If you’re a true fan of country music as I am, you may recognize these boots.  They belong to the singing cowboys  aka “Riders in the Sky”,  a music and comedy group that I first heard on their NPR syndicated radio drama, Riders Radio Theater. I was thrilled to meet them when they performed at a small venue in Michigan and with names like Ranger Doug, Too Slim, and Joey Miskulin, the Cow-Polka King, its easy to understand the attraction. But beyond the names, their stage outfits and unique style of American music – steeped in the film heyday of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers – have delighted audiences since 1977 and branded them in my memory.  You see, these entertainers and I have both discovered that branding is a business necessity.  In my world, it’s the first step I teach when helping clients design an HR System.  Every subsequent HR task flows from that brand or business identity; the recruiting, the role descriptions, the handbooks and the onboarding –especially the onboarding.  As a business owner, you must be able to articulate the experience your vendors, customers and employees have or can expect to have, with your company or organization.  Like a good performance, it’s the interactions of the parts within your HR system that lead to improvement and loyal fans.