The idea of the passport came while working for a Fortune 500 Company with a new division. This division intended to grow rapidly. When the General Manager was asked what one thing was keeping him up at night, he said, "I am not sure how we can integrate this volume of new employees into our culture. Managers won't have time, Human Resources won't have time, I am afraid that everyone will come in to the company bringing their own culture which will be difficult to integrate."

We needed a self-directed tour of the company and the Orientation Passport was born. On the first day of work, new hires went through an orientation and were given the passport. Starting with a new company is like going to a new country. If you think about it, there is a new language, new processes, and new systems. New hires don't even know the questions to ask. The Orientation Passport provides that map. The tasks are completed over ninety days where new hires explore the company, validate their understanding, and build a social network.

The organization grew from 200 to 1,800 in six months. In two years it grew to 5,000 with two international divisions. The Orientation Passport worked extremely well. During focus group sessions, managers said that they had proactive employees from the first day on the job. Employees said they learned more and developed a network of friends which would not have happened had they not been required to accomplish the tasks in the passport.

We have taken this process and refined it to work with employees, with managers, and with leaders in organizations. It is a simple self-directed tool that aligns new hires with the goals and values of their company.