You’ve gone through the hassle of posting a job ad, interviewing candidates, tracking down references, hiring a new employee and training him for the job. Now a few months have passed and he doesn’t seem to be working out. Can this relationship be saved?

That depends, say the experts. “A large part of employee turnover can be reduced by hiring the right person in the first place,” says Julie Littlechild, president of Toronto-based Advisor Impact Inc. “Research shows that people leave a job more often because they are wrong for the role or incompatible with the culture, not because of performance issues.”

If the employee in question is an introverted type who keeps to himself while the rest of your team thrives on collaboration and water-cooler chatter — or vice versa — there’s little you can do to improve the situation. On the other hand, it’s often possible to rectify performance-related problems.

To start, hark back to why you hired the new team member in the first place. “More often than not, we hire people because we feel inundated and need someone to lighten the burden,” says Littlechild. “We think entirely in terms of the day-to-day tasks that we’d like them to perform, but we don’t think beyond that.”

For example, you have told your new hire that he is responsible for entering changes to your client records, with the unspoken assumption that he will also take it upon himself to hone the process over time in order to improve efficiency. “Those are two different kinds of responsibilities,” Littlechild notes.

In such cases, fleshing out the details of the employee’s job description ensures you are both on the same page when it comes to his responsibilities.

Also take a moment to consider who you want your team to serve. “There’s a fundamental difference between having a team and taking a team-based approach to client management,” says Littlechild. “A team is a collective of people who support you, while a team-based approach to client management means that all employees are involved in client relationships.”

A junior advisor who yearns to interact with clients won’t be satisfied with performing behind-the-scenes tasks while you take centre stage.

Advisors who are reluctant to delegate tasks — you know who you are — can also have a negative impact on employees’ performance.

“Some advisors have a huge problem with delegation,” says Joanne Ferguson, partner at consulting firm Advisor Pathways Inc. in Stratford, Ont. “They hire a team because they need the support, but they never wanted to be a manager.”

Assigning tasks on a one-off basis is the signature style of a reluctant delegator. “Telling someone to enter data and then return to you for the next task is entirely different from giving someone the tools they need to execute their role,” says Littlechild. “Truly effective delegation comes when you have defined an employee’s role, communicated that definition to the employee and trained them for that specific role.”

Littlechild notes that, aside from creating dissatisfaction among employees, refusal to delegate can ultimately harm your business. “Delegation improves the credibility of the team and also the efficiency of your practice, both of which will improve client satisfaction in the long run,” she says. “Clients understand that you can’t do it all on your own.”

If you still can’t put a finger on why the new hire isn’t working out, there’s one more option to consider before cutting him loose: “Bringing in an outside moderator is one of the best things you can do,” says Littlechild.

Advisor Pathways has a service in which a facilitator conducts Kolbe RightFit testing on all employees to highlight the various talents of each team member. “True productivity comes not only from good communication but from harnessing offsetting talents within the team,” says Ferguson.

A typical session involves Kolbe testing, followed by a discussion of how the team currently is functioning and suggestions for improvement based on the results of the testing.

For example, the Kolbe test might find that one team member excels at getting multiple projects rolling but falls down when it comes to following through, while another team member may be ideally suited for wrapping up her colleague’s loose ends.

Unfortunately, communication and coaching aren’t always a cure-all. If you and your new employee decide it’s best to terminate the relationship, consider the experience an educational one — and don’t just hire the next warm body that walks into the office. “Take this opportunity to thoroughly re-evaluate the position you need to fill,” says Ferguson.

@page_break@And if the experience leaves you gun-shy about hiring another employee, consider whether you aren’t better suited for flying solo.

“If you don’t want to manage other people, the worst thing you can do is force yourself into that role,” says Littlechild, who notes that lone-advisor practices are as successful as teams. “There’s no one way to success.” IE