A little interaction from this past week got the wheels turning – do first impressions matter? Most of the time, it’s probably a mixed bag. But sometimes they do, very much.

One of our (early in their career) new hires asked if they could leave training early so they could go to the Outside Lands music festival.. 🙈Right? Across the Bay Area employees were likely falling ill in droves this past Friday.

Upon further discussion and a friendly nudge this fresh face ultimately realized the error and decided to stay through the days end. Will this be the defining moment of their career? Doubtful. Is it memorable? Kinda..

See, first impressions are not everything. But they’re something.

One fictional flashback that came to mind was this scene from the legal tv drama Suits where the lead Harvey Specter reminds his up and coming junior colleague Mike about their value:

Now I don’t necessarily agree with this wholeheartedly and..it’s fiction. But, given an opportunity to make a first impression with a new team should one try and make it count? Oh yeah.

Whether it’s a new role in management or advising junior team members, here’s a quick set of gut check questions that might help guide expectations and avoid a cringe inducing / first impression ruining performance:

• Are expectations clear on Day 1 so a motivated newcomer can blow them out of the water?
• Is the individual grasping role acumen & higher level company strategy throughout the onboarding period?
• Are there opportunities to ask questions and gather feedback from training?
• How often are check ins happening? Is there a peer resource who can help carry the load?
• Is there an internal checklist to rate their progression on a scale from previous hires?
  • Trajectory will vary but this can catch course correctable problems earlier

First impressions can matter. Help your team make the most of them. But don’t forget that ultimately it’s how we all perform over the long term that really counts.