“Show me the money!!”
Rod Tilling in the movie “Jerry McGuire”
In this movie, Cuba Gooding Jr. played Rod Tilling a NFL wide receiver and Tom Cruise was Jerry McGuire a sports agent who represented Cuba’s character. Cuba’s character was very demonstratively expressing to Tom Cruise he did not want promises – he wanted a contract with the terms clearly defined. He also wanted to be rewarded for what he had proven he could accomplish.
I saw this scene as - an employee wanting to know the real deal. No promises, no maybes – but what will they receive if they meet the goal and what additional rewards would be provided for exceeding the goal. Employees want a plan in writing and as detailed as possible. The focus is not the money – it is the show – the plan.
Good employees, the type of employees all employers want, don’t want to just meet the goal - they want to exceed it. That is what makes them good employees and creates the opportunity for both the employee and employer to make even more money. The marginal return is huge! Weak employees want to produce just enough to not get in trouble.
Many of the employers I interact with are long on verbal promises and offer shallow excuses when promises are not met. Employees are like Rod Tilling above. When the good employees believe they have met/exceeded the goals and are not rewarded – what do you think happens next? The scenario of promises and excuses consistently runs good employees off and hands power to the weaker employees.
If you hand them a plan which:
- Clearly shows the goals, outcomes and rewards
- Is processed with integrity – you reward as promised
- Has positive reviews from employees in previous years
- Identifies and eliminates weaker employees
You will have control of your “Greatest Asset”!! The good employees will want to stay and the weak employees will want or will be asked to leave.
These types of plans can and should be written for all levels within the organization. Many organizations have these types of plans at the higher levels of the organization. They are written at that level for the exact same reasons as discussed above. The issue is these plans should also be written for all levels in the organization.
EXTRA BONUS!! Many times you end up with fewer employees, individually making more money and a productivity level which is through the roof!
People Profits LLC believes you do not choose between People or Profits – because you immediately destabilize the one not chosen. You work People AND Profits together to benefit each other.
