Have you been listening to the people that got silver medals in the Olympics this week? There is a marked difference between those that think they won a silver and those that think they lost the gold. Some go to the Olympics to get to the top of the podium. For them, it is not enough to win; everyone else must lose. Others go to the Olympics for the joy of the competition. They think they have won in just getting there. If others win too, so much the better.
There are no medals for winning in onboarding
Unlike snowboarding or other Olympic sports, there are no medals for onboarding itself. Why? There is no value in onboarding on its own. Onboarding is a tool to accelerate productivity and reduce the risks of failure. Just like the push and the run before a bobsled run, or the trip down the hill to a long ski jump, onboarding feeds into other victories.
There are huge penalties for losing in onboarding
Yet, just like those that fall at the start of a race, onboarding mistakes can be very hard to recover from. Even though onboarding is just a tool on the way to delivering results, it is an important tool
Win and help win
Bottom line, those that seek the only gold medal for onboarding, who must be better than everyone else, and need others to lose for them to feel that they have won, those are the ones most likely to fail. Those that approach onboarding as an absolute good, who don’t keep score, who help others win while they are winning themselves, those are the ones most likely to succeed.
Help others win and you will be a winner.
George Bradt – PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding and Transition Acceleration
