SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 170,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each Tuesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How well do your team members understand how their jobs contribute to the bottom line?
- Well — they generally understand their role’s impact on profit: 39.21%
- Somewhat — they know their work is important, but the link to profit is fuzzy: 27.57%
- Extremely well — there’s a direct link between their role and our profit: 27.4%
- Not at all — they have no understanding of how they contribute to our profit: 5.82%
So why am I doing this? We all want to contribute to something larger than ourselves. Giving people that clarity at work as to how their actions drive company performance will improve motivation and performance. If your teams aren’t clear how their actions and activities contribute, they’ll question their work more and be more likely to eventually leave for a more fulfilling role. Spend the time to explain where they fit in — they’ll appreciate it.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”
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In the modern business world, it can be very difficult to tie a job directly to the "bottom line". Associates in Accounts Receivable can see a direct line to cash flow. Sales have a direct line to revenue generation, but what about more nuanced roles? Do customer support associates see their impact on revenue and expense? Does the financial analyst really see how she impacts the business?
Frequently, why thier job matters is also something personal to them. Helping associates develop thier own reasons why — Their own maxim's if you will (subtle plug for Mike's fatastic book). This can help keep them going on a daily basis and remember they are a vital piece of the big picture.
Raises another question, How well do they understand the Risks associated with not doing their work and its impact on the bottom line? In general people are subconsciously unaccountable for rewards being offered to them. The only consequence being not making the extra bonus/incentive. To raise their subconscious keep them informed and aware of their accountability for not doing their work. Fear of Loss is of far greater importance and has greater impact to them than is the want of offered gain. Work with people and assist them in understanding risks from the mind of the entrepreneur. Initially this may seem threatening but it brings people from subconscious to conscious levels about their work performance.