Finding exceptional on-screen talent for my show is as exciting and mysterious as finding top talent for your organization. Here’s my Pro Tip for immediately following onboarding:

Create moments that will allow people to shine in unexpected ways.

The only two criteria I ask when an event planner is selecting the on-screen participants for my Quiz Show is that 1. We test their connectivity; and 2. They want to have fun.

They don’t have to be the company extroverts, or all “showbizzy”. If we can hear them and see them, as Host, I’ll create a safe environment where they can be themselves. And when people are comfortable, their true charm and character is more easily shared with others.

You put a lot of thought into who you want to hire for your team, so it may seem counterintuitive to celebrate onboarding new talent as “mysterious”. But, ultimately, it’s impossible to be 100% accurate in predicting what people are going to be like.

Trusting your assessment tools and your instincts is exactly why you should let them breathe life into the moment immediately upon hiring them. You never know what they might bring to the table that you (and they)weren’t expecting. This can be very rewarding.

During the online corporate event from which this clip was taken, I was just as entertained as the hundreds of people watching across the country as the show unfolded. When one person embraced the moment that I created to let their personality shine, their colleagues weren’t intimidated or excluded. They were inspired to find their own ways to contribute. And when that same person momentarily stumbled, their team was there for support. 

It’s impossible to guess who is going to be the star of your show at any given moment. This is not a challenge but an opportunity. If you set a precedent by immediately creating moments for your team members to express themselves, they’ll likely still find success in the ways you hoped for based on their resume and experience. But, they’ll also be more likely to contribute success in ways you hadn’t anticipated. And not everyone is a star in the same way.

This approach will become a fixture in your corporate culture for everyone, just as it is on my show. Which means when you single-out one person for recognition, it will still feel like a team experience that got you all there.

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