From Stress to Success: How First Impressions Shape Leadership and Team Dynamics
Our family standing at the departure gate in September 2011 - crying as we say goodbye to our family and head off to Switzerland
"The beginning is the most important part of the work." — Plato
A Swiss Family Adventure
As my family and I boarded the plane to depart for Lausanne, Switzerland, via Geneva, I was filled with a mix of excitement, fear, and sadness. We were embarking on a new international assignment, and though the journey ahead was thrilling, it was also daunting. After many hours in the air, we finally landed in Geneva, greeted by an email with instructions on where to find the key to our temporary accommodation and details for our car rental. I had requested a large vehicle, knowing our family of four had packed as much as we could to get through the weeks before the rest of our belongings arrived by sea.
The "large vehicle" provided by the rental agency was anything but. It barely fit our bags, was heavily weighed down, and had a manual transmission—a skill I hadn’t used in years. As I struggled to get the car moving, it groaned and protested all the way to Lausanne. Picking up the keys from a local hotel was easy enough, but the real challenge came when we tried to find our temporary home. Exhaustion and stress took over as we drove in circles, up and down hills, unsure of our way. Eventually, the clutch gave out, leaving the engine smoking. I managed to pull over, close to what we hoped was our new apartment, but still uncertain.
While my wife and daughters set off to find the apartment building, I attempted to communicate with the car rental company's roadside assistance. My rudimentary French and lots of hand gestures finally got the point across: the car would need to be returned the next day. But that was a problem for tomorrow. Shortly after, my family returned with good news—they had found our new home. In two trips up the hill, we managed to get all our bags into the apartment.
With our stomachs growling, the next task was finding groceries. We located a small store nearby but had only minutes to grab essentials before it closed for the day—because in Switzerland, a 5 pm closing time means exactly that.
Getting Settled
It took us a few days to sort through the initial bumps of getting settled. Thankfully, my time in the office was much smoother, with a clear onboarding process in place. We loved our two years in Switzerland as a family, but the memory of those first 36 hours stays with me to this day. This experience highlights the importance of creating strong beginnings for our teams as leaders.
What We Often Get Wrong
Even with the best intentions, there are common missteps that leaders often make during transitions:
Get in Their Shoes: Before your new team member arrives, walk through the onboarding process with your team to identify what aspects—whether it’s new terminology, culture, or other elements—might be overwhelming. Build a plan to ease the transition.
Assuming We’re Clear: We might think our instructions or onboarding processes are crystal clear, but what seems straightforward to us can be confusing to someone new. It’s easy to overlook how overwhelming the experience can be for someone unfamiliar with the environment.
Making Them Drink From a Fire Hose: In the rush to get new team members up to speed, we often bombard them with too much information or too many tasks at once. This can lead to burnout before they’ve even settled in. Slow it down and make the information digestible.
Ignoring Their Feelings: We focus on logistics and forget that emotional support is equally important. Transitioning to a new role or environment can be a vulnerable time, and offering a listening ear or encouragement can make a huge difference. Daily or weekly check-ins can be a game-changer for new team members.
Who Needs Feedback?: After setting up an onboarding process, we might assume it’s working well and leave it at that. However, failing to gather feedback from those who’ve gone through it means missing opportunities for improvement. A couple of months after our ordeal, the company revised its policy for new arrivals, arranging for a van and driver to pick up incoming employees, take them to their residence, and provide what they needed to settle in after a long journey. It was clear I wasn’t alone in this experience, and the feedback loop helped shape a better experience for the next round of new team members and their families.
You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression: We often underestimate how lasting the first few days or weeks can be. These initial experiences set the tone for an employee’s entire tenure and can greatly influence their perception of the company and their role within it.
Closing Thoughts
"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." — Vincent Van Gogh
Throughout our careers, we encounter pivotal moments. As leaders, our role is to support our team members through these transitions. A good rule of thumb is to reflect on our own experiences and ask, "What would have made this easier for me?"
That first day in Switzerland still stirs feelings of stress and anxiety. If we want to create lasting employee experiences, we must recognize that first impressions are crucial. Let’s commit to raising the bar as leaders and ensuring that these moments set the stage for success.
