So how can you tell if it’s just new-hire jitters or if they’re not a good fit for the role? To help, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) weigh in on the following question:

“What’s one sign that onboarding isn’t going well and that the new hire might not be a good fit for the role?”

Here’s what they recommend you look out for.

1. Poor Treatment of Others

“I always look to see how they are treating their managers and fellow employees. That tells me a lot about how long they are planning to stay, their character and overall commitment to the role. If they are pushing back on current procedures or acting uninterested with their managers, that is a telltale sign they won’t be a good fit for the organization.” ~ Nic DeAngelo, Saint Investment Group

2. Consistent Mistakes

“It takes time for a new hire to adapt to the new work culture and learn the new ways of doing things. But some candidates continue to make mistakes even after repeated reminders. They just can’t follow the instructions. If you have someone like that, they are clearly not someone you want on the team.” ~ Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite

3. Dismissed Feedback

“One sign that onboarding isn’t going well and the new hire might not be a good fit for the role is when the candidate is dismissing feedback. A good hire will always learn the team dynamics and new ways of doing things, no matter how experienced they are. If they aren’t taking notes of the feedback, you know you have the wrong person on the team.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

4. Tension With Existing Employees

“One sign that onboarding a new hire isn’t going well is if they aren’t getting along with existing colleagues. This may be a sign of unfriendliness and a bad attitude, which could lead to an overall negative atmosphere. It’s important that new hires start with enthusiasm and a willingness to get along with everyone while doing their tasks.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

5. Pushback on Procedures

“New hires who push back on procedures are typically not a good fit. It’s OK for a new hire to ask why things are done a certain way to try to fully understand, but it’s another thing to push back on procedures just because the new hire doesn’t like the established processes. There will be opportunities to bring new ideas to the table, but first, new hires need to show they can follow directions.” ~ Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com

6. Inconsistent Communication

“Undue delays and a lapse in communication are often sure signs of a bad fit. An effective hire tends to make mistakes and ask for feedback fast. At Fractal, we’ve had similar experiences working with A-players we’ve brought in. When problems happen surrounding deliverable dates without any follow-up communication, it’s a sign that the new hire is struggling and might be a bad fit.” ~ Brent Liang, Fractal

7. Negative Feedback From the Team

“Onboarding usually fails on a personal level. With a clearly outlined job, the majority of failures will be interpersonal skills that were missed in the interview process. Constantly check in not only with the new hire, but also with the trusted team members around them. If someone is showing you a different image than your team is reporting, it’s most likely time for them to go.” ~ Jason Azevedo, MRCA

8. Failure to Ask Questions

“If the new hire has no questions about the work culture, it is a red flag. Onboarding doesn’t mean dumping all the information on the new hire in a fixed template. It means creating a space that helps them ease into their role. If you are telling them everything, they might struggle to make it by themselves when you are out of the picture. Motivate them to ask questions. Show, don’t tell.” ~ Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day

9. A Lack of Attention to Detail

“A lack of attention to detail is one sign we look for when we’re trying to decide if someone is a good fit for a role. If they don’t seem to care about the little things, it’s a sign that they might not be cut out for the job. It’s important to bring these issues up early and to support the new hire, but if they continue to show a lack of attention to detail, it might be time to let them go.” ~ Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

10. Poor Commitment

“All new employees take a while to demonstrate competence, but commitment, or the lack thereof, is often apparent right away. If the new hire isn’t fully engaging themself in the training for the job, whether it’s by coming in late or leaving early or maybe just not asking the questions that any committed new employee would have, that’s often a big red flag.” ~ Kyle Michaud, Carolina Dozer

The post 10 Red Flags That May Indicate Your New Hire Is a Bad Fit appeared first on De-Fine-Rs.DC.

When you communicate well with your team, it helps eliminate misunderstandings and can encourage a healthy and peaceful work environment. Efficient and open communication with your team will also let you get work done quickly and professionally.

The moment you get the lines of communication open with your team, the process of carrying out tasks and projects will most likely go by smoothly. Plus you will be surprised how meeting targets will become a whole lot easier.

Ways to Create Effective Communication in the Workplace

1. Open Meeting

It is easier to communicate your passion and how you feel to your team via open meetings. In this kind of forum, they will not only hear what you are saying, they will also see and feel it. This approach still remains one of the best approaches to communicate effectively with a team.

2. Emails

In official settings, communication via email remains potent. It will enable you to pass messages to members of your team without pulling them out of their workstations.

3. One on One

Experts have been able to prove that some people understand better when you take them aside and talk to them on a one-on-one basis. Ensure that you maintain eye contact with them to enable the message to sink in.

4. Create a Receptive Atmosphere

To effectively communicate with your team, you must create a receptive atmosphere. Avoid a tense environment at all costs because when you communicate in an overly intense manner, the message you are trying to share might not be well understood or retained.

5. Communication via Training

Your training should be tailored towards communicating certain information to your team members. Most employees take training serious, especially when it’s part of their appraisal.

6. Display Confidence and Seriousness

Ensure that you display confidence and seriousness to ensure that you will not be taken for granted. When your team members notice any uncertainty and lack of seriousness when you’re communicating with them, they are likely to treat the information with disdain or disregard.

7. Use Simple Words

The truth is that everybody cannot be on same page when it comes to vocabulary. Therefore, to be effective in your communications with your team members, use words that can be easily understood. When ambiguous words are used, you can be misunderstood and/or waste precious time having to explain yourself.

8. Use Visuals

Place visuals at strategic positionsaround the workstations of your team. They should not just hear the message, they should also see it. This gives room for better comprehension.

9. Listen to Your Team Members

Communication is intended to be a two way street. Don’t just talk because you are the leader without listening to anyone else. Encourage them to open up so you can be well guided when communicating in the future with them. You have two ears and one mouth –so you must listen more than you speak.

10. Use Body Language

Your body language will pass your message faster and better. Master the art of using body language when communicating with your team. Stand/sit up straight, use smiles, handshakes and eye contact.

11. Act Out Your Message

Someone once said, “Tell me what you want me to do and I might forget it, but do it in front of me and I will never forget it.” Acting out your message is a very potent way of communicating with your team. Let them see you do what you want them to do, and watch their excuses disappear.

12. Use The Appropriate Tone of Voice

One word can mean a different thing when said in a different tone of voice. Make sure you use the appropriate tone of voice to communicate your message to your team so that you won’t be misunderstood and discourage or demotivate members or cause them to shut down completely out of fear.

13. Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

If you want your team members to take you serious, never sound like a broken record and don’t beat a dead horse. Tell your team members what you want them to know or do and ask them if they are clear about it. If they are not, only then do you repeat what you have said.

14. Use Presentations

Some people grasp messages easily when pictures and sounds are involved. Using presentations like Microsoft PowerPoint to communicate with your team will give them the opportunity to refer back to it if they aren’t clear about certain things.

15. Be Humorous

Using friendly jokes when communicating with your team members will help pass your message along in a more relaxed way. This method of communication has been proven to be a highly effective way of dousing tension. When the atmosphere is unfriendly and intense, being humorous does the trick. If you must use jokes, please don’t overdo it. Remember, you are not a stand-up comedian.

16.  Be Articulate

Communication is indeed a skill that must be learned by all, especially if you want to lead any group of people. Being articulate  when you communicate to your team members makes it easier for them to understand your message.

17. Avoid Mumbling

Your team members should be able to hear you clearly. When communicating with them, try as much as possible to speak clearly and not mumble words. When you mumble words or speak too quickly, you may assume that they are clear on the subject. But the truth is, they might not be. It also shows a lack of confidence on your part.

18. Encourage Feedback

Don’t just talk and walk away. Give room for feedback so that you can measure the effectiveness of your style of communication. It will also afford you the privilege of knowing if your message was well understood.

19. Gesticulate

Use your hands to demonstrate your message. Make hand motions and signals to establish the seriousness of your subject matter when communicating with your team members. This shows that you understand what you are trying to relay to them. Just don’t let your body movement become too exaggerated and intense.

20. Be Appreciative

After every communication session, via whatever means you have decided, always remember to thank your listeners for their time. It will cost you nothing and it’s a simple courtesy.

Remember that the point of working as a team is to share ideas and boost productivity. When effective communication in the workplace is hampered, it can sidetrack the entire effort.

You must work hard at these communication tactics and create ground rules to keep everyone up to date, which helps avoid confusion and ensure the completion of the project with ease.

The post 20 Ways to Communicate Effectively With Your Team appeared first on De-Fine-Rs.DC.