Even folks who have never been to Los Angeles are probably familiar with the area’s reputation for periodic bouts of smog. But there’s another side to the air quality in Southern California that those who live here enjoy. And that’s the brilliant blue skies and crystal clarity that follow the storms that roll off the Pacific Ocean.

Today was one of those days – and I took advantage of it with a lunch-hour run. My run took me to the Santa Monica airport, situated on a high point some three miles from the ocean. From the airport, I had a panoramic view stretching from the ocean, across the Santa Monica Mountains and all the way east to the high peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains more than 50 miles away. The landscape and buildings seemed etched against the sky, the air was so clear.

And that clarity provided an interesting counterpoint to a discussion I had earlier in the day. One of my sales colleagues and I had been wrestling with how to advise a client on the rewards to use in his contemplated sales incentive program. The client thought that it was essential to include a certain reward type that we weren’t so sure about.

Upon reflection, I realized that our collective struggle was caused by a lack of clarity about why the client was introducing the program in the first place. Once we all acknowledged this – and clearly identified the strategic purpose of the incentive program – it was much easier to specify the appropriate reward options for the program.

You may remember that I proposed in an earlier post that knowing your company’s “reason for being” is your highest priority before pursuing a recognition or incentive program. I still believe that’s true – but having clarity around program strategy is a very close second. To help you achieve that clarity, keep these suggestions in mind:

• Know your strategic objectives before focusing on tactics. Or, in the spirit of this post, find a higher level to help you see the individual features of the landscape.
• Consider various perspectives and inputs on the tactics. Get a panoramic view, if you will.
• Make sure that you have the right conditions (e.g., enough time, limited interruptions, etc.) to develop your strategy and tactics. You can see a lot more clearly on a bright and sunny day!

We look forward to helping you get a clear view of your program strategy and tactics – give us a call.