Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How to Tell if a Planned Initiative is Strategic

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How to Tell if a Planned Initiative is Strategic As I mentioned earlier in the week, I recently attended a great SHRM session from Elizabeth Ruske and Betsy Sobiech of Tiara Coaching that covered how to use ROI to make your case for a new program (link to April post). An important aspect of this is ensuring that your proposed initiative is strategic in the first place. Here are some questions to consider in that vein. What Makes a Program Strategic? The mission of the program is well-aligned with the mission of the business The program fits in well with the business’ future plans for growth The program touches multiple parts of the business The program addresses a critical business, employee, or customer need What Business Concerns Might Your Program Address? Using the example of women’s leadership described in Part I of this post, these might include percent of female employees, percent of engagement of female employees, percent of women in leadership roles, percent of female employees staying, # of women in succession plans, external recognition of the company, percent of talented women applying for jobs, and the percent of clients who are women. Does Your Program Meet Some or All of the “6 Ps”? Purpose: The business’ overall mission and purpose are advanced by the program. Example: “We aim to be the most cutting-edge provider in our industry, and diversity of thought is essential for innovation.” Profit: The company’s bottom line is advanced by the program. Example: “We will save millions every year if we can retain female middle managers we typically lose after a short tenure.” Check out the full post at the SilkRoad blog for more!