Volodymyr Hondar’s Post

As my career progressed and teams grew, it became challenging to know everyone like I used to, which really bothered me. One of the practices I established many years ago is ensuring I get 1:1 time within the first few weeks of a new team member's arrival. It's a typical practice, I think. The only goal of the meeting is to connect with someone in some meaningful way for both of us. No platitudes. No corporate vision talk. I am insanely curious to discover something that allowed us a path to remember. I have one question that almost always guarantees we'll get there: "What is something about you that I might not learn about for another three years that you can share today?" The looks I get are alone worth the question. There is so much implied in that question. First, I see us still connected in three years. Second, there is so much about you we'll both learn and probably never stop learning about each other. Third, there is absolute room to bring "you" to work; in fact, we highly encourage you to do so. I am amazed at everything I have learned from my teammates that I likely would never have learned organically. And these have been a powerful bond.

I wanted to share a short story about how we treat our brand-new team members. I spoke to someone from my network regarding their 'new hire'. They asked me why new people always start by wanting to give ideas about changing everything and expressed their frustration towards this behavior. Let me take a moment to answer this question. First, new ideas should always be encouraged. We all need to remember when you are meeting a new employee, you may end up reporting to them one day. Second, give the new person some creative space and welcome their feedback. You don't want to start by showing resistance to new and innovative ideas. Finally, remember the new employee has not met any of your metrics yet nor have they yet to contribute their value, so they are feeling very vulnerable. We all had a first day at work and may have many more. Welcome your new team member with open arms and listen to their ideas. It does not mean you have to immediately begin changing processes but show respect for their fresh outlook. Be kind and patient. The new team member is simply so excited to show you their skills.

Today's the day that: - You ask for the raise. - You talk to the underperformer. - You share your personal challenge. - You set clear expectations for the team. - You request flexible working hours. - You address the conflict within the team. - You seek feedback on your performance. - You provide constructive feedback. - You share your innovative idea. - You celebrate a team's small win. - You ask for mentorship. - You clarify the project vision. - You seek professional development. - You recognize someone's hard work. - You express your career aspirations. Every conversation feels awkward until you have it. Embrace the discomfort. It’s where growth begins. P.S. - What would you add? P.P.S - I am taller than the Giraffe --- Reshare ♻️ this to inspire someone else Follow Garvey Seaton for more.

A Better Way to Welcome New Team Members When you bring on new team members, it’s important to carefully and deliberately integrate them into the group. Otherwise, newcomers can feel isolated or become marginalized. Make everyone feel more comfortable by: Preparing your group for new arrivals. Discuss in advance why it’s valuable to include people with different perspectives and skills. Make sure that the new members’ roles are clear to everyone. Matching newcomers with seasoned mentors. When new hires have an experienced person to turn to it helps them acclimate to the team more quickly and better understand the workflow. Making meaningful introductions. Existing team members may already know one another’s skills, interests, and styles, but making purposeful introductions and encouraging the sharing of that information with new members can help everyone bond.

I recently received this heartfelt message from my former employee, Daniel. Due to some personal reasons, we had to part ways temporarily, but I'm confident he'll come back stronger than ever. Moments like these remind me of the power of a supportive team. We are here to help each other grow and thrive. Here's my 3-step formula to keep your team motivated and supportive: 👉Foster Open Communication: Encourage transparency and honest discussions. Create a safe space where everyone feels heard and valued. 👉Invest in Personal Development: Offer opportunities for growth, whether through training, mentorship, or new challenges. Show your team that you are invested in their future. 👉Celebrate Wins Together: Recognize and celebrate achievements, big and small. Acknowledging hard work fosters a sense of accomplishment and strengthens team bonds. Focus on these 3 things to create a motivated and supportive team.

5 languages of appreciation how to use them in the work place ............. 81% of the employees are more motivated when they appreciated by their managers . WORDS OF AFFIRMATION This means recognize each team members unique contributions verbally..... ACTS OF SERVICE Sometimes action speaks louder than words . offer help with task , assist with deadlines. QUALITY TIMES Building trust and connection through meaningful conversation is important. spend lunch breaks and chatting with team . TANGIBLE GIFTS Thoughtful gifts can show appreciation and acknowledgment. PHYSICAL TOUCH like high five , offer handshake , fist bumps or friendly pats on the back . Physical gesture convey warmth and support among the team members .

Most people I observe have an (unspoken) belief that makes their teams WORSE than the sum of their parts. 👇 ⬇️ That unspoken belief is: “I understand what’s going on.” When team members believe that, they do two things: 1️⃣ They stop being curious about what other people know (because why bother?) 2️⃣ They get super Machiavellian about pushing their agendas forward (heading off “resistance” at the pass, because it just slows things down rather than being treated as a source of information) Once team members are doing that, they’re only working from their own private knowledge base anyway (rather than a richer set of communal knowledge). At which point they might as well be working alone—not “slowed down” by needing to “bring the team along for the ride,” and not wasting the team members’ time “contributing” to something that actually don’t contribute to. Consider 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, as a reminder that nobody gets it all and we all benefit from staying curious.

So, I Thought I Hired the Perfect Team… Boy, Was I Wrong I remember the early days when I hired my first few employees. I thought, “This is it. I’ve got the dream team!” Everyone nodded along, agreed with my ideas, and said, “Yes, boss” to everything. I felt like a genius. Who wouldn’t love a team that agreed with you 100% of the time? Then, one day, we had a massive project go sideways. I asked, “Why didn’t anyone see this coming?” And what did I hear? Silence. Because everyone had just been going along with my plan, too afraid to say, “Uh, boss, I think that’s a terrible idea.” That’s when I realized: I didn’t need a team of “Yes Men” — I needed a team that would push back, challenge me, and, sometimes, tell me I’m wrong (as much as I hate to admit it). So, I started doing things differently. I encouraged questions, invited debates, and let people know it was okay to say “No, boss” when needed. And guess what? Our projects got better. Way better. Turns out, the best ideas come when people aren’t just trying to agree with you. Now, I make sure to hire people with a growing mindset. The ones who ask “Why?” a hundred times and suggest new ideas I’ve never thought of. I even give a bonus for the best disagreement of the month! The lesson? If everyone’s just agreeing with you, you’re not growing. A little pushback never hurt anyone. Well, maybe my ego—just a little.

I see too often a lack of appreciation for unconventional skills that make people exceptional team members. There’s obviously an importance of actual experience with specific things needed to be successful in a role - but having people who are self-starters, self-motivated, fast learning, great communicators, overly question askers, multi-faceted, and driven to succeed in anything they do - well you could plop them in just about any role and they’re going to most likely not just do really well but will exceed your expectations. I’ve been part of “unconventional” hires and have seen some really amazing things come out of those people. Learning as someone who is a hiring manager at how to look at people outside of the box is a skill that can lead to building an unstoppable team. Have you ever done a hire that wasn’t “right” on paper but you knew the person had IT?

Since the new chapter in my career at Globerce Capital Ltd I had gone through the fresh challenges in daily work routine: hiring, negotiating, designing the codebase, working on communication between team members and thinking about process strategies starting from planning of the upcoming working weeks to shipment of an app to the end users and etc. Up until now, it has been a harsh and an entertaining journey, which made me boost self confidence in strong sides of solving particular type of problems and take a look at the change of perspective when I’m facing an issue. More enhanced qualities of mine have been coming out by the result of my actions in an inspiring and natural way, sometimes I was surprised that it was so easy make decisions, for instance, in finding platform based solutions or holding fast and efficient meetings with my fellow teammates. The switch of perception regarding to recruitment or management and team evolvement strategies is the process through which I’m going through right now. But I guess that’s because I’ve never faced this type of questions before and simply saying: “I hate doing this and that” is not the portrait of myself that I am pursuing. I strongly believe, being positive and looking at the glass as half full is always the right way of handling things. Nevertheless, whatever the issues that are being faced or the problems that I’m crushing right now, at the end of the day, it is about the process of team work, it is about the passion and care about the end users and their experience from the product we’re working on. Keep being positive and don’t miss the precious time in collaboration! P.S. I would be very thankful for each idea/resource and advised solution about the issues I’m facing currently. I guess, this platform is about sharing knowledge and experience :)