Doubling down

Heart And Hustle
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

In the middle of my morning, I got a message from one of the employees that I had started the group discussions with the previous week. This is significant because while I went through the hiring and on-boarding process with this employee, they have never reached out to me before. When I had attempted, they were friendly but guarded at each turn. Hence, the moment I saw the message, I responded.

This employee specifically referenced something that I had shared in the group discussion. They had no reason to know that I had picked them on purpose for that talk and that we shared this mutual interest. I did… though! Social engineering is totally within my wheelhouse. We chatted a bit and I provided the employee with some cross-over value to which they responded positively. I was in and needed to formulate a plan. I knew from this employee that they are very understated by choice. They like being somewhat mysterious. It was time to mirror that behavior in an effort to join.

It was obvious what I needed to do. This employee expresses the love language of gift giving and so I began to scheme. I would leave this item on the employee’s desk once they had left work without any notification of who it was from. It would be all about patience after that. I continued on with my day as more information of connections forming increased.

The employees that had been notified that someone was interested in them were asking each other out to lunch, sending emails and slack messages to one another for the first time. Was this working? I wanted to be excited. I also know that my sample size is small and that I am in this for the long play. I need more data. The only way to get it is to dig in. So, I started another one on one session.

This employee and I connected all the way through from hiring to on-boarding and slightly beyond. They are introverted in nature and a high level thinker. We can easily go meta together. We gel but they are not someone that actively reaches out. How I present matters greatly with them, where I have a bit more wiggle room with other employees. Our discussion did not disappoint. We engaged by interweaving the ideas of how their favorite characters and plot lines revolve around reverse-engineering. They enjoy the process of figuring things out rather than being bluntly presented with all the information up front. Great! That conversation went beautifully!

I go about my day connecting employees together. Soon, it became very apparent that I have no insight into who individuals pick to want to get to know better. It is awesome! I am baffled by the answers I get and it makes me giddy. There is something going on and I want to understand. The systemic ripples motivate me to my core.

There is so much to learn and I can’t help but think of Gary Vaynerchuk when he says, “Double down on your strengths.” as I put the item on the employee’s desk and wait to see what happens the next day. There is no mistaking I am on to something and however this unfolds I feel fully engaged to see it through!

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Heart And Hustle

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Documenting my HR journey within a startup…

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