Avid sports fans may recall the name Wally Pipp. If you don’t know Pipp, he’s the first baseman who, in 1925, asked New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins to bench him for a day due to a headache. He was replaced in the lineup—that game and for the next 2,129—by Lou Gehrig.
Pipp was an accomplished player, but Gehrig was a rookie who was ready, willing and able. He didn’t necessarily tear up the league in his first year, but that is to be expected of rookies.
What about your corporate roster? No doubt, there are rookies on your team. Are they getting their fair share of play so they build experience and can be of value to your team?
Like sports teams, every company has its rookies, too many of which are sitting on the bench. They’re playing supporting roles—taking notes, proofing memos, answering emails and phone calls, populating spreadsheets, or just plain observing. That’s fine in moderation. Yet even the greenest employees can, and must, be given roles with responsibility and accountability. They may strike out at first, but that is part of the game…and part of the process of becoming competent.
Here’s my mantra: Put the rookie in the game and see if he or she can play. Sure there’s risk. After all, how many corporate rookies are the next Gehrig? Few. We’ve all been burned by giving subordinates too much to handle too soon in their careers. However, ask yourself: Could more support and supervision have avoided these errors?
Here are low-risk ways of getting rookies up to speed so they can start creating value.
Look around your office. Is there a rookie sitting on the bench but ready to play? If so, take a risk, and put the kid in the game.
More than half of the manufacturer’s employee base is formerly incarcerated—tapping into an underutilized talent…
When credible voices retreat, social media "hacks" fill the void. Northwestern Mutual's CEO shares four…
In a buyer-led market with stretched sales cycles, quarterly reviews aren't enough. CEOs need weekly…
Getting to know the many sides of your team members—their hobbies, interests, backgrounds, previous work…
To drive customer loyalty today, it's not about delivering the lowest price, but rather personalized…
By blending Wall Street rigor, franchise savvy, and Hollywood-style branding, Khalid has transformed Take 5…