Psychologist & Coach
Brad Desmond is psychologist and coach, and recently published a book called ‘The Matilda Principle’.
Our interviewee is an award-winning psychologist with additional post-graduate qualifications in education and training. He is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and is recognised as a master trainer in emotional intelligence and positive psychology. Brad is a twenty-year member of the Australian Psychological Society.
One of the most important points discussed during this interview was understanding a new hire’s mind. Brad Desmond helped to prepare Pre & Onboarding journeys focused on the employee.
“New employees are going to be anxious, going to have anxiety, a lot of self-doubts and imposter syndrome”, he highlighted.
The self doubt and the anxiety will continue for some months.
—Brad Desmond, Psychologist and Coach.
Once we understand how a new hire feels during the first few weeks of their role, we can take action. Brad gave us the key to gaining engagement and a sense of belonging. During the interview, we discussed topics about if it’s possible that a new employee can be confident from day one on the job. In that case, how can HR help them to establish good self-esteem? Among other ideas, one of the key points was: “when we celebrate what new hires bring, what their strengths are. They’re more loyal. They stay in their roles longer”.
Brad also reminded me of the real meaning of confidence during these processes: “genuine self-confidence is based on knowing your strengths. So the question I have is ‘What are your strengths as an individual?’, ‘What strengths do you bring to this role?’, ‘What are your past achievements?’“.
HR can do a lot, but the individual probably does not. It’s not about me being confident, it’s about me listening and learning the landscape first.
—Brad Desmond, Psychologist and Coach.