The Value of Strategic Thinking

5 Steps to Help Your Company Start Thinking More Strategically to Be Ready for Challenges and Opportunities

The value of strategic thinking in today’s corporate environment is of critical importance. In order to stay in the game, companies and employees must constantly be thinking ahead by identifying trends and questioning assumptions of the status quo. Yet, too many managers and employees viewstrategic thinking as more of a foreign concept.

In fact, without a corporate culture that highly encourages thinking about the “what” of a situation before the “how”, companies will be constantly fighting an uphill battle. Instead, companies must shift to a strategic thinking model allowing them to be ready for the unexpected and adapt more easily when difficult circumstances arise. When it comes to strategic thinking, you either use it or you lose it!

There are 5 ways to help you start thinking more strategically today…
1) Before you start trying to figure out how to accomplish your goal, decide what first needs to be done to meet your objective. When people try to think of the “how” first, often times they get pulled into a discussion of the past or current and future obstacles.

2) Always keep track of the overall picture. This will enable strategic thinking to become more automatic.

3) Stay up-to-date on current trends in your industry. Knowing what best practices are outside of your company will help you better handle internal issues.

4) Maintain a focus on the future. Think about future challenges and opportunities so you are well prepared.

5) When in a group environment, ask leading questions that will help to test conventional thinking. This will help enhance your decision making quality.

The more people are around strategic thinking the more natural the skill will become. Once strategic thinking takes root in your corporate culture, your company will be better able and more prepared to successfully handle challenges and opportunities. For more information, contact Todd Weyandt at todd@laihr.com or 770.248.0401 ext. 20.

Three Simple Steps to Achieve an Effective Rewards Program

Employees often find themselves craving to be acknowledged for a job well done by their colleagues and bosses. Recognizing employees’ hard work cannot be understated. Companies that have a solid and effective Rewards/Recognition Program have happier, more engaged and productive employees.

There are three simple steps to ensure a well designed rewards program:
1) Identify the desired result. Determine everything that can and should be tracked for the overall result and then prioritize.

2) List the key behaviors required of employees to accomplish the determined result. A successful program does not reward only the goal. When a company conducts a behavioral based incentive program, they create a more effective and efficient employee.

3) Reward the necessary behaviors long enough for the employee to learn them and develop a habit. Rewards are not necessarily about the amount, often times it is about the action. Try to be as personalized as you can. By offering choices to employees such as various gift cards, coupons, etc., the employee becomes more willing to be an active participant.

An ideal rewards program will cause employees to adopt the more effective behaviors and will continue all desired behaviors even after the program has ended. Make sure that when you are designing the program, be specific as possible and keep looking forward to desired future behaviors. For more information, contact Todd Weyandt at 770.248.0401 ext. 20 or at todd@laihr.com.

FREE Lunch-n-Learn on Company Wellness Programs

With healthcare costs always spiking upwards, companies are constantly re-evaluating options to keep costs down.

Company Wellness Programs are not just for the Fortune 500 anymore! Instead, these programs have been highly successful for an array of businesses to reduce healthcare costs and the amount of sick days employees use while increasing employee productivity!

Join Lowden & Associates, Inc. for 2012's first HR Partners Lunch-n-Learn Series on February 28th to learn how to effectively design and implement a company wellness program that makes your employees healthier, happier and more productive and provides them a greater overall well being.

Featured Highlights:
- 'How To' Steps of Developing a Wellness Program
- Keys to a Successful Program
- Affects on a Company's Morale and Bottom Line
- Cost Savings and ROI
- Plus Much More...

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

LAI Headquarters
3105 Medlock Bridge Road
Norcross, GA 30071

SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVE TODAY!
Contact Todd Weyandt
todd@laihr.com
770.248.0401 ext. 20