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, and in this house of Indiana and Butler alums and fans, we don’t speak of them. ;)

Today, as I write this, is Selection Sunday – the day where the official tournament brackets are set by the selection committee. The strategy that goes into this process is unbelievable – it’s a fine balance of quantitative and qualitative data analysis that determines a team’s seeding…and often, their destiny as they navigate their journey to the Final Four.

Sure, we always look for that Cinderella story…a low-seeded underdog team that survives round after round of the tournament. Frankly, that optimistic spirit is what draws many fans in each year. And yes, it certainly happens.

But we can’t argue the fact that the stats don’t lie. There is a reason why the top-seeded teams are often the ones cutting down the nets at the end.

That reason? They build a strategy for their program that aligns their people with their ultimate goal, and they stay laser-focused to execute it.

Shouldn’t your onboarding program be built for the same kind of success?

If you knew that a solid onboarding program would result in:

• reduced turnover…
• increased productivity, engagement and job satisfaction…
• helping your organization achieve its most strategic goals…

…would you make it a priority?

Now, I’m no basketball coach; outside of P.E. class and goofing off with my kids, I have zero basketball ability, but this I believe: those winning coaches have a strategic vision of their goal (to win the championship), and they start each season getting their teams aligned to that vision (how can we achieve that goal?). They create a collective fire in the belly to succeed and keep moving forward – capitalizing on the wins and learning from the losses.

So, what can we take away from this? A few things:

1. We need to determine our goal – how will onboarding make a difference?
2. We need to build our strategy to chart a course on how we will achieve our goal.
3. We need to get our team’s decision makers and key players aligned and prepared to contribute.
4. We need to study our wins and losses, and pivot until we can cut down the nets.

Need help constructing your game plan? It doesn’t have to be intimidating. Conducting an Onboarding Audit is the first step. Let’s talk!