The induction review is a one page comparison. On one side, what three colleagues who joined in the last year remember of their first week, in their own words, in answer to four questions. On the other, what the operation believes its induction delivers. Between the two columns are the gaps, and the exercise ends with one gap you can close yourself before the next person joins.
Where it comes from
Chapter 4 of the book opens with a story Aaron Kaupp told me about a manager who, early in his career, finished his shift for him so that he could be at his best for his department. Kaupp says the gesture has compounded for nearly forty years. The chapter’s argument is that the first weeks decide whether a good hire believes they are inside something that takes them seriously, and Graham Ledger, then general manager of Singita, was blunt about the cost of getting it wrong.
“A poorly-inducted staff member will fail spectacularly, and it is completely unfair to them not to be properly immersed in the company, its practices and values.” Graham Ledger, then general manager, Singita
Most operations know what their induction is supposed to deliver. Almost none ask the people who just went through it. The review exists to close that gap with the only evidence that counts.
What is on the page
The four questions, asked identically of each person: what do you remember from your first day; who did you go to with questions in the first month; when did you first understand what this place expects of you; and what would you have wanted on day one that you did not get. Three columns for three colleagues, with space for their answers in their own words. A column for what the operation believes, from the handbook or your own assumptions. A box for the three largest gaps, and a line for the one fix you will make for the next person, without budget or sign off.
How to use it
Choose three people who joined within the last twelve months, in different roles if you can, and ask each for fifteen minutes. Write down what they say without defending the current process; the moment you explain, they stop telling you. Fill in the operation’s column afterwards, not before, so that their answers are not shaped by it. On the last day, list the three largest gaps and choose one.
What to look for
Look at how long it took each person to find a colleague they could go to with questions. That interval, in days, is the period in which a good hire decides whether to stay, and it is almost never mentioned in a handbook. If all three name the same person as the one they went to, that person is doing your induction for you, and the fix may be as simple as making it official.