someone else. Reach out and introduce yourself to the new team member. Make them feel welcome and comfortable on their first day.
- Get interested in them personally. Establish the basis for a strong working and trusting relationship by sharing a little about yourself (hobbies, personal interests, etc.) and then asking about them.
- Take them out to lunch or for a drink after work. They may not know many people on the team. Invite them out to lunch or to go for a drink after work. Maybe even meet early one morning for coffee. Bring along a few colleagues so they can meet some others in the organization.
- Introduce them to the rest of the team. Introduce them to the rest of the team with whom they will be working; but go beyond simply a name introduction. For example, “Bill, meet Jack. Jack is a new member of the team and specializes in application development. Jack loves to play volleyball on weekends. Jack, Bill has been with the team for 5 years. He has a background in technology infrastructure and he and his wife just had a beautiful baby girl named Emma.”
- Introduce them to others outside the team. Expand their knowledge of the organization through introducing them to others outside the team. This enables the new team member to get a broader understanding of the organization overall as well as enables him to establish new connections within the organization.
- Be their “go to” person on the team. Let them know that if they have any questions or concerns, they are more than welcome to come to you. Your knowledge of the organization – how it works both formally and informally – can help them to better acclimate to the culture and feel comfortable sooner.
By reaching out to new team members we broaden our own network in the organization, take on a leadership role and enables others to be successful.
