According to this Fortune article, it’s because they don’t know what’s expected of them. “A big reason is that a huge percentage of new employees, including new managers, are not clearly told what they were hired to do or what their goals should be for the first six months and the first year.”
Makes good sense.
Apparently, nearly 50% of employees fail in the first 18 months of their jobs. And we’re not just talking about individual contributors, either. Actually, the higher up you are, the more likely you are to fail.
But it seems to me that blaming lack of direction for failure doesn’t address the whole problem. It’s a company’s fault for not providing enough direction – but it’s an employee’s fault for not seeking one out. Beyond that, bad managers, personality mismatches and lack of appropriate competencies are all good reasons for why new employees fail.
It’s always been a belief of mine that taking a job (or hiring someone) is like the beginning of a new relationship. There are all kinds of reasons why personal relationships fail. I’m sure we’re all familiar with many of them. Sometimes, even knowing our goals for the relationships is not enough to keep it alive when other parts are missing.
Check the article out, there’s even a cool quiz to take to find out if you’ll succeed in your new job.
July 2nd, 2006 at 8:32 am
i joined the current company nine months ago. At the begining, i was struglling to find out what to achieve and how, but i still kind of not sure till now. After reading the article, i am sure ( not to put excuse on others) it is true that I will fail for the company did not give me clear direction neither the gole to achieve within the first year.
my job is to find exclusive brands for our 200 stores in China. It is difficult and more difficut if the inter strategy is not clear.
however, if i would like to turn the situation around, what shall i do now.
December 9th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Hello Max,
This is a very interesting subject that has always been a project of mine, in fact I’ve even wrote a book on a similar subject.
One of the areas that I have been published on is the subject of “Collaborative Intelligence” or (CQ). The subject of collaboration in the work place goes hand in hand with why employees fail.
I try and teach management how to use practical “CQ Tools” and processes that help teams and leaders:
• Attract & retain high quality team members
• Create a sense of meaningful participation
• Collaborate in highly effective ways
• Connect to a strong sense of purpose
• Balance leadership and followship
If you would like to know more about my writings, feel free to go to StephanJamesJoyce.com or feel free to Google my book “Teaching an Anthill to Fetch”.
I look forward to your future blogs!
Stephen Joyce