If you own or manage a business, you need to develop a way of analysing the areas that will most affect your ability to gain an advantage in the marketplace.
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your business, along with environmental factors and the opportunities that exist is essential in creating a strategic plan.
Having this information at your fingertips will help you make better, more informed, educated decisions which will ultimately help your business become more successful.
A strategic plan provides a vision and sets a clear direction for your team and in most cases, a set of goals that will help measure the overall success of the business.
The first step in developing a strategic plan is identifying the mission or purpose of the organisation, along with the goals and objectives. Defining the purpose of a business forces the management team to look at the products and services on offer and how they will be used. This is where you ask your management team one basic question - what business should we be in?
In developing a strategic plan, it is essential to analyse the environment. The environment will define what options are available for management to take advantage of. For example, in today’s climate conscious society, producing a cost effective hybrid car would provide competitive advantage to a car company e.g. the Toyota Prius.
Conducting a SWOT analysis is the next phase. Looking internally enables management to identify the strengths and weaknesses within the business. What is it that the business does really well – and not so well? It is in this phase that management should ensure they take into account the culture and impact this has on their chosen strategy.
Externally, it is important to consider the opportunities that can be exploited and the threats that will be faced by the business.
Once this is done, a review of the organisation’s current resources is imperative. Does the business have the right skills and experience to achieve the goals and objectives of the company? Are new products or services required? What is the financial state of the business? Is there cash flow and money that can be spent on developing new ideas or marketing? Is there core business that needs to be consolidated?
Only after this process has been undertaken, can management effectively formulate real strategies using the information that has been gathered. Strategies need to be established at all levels of the business both at the highest corporate level – down to functional levels where business units need to align their performance with the overall business.
The final two steps are implementing and evaluating the strategies based on the performance. It is at this stage, that adjustments can be made if necessary to ensure continued success.
Retain HR run workshops with management teams on developing Strategic Plan and assisting with SWOT analysis. Contact us to find out more.
Retain HR
Recruit | Retain | Results
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Effective Listening at Work
I was asked by a client recently to conduct a training session on Effective Communication in the Workplace.
Key to this topic is the ability to listen, and we spent considerable time working on how we do this and how we can improve. In fact, within the group, there were a number of participants that had an “a-ha” moment.
So, why is listening so important?
As human beings, we often focus on our ability to talk and speak, believing that what we say equals good communication. Listening is much more than just hearing. Listening includes transmitting or processing what you have heard.
Listening takes work and when it comes to improving our communication there is no getting around that.
So, what are some steps to improving our listening skills?
1. Remain Neutral
2. Give your complete attention
3. Restate main points
4. Don’t jump to conclusions
5. Remember that you can think faster than someone can talk
6. Keep your mind open
7. Restrain your emotions.
For more information, contact us!
Key to this topic is the ability to listen, and we spent considerable time working on how we do this and how we can improve. In fact, within the group, there were a number of participants that had an “a-ha” moment.
So, why is listening so important?
As human beings, we often focus on our ability to talk and speak, believing that what we say equals good communication. Listening is much more than just hearing. Listening includes transmitting or processing what you have heard.
Listening takes work and when it comes to improving our communication there is no getting around that.
So, what are some steps to improving our listening skills?
1. Remain Neutral
2. Give your complete attention
3. Restate main points
4. Don’t jump to conclusions
5. Remember that you can think faster than someone can talk
6. Keep your mind open
7. Restrain your emotions.
For more information, contact us!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Human Resources Humour
A man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted: "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The woman below replied: "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are 51º21,32.87 degrees north latitude and 0º21,32.87 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an IT specialist," said the balloonist.
" I am," replied the woman. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."
The woman below responded: "You must be in HR."
"I am, "replied the balloonist. "But how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
The woman below replied: "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are 51º21,32.87 degrees north latitude and 0º21,32.87 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an IT specialist," said the balloonist.
" I am," replied the woman. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."
The woman below responded: "You must be in HR."
"I am, "replied the balloonist. "But how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Case Study – Management Assessment Centre
Company X is a not-for-profit organisation that is going through significant growth and change which is expected to continue over the next 12- 18 months.
For some managers, this will be a challenge as they will be managing staff for the very first time, and in some cases, the teams may grow and have as many as 15 staff.
Recently we were approached by Company X, who wanted to identify a way to review their management team, their core skills and behaviours, and identify any development needs.
We were asked to deliver a process, which is cost effective, able to meet their time constraints and provide the organisation with a sound appraisal of its team. This is to be followed up with a training plan to address the gaps.
Retain HR came up with the idea of an Assessment Centre where the core management competencies could be reviewed across a series of exercises.
Each team member was asked to give up one day, in which they underwent a psychometric profile, a behavioural interview, a series of in-basket exercises and a role play. Each exercise was aimed at addressing each competency more than once to enable each participant to have the best opportunity to demonstrate their competency.
The exercise was an overwhelming success and if you are interested in finding out more, contact us at Retain HR.
For some managers, this will be a challenge as they will be managing staff for the very first time, and in some cases, the teams may grow and have as many as 15 staff.
Recently we were approached by Company X, who wanted to identify a way to review their management team, their core skills and behaviours, and identify any development needs.
We were asked to deliver a process, which is cost effective, able to meet their time constraints and provide the organisation with a sound appraisal of its team. This is to be followed up with a training plan to address the gaps.
Retain HR came up with the idea of an Assessment Centre where the core management competencies could be reviewed across a series of exercises.
Each team member was asked to give up one day, in which they underwent a psychometric profile, a behavioural interview, a series of in-basket exercises and a role play. Each exercise was aimed at addressing each competency more than once to enable each participant to have the best opportunity to demonstrate their competency.
The exercise was an overwhelming success and if you are interested in finding out more, contact us at Retain HR.
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