What I Didn't Know I Wasn't Seeing

 Coming with Me is a willingness to see more.

I entered this course believing strongly that people should be treated equally, that hard work matters, and that as a leader my responsibility was to support the person standing in front of me. Those beliefs are still coming with me, but they are no longer enough on their own. What has changed is my awareness of everything that may be operating around that person before I ever enter the conversation.

Intersectionality challenged me to recognize that social identities do not operate independently, and that privilege and disadvantage can exist simultaneously depending on social location. The discussions of meritocracy pushed me even further. I still believe effort, accountability, and mindset matter, but I now question who had access to the relationships, resources, safety, recognition, and opportunities that allowed that effort to become visible in the first place. That was an uncomfortable shift for me because it required me to examine explanations for my own success that I had carried for much of my adult life.

Coming with Me is also the distinction between inclusion and belonging. Throughout the course, I repeatedly returned to the realization that inviting someone into an existing system does not necessarily make that system equitable. This became increasingly clear through our discussions of gender, multiculturalism, reconciliation, and globalization. Whether considering whose leadership is viewed as legitimate, whose credentials are recognized, or whose knowledge is valued, I have learned to look beyond whether someone has been given access and ask what happens after they enter the room.

Perhaps most importantly, Coming with Me is greater responsibility as a leader. Awareness without action changes very little. I cannot assume that because a policy appears neutral, an organization values diversity, or I personally intend to treat people fairly that everyone experiences the same opportunities. I can listen, ask better questions, examine whose voices are missing, challenge assumptions I once accepted without noticing, and remain willing to change my own thinking.

I am leaving this course with fewer simple answers than I entered with, and I think that may be the point. Coming with me is the willingness to remain curious about what I cannot immediately see and the understanding that equitable leadership begins with continually questioning the conditions that shape another person's opportunity to belong, contribute, and succeed.

New Employee Questions

 Remember Your First Day? They do too.

Starting a new job is exciting. It is also one of the most vulnerable experiences an adult can have.

While leaders often focus on onboarding checklists, system access, training schedules, and process manuals, new employees are carrying a much different set of questions into the workplace.

They may not ask them out loud, but they are constantly evaluating their new environment. 

Can I do this job?

Do I belong here?

Can I trust these people?

Research on organizational socializations suggests that the success of a new employee depends on understanding the culture, expectations, relationships, and unwritten rules of the organizations (Bauer & Erdogan, 2011).

In many ways, every new employee enters an unfamiliar culture. 

They are learning a new language, system, personalities, and expectations. They are trying to understand where they fit in and how they can contribute. Every interaction becomes a clue about what is valued, tolerated, and what it takes to succeed. 

As leaders, we often underestimate the emotional work that accompanies learning.

A new employee may appear quiet, hesitant, or uncertain. What we may actually be witnessing is someone trying to make sense of their new environment while managing the natural fear of making mistakes. 

This is where leadership matters most.

Studies have found that role clarity, social acceptance, and support from supervisors are among the strongest predictors of successful onboarding and long-term employee engagement (Bauer et. al., 2007).

In other words, people thrive because someone helps them understand how they fit in.

The best leaders recognize that onboarding is not merely the transfer of information. It is the process of helping someone move from uncertainty to confidence, from outsider to contributor, and from observer to team member.

So, the next time a new employee joins the team, remember that they are not simply learning a job, they are learning whether they matter, belong, and fit in.

Research insight:

-------------- Bauer et al. (2007)

Successful onboarding is influenced by 4 key factors:

1. Role Clarity – emploees need to understand what is expected of them and how success will be measured.

2. Self-Efficacy – new hires need opportunities to build confidence in their ability to preform the job successfully.

3. Social Acceptance – Feeling welcomed, include, and valued by colleagues is a significant predicator of engagement and retention.

4. Knowledge of Culture – Employees must learn the unwritten rules, norms, and values that shape how work gets done.

People rarely leave because they did not learn the system. They often leave because they never felt they belonged.

What are you doing differently to add a layer on belonging?

References:

Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 707–721.

Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan, B. (2011). Organizational socialization: The effective onboarding of new employees. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.