I was fretting a few weeks ago about how to evaluate a staff member with whom I’d never worked, but about whom I’d heard an awful lot. It’s a challenge to step into a new environment as a blank slate — everyone wants to scribble on you. I trusted the background information I was receiving, but still wondered how I’d be able to get an accurate reading for myself with limited time and all the other static in the line that comes with taking on a new role with new people in a new organization.
It turns out, there’s no magic involved. People will tell you who they are if you listen to them. My first meeting with the employee in question revealed about half of what I’d heard to be true, with a few subtleties. My second meeting, the next day, proved out the rest and a few to spare. There wasn’t any digging or hypnosis involved. Just talking, listening, and being open to what’s going on.
The really hard thing, of course, is acting on that knowledge. But that’s another story for another day.