10 Ways to Get Employees Focused On the Bottom Line

Make sure your decision makers get the information they need on a daily basis. Managers need something that provides feedback on where the organization is now and where it is going in the future. Managers at each level need a real-time view of what’s happening. To get them focused on what they should be doing, metrics are required. “Properly constructed, they reveal where the organization is heading and give managers the opportunity to prevent failure or seize an opportunity before it’s too late,” says Giannetto. “Properly used, they have the ability to directly affect how your managers manage. For the first time, your managers will be receiving the numbers they actually need in order to drive performance.”

Outline each employee’s individual responsibilities and then measure his or her progress. You may assume your employees know exactly what their jobs require them to focus on, but in their day-to-day work lives that focus may get a little fuzzy. Hold one-on-one meetings with each one. Ask what a normal day looks like for them. Are they getting caught up in tasks that aren’t driving results? Help them re-assess where their main focus should go, and figure out a way to measure their progress.

Let your employees evaluate you to see if what you’re doing is really helping them. When your company’s numbers aren’t great, your first thought is to point the finger at employees. What if you, also, are a source of the problem? Perhaps there are things you’re doing that you think are helping employees when in reality they aren’t. Employee evaluations can be a real eye-opener. Create an evaluation form that employees can fill out anonymously. “We see it all the time in organizations,” says Giannetto. “CEOs who think they are king, who are unwilling to take a look at what they are doing that is hurting their company more than helping. … If CEOs are still bogging employees down with ineffective meetings and numbers that don’t mean anything to them, problems will continue. There’s no better way to find out what you are doing wrong than by asking those your actions affect the most—your employees.”