2 Tips for Introducing a New Team Member

Most of us work in teams instead of isolation, which makes having healthy team dynamics vital to our productivity. What happens when introducing a new team member to a high-performance team?

I recommend thinking of a fancy saltwater aquarium when working on team dynamics. If you are familiar with these aquariums, then you know that great thought and care is taken when introducing a new fish.

Think of your teams in the same way!

Here are my top 2 tips for introducing a new team member to an existing team without disrupting team dynamics:

1 | Value Your Team’s Opinion

You need to have a conversation with the existing team before introducing the new member.

Here are some questions worth asking them: What are they missing? What skills and behaviors are needed in the team to be even more successful?

Document their responses and prioritize their needs when hiring or recruiting.

2 | Introducing the New Team Member

Be sure to introduce the new team member to the team and have an open conversation where concerns can be addressed.

Here is a great question to ask them: Are roles and responsibilities well understood moving forward?

Through my work with organizations and employee engagement surveys, I consistently see disruptions in team dynamics when team members do not hold each other accountable for their responsibilities, which leads to conflict.

The effort in cultivating this type of communication has a high return on the investment over time.

Recommended Reading: There is a great graphic in this article, reinforcing the importance of team building activities. Also, if you are reading this and rate your team as toxic, here is one of the best articles you can read to improve your team’s dynamics.

What other strategies have you had success with when introducing a new team member into a high-performance team?

I would love to hear your success stories in the comments below.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to get in touch!