The spinach in your smoothie…

A lesson I learned a long time ago is that Talent Development - or Training, L&D, or whatever we're calling ourselves these days - is a support department. We exist to help organizations operate with improved performance, more efficiency, safer conditions, better service...and countless other priorities, but these tangible examples are usually toward the top … Continue reading The spinach in your smoothie…

4 Ways Intentional Offboarding Can Help Your Onboarding Process

At the day job, I'm currently navigating the resignation of a high-performing, well-liked team member. While we playfully give her a hard time about it, it's all on good terms - you know, one of those "life happens" kinds of transitions that occasionally takes an employee away from your team and organization. As the manager … Continue reading 4 Ways Intentional Offboarding Can Help Your Onboarding Process

Orientation Overhaul: Scheduling a realistic first day for new employees

For about the 10,000th time in my career, I had a conversation with someone about Day One need-to-have content vs. nice-to-have content vs. there-is-absolutely-NO-need-for-new-employees-to-experience-this-on-their-first-day content. Even now, 20 years into my career, I find myself surprised at just how much content some (well-meaning) people feel is necessary to shove into one day. So today, we're … Continue reading Orientation Overhaul: Scheduling a realistic first day for new employees

It’s time to get serious about your onboarding strategy

March is upon us once again; here in Indiana, where we live and breathe basketball, that means it's not just March, but it's March Madness. College basketball games are playing nonstop, brackets are being determined, rivalries are being tested. Sadly, most of our state's teams aren't making it to the big dance this year...except Purdue, … Continue reading It’s time to get serious about your onboarding strategy

The important distinction between “orientation” and “onboarding”

I recently read an article about - you guessed it - onboarding, and a statement stuck with me...the author was defining new employee orientation at a high level, and then went on to define onboarding. The author suggested that, "Onboarding is often described as 'orientation on steroids.'" This was unsettling to me in a few … Continue reading The important distinction between “orientation” and “onboarding”

Your onboarding strategy might need a reboot if….

Do you remember the old "You might be a redneck..." comedy bit from a few years back? It seems like you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a Jeff Foxworthy standup routine on television or seeing a book about it. Even though it's been several years since its peak, you still see those jokes bubble up … Continue reading Your onboarding strategy might need a reboot if….