Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building and GOALAJV. This is the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode three, p. Forty one. Let's talk about something that every leader has experienced, and that's a new hire's first day. Think about your first day at
a new job. Did anyone pronounce your name correctly? Did anyone actually talk to you beyond the tour and paperwork, or did you eat lunch in your car wondering what you just signed up for. Now, let's fast forward ten years into the future. What if your organization was known for making day one unforgettable in the best way possible. I'm not talking about a generic welcome email or the
usual PowerPoint about company values. I'm talking about designing an experience so personal, so unexpected, and so emotionally dialed in that your new team member texts their spouse at lunch and says, I've never felt this scene and valued on day one before. That's what this episode is about. Building the future of onboarding, So let's break that down. Step one. Pre boarding is the new onboarding ten years from now, the real day one starts before they ever walk through
the door. You'll send them a pre onboarding link, not a boring PDF or checklist, but an interactive portal that has a sixty second welcome video from their direct supervisor, their team, and even the CEO. And yes, it should include everyone's name with phonetic pronunciation. That little touch tells people we see you, and include an about you section that they can fill out with their favorite snacks, their allergies, what music gets them in the zone, their coffee order.
You're not being nosy, You're preparing to connect. And number two first impressions start with tech in time. Day one should not begin with waiting for it to find a monitor, cable or struggling to log into the Wi Fi. By the time they arrive, their device should be powered on, customized with a welcome screen, a Slack message already waiting from their team, and digital tools personalized to how they work.
Ten years from now, smart desks will remember their height settings, AI will preload their onboarding flow based on roll, and their company profile will already have their photo and other relevant information because you asked for it before they walked. In Step three, skip the tour, start with impact. Ditch the laminated maps and endless facility tours. Instead, start their day with a mission moment. Introduce them to a client, a patient, or a project that represents the heart of
your work. Let them feel the why behind your organization. People remember what they felt, not what they were told. And if you're a remote, schedule a one on one zoom with someone who's been deeply impacted by your service bonus, record it and let the new employee keep that videos motivation. Step four, assign a day one guide ten years from now.
Forget the mentor in week two model, your new hire should have a day one guide, a peer who isn't their supervisor, whose only job that day is to walk beside them, answer the awkward questions, and help them feel like they belong. This is not the HR rep. It's someone in the trenches, someone who tells them where the real coffee is, where people actually eat lunch, who not to send a group email to unless you want your day ruined. In other words, real talk from real people.
Step five Use AI to enhance, not replace, the human touch. A decade from now, smart onboarding assistance will deliver just in time learning. Think push notifications that explain company jargon after a meeting, or smart badges that glow when they're near someone from their department so they can make connections faster. But here's the future proof truth. AI does not replace hospitality. You still need to walk with them to their first meeting. You still need to check in at the end of
the day and ask how did today feel. You still need to say we're glad you're here and actually mean it. Step six make it shareable. Today's day one photos are selfies with a desk nameplate. Ten years from now, your organization should design share worthy Day one experiences. Have a branded welcome wall where new hires take photos with their guide. Post welcome messages from the team on your internal social feeds. Maybe their office playlist is playing when they arrive because
you ask what songs fire them up. Give them a welcome box with items that mean something, like a pin that says day one legacy starts today, and step seven cap the day with purpose. Don't let day one end with awkward silence in an empty inbox. Schedule a short end of the day debrief with their supervisor and their guide. Ask them three questions, what surprised you today, what felt exciting? What's one thing we could do better for the next
new hire and record their answer. This feedback is gold and it shows you care not just about their start, but also about their voice. So I have to admit this episode is inspired by my company's day one. I've wrestled with it for years, how to make it better, more memorable, And I started thinking about what this might look like in the future, and why can't some of this start now? Because I strongly believe that ten years from now, the companies with the best retention won't be
the ones with ping pong tables and pizza parties. They'll be the ones who treat day one like a first impression that lasts forever. So here's your challenge. Audit your day one experience would you want to experience? If not, fix it, make it unforgettable, because when you get day one right, you don't just gain an employee, you ignite the future. This has been the seven minute Leadership podcast, and I thank you for listening. For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com.