Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work in organizations of varying size - from 5,000 employee companies to three of us sitting around the dining room table. I've also worked as a consultant in very large organizations such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Morgan Stanley. These varied experiences have provided me with the opportunity to see how companies are run and the role that senior management plays within these organizations.
 
With each new client engagement we start at AdvancingWellness, one of the first steps is to meet with members of the senior management team. These are typically individual interviews with the key members of the senior team.  The purpose of these interviews is to establish a relationship with the individual, get an understanding of their view of the value and benefits of improving the health of their employees, and to understand how the organization mobilizes its workforce around change initiatives. These interviews help lay the foundation for working with a client, but also help us to understand the personality of the company's leadership team, and the culture of the organization.

Leaders in an organization translate vision into reality and motivate the people who need to carry this out. When it comes to creating a healthier workforce, the leadership team plays a key role in creating the vision for valuing healthy lifestyles.  At Lincoln Industries, a Nebraska manufacturing company their 'beliefs' statements include "Wellness and healthy lifestyles are important to our success" as one of the elements. Lincoln Industries is a nationally recognized company whose worksite wellness program for their 400+ employees has won numerous national awards. Lincoln Industries Chairman and CEO Marc LaBaron states "Too often companies look at wellness as a stand alone program - just another benefit. At Lincoln Industries, we have fully integrated wellness into every aspect of the company's culture. It's a source of pride and reflects how we care for one another. As a result, wellness has become a critical element of our success." [1]

The senior leadership team sets the direction for corporate initiatives when allocating resources. These resources come in many forms: money, employee's time, and facilities. The allocation of resources to a wellness program makes the vision real.

Communication of the vision and how that will be realized must come from the CEO to make the wellness program successful. The visibility this communication provides reinforces the importance of the message and its importance to the organization.

The final, and perhaps most important element of the role the senior team plays in the wellness program is through role modeling. Setting a positive example by walking the talk will bring the respect from the employees, who see that healthy lifestyles are not just being paid lip service.

Senior management support is considered a critical success factor and best practice in worksite health promotion programs. Without it, the program will lack credibility and support, and not produce the desired outcomes to improve employee productivity and in the long-run, reduce health care costs.