{"id":54830,"date":"2025-04-17T23:08:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T04:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?p=54830"},"modified":"2025-04-17T23:08:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T04:08:45","slug":"ld-best-practices-strategies-for-success-april-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/ld-best-practices-strategies-for-success-april-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"L&#038;D Best Practices: Strategies for Success (April 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s ever-changing business landscape, organizations must find innovative ways to connect employees to their strategic goals while fostering engagement and collaboration. For organizations looking to elevate employee engagement and strategic alignment, a well-executed journey map can be a game-changer.<\/p>\n<h2>The Power of Visual Strategy Mapping<\/h2>\n<p>Senior living leader LCS created Strategic Journey Maps\u2014a dynamic storybook-like visual\u2014to represent the company\u2019s vision, priorities, and focus areas. Rather than relying on traditional text-heavy strategy documents, the maps bring strategy to life through cartoon characters illustrating key company initiatives. This accessible and engaging tool engages employees at all levels, driving both individual and organizational success.<\/p>\n<h2>Bringing the Strategy to Life<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Strategic Journey Map was first introduced at the LCS Leadership Summit in 2023, where 750 employees\u2014including corporate, field, and community leaders\u2014gathered for a week of professional development and networking.<\/p>\n<p>LCS leaders served as trained facilitators to guide employees through the journey map experience. Tables were assigned to ensure participants were a mix of job levels, locations, and roles. Participants engaged in activities such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Searching for key elements on the map that related to their work<\/li>\n<li>Identifying where they and their teams fit into the strategic journey<\/li>\n<li>Discussing challenges and setting future goals in alignment with the company\u2019s vision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This approach enabled employees to learn the company strategy and hear from others about how the initiatives impact areas of the company differently. Employee feedback shared the exercise made strategy more meaningful to their role and fostered a deeper understanding of how their roles contribute to the company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n<h2>Sustaining Engagement and Evolution<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Since its launch, the Strategic Journey Map has remained a cornerstone of the LCS strategy work: It has been used in quarterly town hall meetings, added to the company intranet, and used in new employee orientation to ensure that every team member\u2014regardless of when they join\u2014understands the company\u2019s strategic direction from day one.<\/p>\n<p>As the company strategy evolved, so did the need to refresh the strategy maps to keep the initiative fresh and engaging. The LCS Strategic Journey Map 2.0 was launched through a second company-wide interactive session in 2024 (along with a virtual offering) to showcase company progress and highlight new initiatives. A third iteration of the map is already being discussed for a debut at a future all-employee meeting.<\/p>\n<h2>Measuring the Impact of Employee Journey Mapping<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The success of the LCS journey map initiative extends far beyond the 750 employees who initially participated. Leaders have shared the map with their extended teams, expanding its reach to thousands. The overwhelmingly positive response to both the original and updated versions demonstrates the power of engaging employees through creative and interactive experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur strategy maps have sparked meaningful conversations about how each employee\u2019s role aligns with our broader strategy,\u201d notes Annette Jorden, senior director, LCS Talent Development. \u201cWe have seen that when employees see the direct impact they can make to our strategy, they become more motivated, innovative, and engaged in shaping our future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The strategy map and all of the tactics that are linked to it have made the strategy page on the company intranet one of the most visited resources by employees. Surveys from employee meetings where the strategy maps were featured also echoed the effectiveness and demand for more map-like exercises to stay engaged with the strategy, as well as other company initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we continue refining our strategy, we remain committed to keeping employees at the heart of our journey,\u201d says LCS EVP\/Chief Human Resources Officer Monica Friedman. \u201cOur experience has shown that our strategy maps are more than just strategy communications\u2014it\u2019s about fostering a workplace where every individual feels seen, valued, and empowered to contribute to our shared success.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Training magazine taps 2025 Training MVP Awards winners and Training Hall of Famers to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. Here, we look at how LCS uses Strategic Journey Maps to drive engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2986,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[16],"class_list":{"0":"post-54830","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-feature","8":"magazine_issues-april-2025"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.2 (Yoast SEO v25.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>L&amp;D Best Practices: Strategies for Success (April 2025)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Training magazine taps 2025 Training MVP Awards winners and Training Hall of Famers to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. 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