Managers are memorable for the impact they have on our lives, whether positive or negative.  Others are forgettable because they don’t make an impact either way.

I was fortunate to work for a CEO who was memorable for the right reasons.  He’d been around the block a few times – he was a bit gruff and rough around the edges, didn’t pull his punches, and kept the egos in the leadership team under control.  (He also had a long-running affair with a client but that’s a different blog post entirely…)  Most of all I remember him for one simple thing – he took every new starter out for coffee on their first day.  Every. Single. One.  He continued this tradition when the company grew from 20 people to 200, right up until the day he retired.

I still remember my Day 1 coffee with him when I was a new starter.  I appreciated the opportunity to get to know him in a less formal setting, find out more about the history of the company, and ask questions that hadn’t come up during the interview process.

I took up this tradition for the 8 months I was acting-Director for my business unit.  Coffee with the new starters was a little awkward at first – I was new into the role and a little outside my comfort zone. The catchups became more comfortable once I developed a repeatable format:  How were they finding their first week?  Did they have any questions?  I talked to the team norms, what to expect from goal setting and performance reviews.  I also talked to the social scene within the company.

There were benefits to me also.  Even though I was in the role temporarily, it helped establish me as a leadership figure in the team.  I felt like I was stepping up and into the role, and setting an example for the role moving forward.  It also gave me an opportunity to connect with people in the team that I wouldn’t have spent much time with otherwise.

Most of all, I like to think having coffee with new starters helped them feel welcome when they joined the team, the same way it had for me on my first day with the company.

Photo: Grabbing a hot chocolate on a chilly morning in Melbourne.