The Why

What is the purpose? What are the conditions or parameters that you want to change or improve for the better? This should always be at the center of your strategic planning initiatives, and be regularly reinforced. In our case, this should be apparent. At the end of the day, we are in the people business. We are here to help employers attract, retain and render the best people as productive and engaged as possible.

But what has the employer actually seen in recent years? They have seen double-digit trend for most of this decade, growing numbers of uninsured and employees that don't trust them. Frustrated and overwhelmed, employers have become skeptical of us, and demonstrate decreasing loyalty over time. And how have we responded? We have added (and continue to lead with) more products, tools and solutions in an effort to be more competitive. And so have our competitors. All of which leads to a more reactive, transactional environment where our clients and prospects see us as simply vendors who are completely interchangeable.

We exert huge amounts of energy and resources in the name of becoming a "trusted adviser," but in reality our efforts have ultimately done little but reinforce the tactical, transactional image of 'skilled benefit technician'. Not that there isn't a need and a role for these, but if that is not how we want to be viewed, then something needs to change. I submit that the goal is actually to be "trusted peer advisers" and this changes everything.

Once we stop looking at the world from a granular insurance-centric perspective and start looking at the bigger picture of what the employer is trying to accomplish from a human capital perspective, we are able to think strategically, not tactically. I guarantee that the advisory firms that are experiencing strong organic growth right now stopped looking at the world through that toilet paper tube a long time ago.

The What

Look at the methodology you are going to use to achieve the client's ultimate goals or purpose around "human capital." Create the project team and establish leadership alignment. Determine the roles, scope and process each team member is going to use to execute their portion of the plan. What needs to be done to assess and clarify the desire and the will to change?

Look at the impact of the strategic plan from the perspective of each stakeholder. Now you are creating a business case for change. Decision makers can relate to this, and they will associate it with a "trusted peer adviser."

Next, design and execute the plan. Evaluate progress and measure the outcomes to ensure that you are meeting expectations and delivering on all of the agreed-upon elements.

The How

You must identify the levers for executing the desired change.

Here is our list of levers:

Leadership: Create trust, inspire and challenge everyone to achieve the maximum of their potential.

Involvement: Engage all of the stakeholders.

Communication: Collaborate and share information.

Metrics & Measurement: It is about defining, quantifying and monitoring.

Reinforcement: It is about sustaining the behaviors of change over time.

As we look at the future, look at the incredible opportunities we have to make a difference, and our unique positions to get there. As Winston Churchill once said, "The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Nielsen, president of the LeaderLabs, can be reached at rnielsen@theleaderlabs.com.