Adding a New Member to Your Team

Lessons from an old school reinvented Rock Band

We saw Kansas in concert last week. Yes, that Kansas, the one from the 70’s. They’re still touring, although “they” have changed several times over the years. The band currently has six players, with ten former members. It got me thinking about how teams constantly change members, but for the most part, the “team” stays the same. How does that happen? How do you keep your team moving forward when you add a new member?

When you add a new team member, you aren’t just changing one thing. You are changing the relationship between that person and every other person on the team. Have you ever had a best friend start spending more time with a new person than with you? Then you know that all the relationships on the team will change.

Using the band analogy, here are some things that make the transition easier.

1. The team has a common stated and visible goal.

AS A BAND: The addition of one new person forms a new team. The new team has to go through the same teaming stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing. As a leader, you might be able to accelerate the process, but you can’t circumvent it. For bands, I have to imagine that being stuck on a bus for days on end provides a low-risk high-stress environment. If you’ve traveled with anyone before, it can be an extreme bonding experience. People are at their worst when they are tired and travel will take it out of anyone. But there’s a show to do, so the band members have to put aside their differences and learn to work together.

AS A BUSINESS: Going through shared pain though does make the team stronger. You have to recreate this tension. You need a visible goal, a “performance” to give. By keeping focus on the customer outcome, you give your new team a reason to learn to work together. Don’t shy away from the inevitable conflicts though. Allow the team time and space to be grumpy about the trip, but get them to talk it out. If you keep the focus on the customer, addressing the bumps in the road will help create a stronger team.

2. Each person has a defined role.

AS A BAND: Roles may change to accommodate the strengths of a new person. But each person still has an important and necessary role. Maybe the old bass player couldn’t sing at all, but the new bass player has an amazing voice. He may even write and sing his own songs. But the band has to buy in to that decision. The new bass player doesn’t just start singing without the rest of the band knowing.

AS A BUSINESS: In business, this role definition change is often less orchestrated. Without clearly defined roles for the new team, the new team member will step on someone’s toes. As a leader, you have to make sure the new roles are visible and discussed. Don’t leave your new team members vulnerable and your old team members insecure.

3. Members are confident and humble.

AS A BAND: New members are confident in their abilities but humble enough to see other’s capabilities. They share the spotlight when it’s appropriate, but are willing to step forward when it’s their turn. In a lot of these incredible classic bands, the new members are so excited to be playing with their heroes! They balance their own confidence with a great deal of humility and even awe.

AS A BUSINESS: In business, we refer to this ability as emotional intelligence. If you aren’t hiring for EQ, start. If you add a team member who can not balance confidence and humility, they won’t just destroy the team. They will also destroy your company culture.

4. Honor the past but don’t live in it.

AS A BAND: Bands are great at honoring the past but not living in it. Most of the classic bands touring these days sprinkle in new songs with the original hits. I’m sure they still have their fair share of discussions including the phrase “that’s not who we are”. But they work through it and balance it for the audience.

AS A BUSINESS: In business, new ideas are one of the biggest benefits of bringing in someone new. However, existing team members are often resistant to the changes. As a leader, you need to be attuned to the “we tried that once” phenomenon. Make sure the new members have a real chance to make an impact.

5. Give immediate feedback.

AS A BAND: Bands get immediate feedback, publicly and privately. They can literally hear when one of them is offbeat or tone. They share a cadence, speeding up and slowing down together. The audience provides energy when they are performing well. The audience also dies out when they aren’t performing up to their historical standards.

AS A BUSINESS: As a leader, you have to set the cadence for the whole team. If things are off, you have to provide immediate feedback privately to each team member, old and new. You have to make sure customer feedback is constant and visible. If you are a senior leader, openly discuss the cadence that the entire company is moving. You can’t accelerate sales if the service isn’t ready to go. The company moves or stalls together.

6. They don’t let everyone in.

AS A BAND: Bands are small. Most rock/pop bands are 4–6 people. Larger bands, like marching bands and orchestras, are usually arranged in smaller teams. The brass section often practices separately from the percussion instruments.

AS A BUSINESS: Businesses are not that different. There is a sweet spot for team size. They need to be large enough to have a diversity of thought but small enough to bond, argue, and come to a consensus. The best teams I’ve been a part of were 6–8 people. Weaker leaders struggle with this because everyone wants a “seat at the table”. But your table is only so large. You have to be strong enough to create a productive structure, even if that means someone feels left out. You can still engage those people, with skip-level meetings and other responsibilities. But don’t let guilt expand your team past the point of effectiveness.

Action steps

As a manager, when adding a new team member to an existing team:

1. Restate (or rebuild) a common goal and keep it visible.
2. Redefine roles to leverage everyone’s strengths, and make those roles visible to everyone.
3. Hire, train, and manage emotional intelligence. Look for confidence AND humility.
4. Honor the past without living in it. Watch for signs that the old team is resisting change.
5. Seek out and provide immediate feedback, including customer feedback.
6. Keep your team to a size that helps them be effective, ideally 6–8.

Thanks for reading. If this was helpful or interesting to you, please clap (multiple times!), comment, or contact me at [email protected]. If you are adding a new member to your team soon and want some help thinking about the process or impact, let’s talk.