Keeping Long-Term Goals in Mind While Addressing Short-Term Needs

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Katherine Mehr
Katherine Mehr
09/30/2009

Managing the short-term needs along with the long-term plans of a company is a tough task. It is a balancing act, one that is not easy to master.

Hanson Professional Services focuses on today. But his isn’t always the best method. According to Anthony Comella, VP of Human Resources for Hanson Professional Services, the way they bill their clients, which is determined by the amount of time the employee spends with the client, it poses a great challenge to get the employees to move away from the today concept and think about tomorrow.

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There are certain requirements for employees that focus on today as opposed to long-term planning. While this produces a good ROI for employee shareholders, it does not position Hanson the way it needs to be positioned.

In effort to work more on the strategic focus, Hanson has created a culture that compliments both baby boomers and the newer generation—keeping opportunities open for short and long term success.

Additionally, they have transitioned from not only a geographically-aligned strategic business unit to one more aligned to client needs. While this gave them great opportunity to bring more resources to their clients, it has also challenged them to work outside the boundaries of a single office.

Communication is extremely important. Though it had not been their forte, Hanson has been doing a better job of communicating to employees and getting them to see how they can use the skills now to demonstrate ROI and help better position themselves for the future.

Comella discusses with Human Resources IQ additional strategies to leverage talent to provide additional value added capabilities that improve management visibility and control, enhance process quality and increase overall business performance.



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