• People are changing jobs quicker these days, so I lost a new hire during the onboarding process.
• It made me rethink my management style, specifically with new hires.
• I now ensure all new employees have personalized onboarding plans and have one clear goal.

For hiring managers, this is a story as old as time: You find a candidate you like, hire them, and build out their onboarding plan. They're prepared to start attending client meetings and managing their workload. And then boom — they find a better offer and leave within a few weeks or months.

Accelerated job changes aren't new. Gallup reports that millennials are the most likely generation to seek a career change and that six out of 10 millennials are open to new jobs.

The reality is that, as managers, we're competing with a complicated, changing, and competitive job market.

I learned this firsthand as a manager in the public relations and communications industry. This year, I onboarded a new hire and then tried to manage their abrupt departure. It challenged a few assumptions I made about a new employee and what success looks like.

Here's how it made me rethink my management style.

Manage the person, not just the process

For many of us working in more structured industries, there's typically an onboarding plan for new hires. They're typically given training and a checklist to complete in a certain amount of time. Those in more corporate and bureaucratic companies know this well.

Things like 30-60-90 plans or SMART goals can feel almost endless to a new hire.

A process and plan are important, but managing the person is crucial to a new hire's early success.

Like a sports coach or trainer would develop a plan based on their individual players, I think our jobs as managers and employers would be made easier by treating new hires in the same manner. Every new employee will bring different attributes, attitudes, and personalities. Onboarding plans should be better shaped for each employee — not the other way around.

Set an achievable goal early on

The ambiguity of onboarding can feel overwhelming at times. Most companies agree that getting a new employee "up to speed" is the first and most important goal.

But that process is different in every organization. Do you allow shadowing? Do you conduct training? Are there guidelines for working with clients?

Instead of just focusing on training, I now plan to get laser-focused on my new hire's first work opportunity or goal. For example, should they be preparing to run a client call? Will they be presenting research? Are they expected to contribute to strategic planning internally?

Identifying a "big win" for your new hire builds their skills, helps identify regular work products they are expected to contribute to, and shows progress in their role.

If I could do things over, I'd be very specific about the first milestone for a new employee and the steps necessary to meet it. That way, they can get an early win.

Be a historian of your company

One of the biggest issues I felt managing a new hire was explaining our organization and culture. New employees should know about their department and their company: who the leaders are, how the business works, and what our work looks like across different clients and accounts.

Many managers can play an important role as "historians" of their company. They should know how their department runs inside and out. You should be able to give any new employee the lay of the land.

If hiring a new employee is about finding the best person and the right fit for your organization, then managing a new employee should focus on educating them about where they work. This simple task can help the new employee feel more at home in this new environment.

Take on a leadership role in the process

The famous business and management consultant Peter Drucker once said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

Drucker hits on the challenge between good management and great leadership. This issue is crucial for managing new employees. It's important to follow the processes in place. But where do you see them excelling? Are they stronger in one area or weaker in another?

Managing a new employee is more about doing the right things for them to succeed compared to just doing right and following a process. If I could go back, I'd remember that managing a new employee may not be as straight of a line as the onboarding process tells us.