Author: Lori Michele Leavitt

Posted on

Positioning for high performance with a bonus program

Question: Looking to begin a high performance culture. One of the steps we want to create is an all employee bonus. How do you go about selecting the right behaviors/outcomes company-wide to incent the desired outcome ($profit & efficiency)?

Lori’s Answer

You are looking to “begin” a high performance culture. It will help me to understand your work culture, so please be aware that this answer is given without a complete picture.

Your focus with this question is on connecting “doing the right things right” with a performance bonus.

I have two notes to make about a new bonus program:

  1. Do not reduce wages to make room for the bonus (unless you absolutely must cut labor cost in total)
  2. Be as certain as you can that each role is linked to strategic objectives and that what is measured
    is what counts (to the organization)

Continue reading “Positioning for high performance with a bonus program”

Posted on

Benchmarks for Productivity Target-Setting

I am working on Productivity Benchmarking for every function and every role in our organization. I have framed Metrics for each and every role so that I can get quantifiable data. I have started framing Factors of Metrics to ensure that the data collected has minimum errors attached to it. My next plan would be that I will start using these Metrics and start benchmarking according to industry standards. My Question: I have been able to get some data for Sales but I am finding it difficult to get data on technical people. So I have couple of questions here. 1. I would like to know the approach I have taken is right or wrong? 2. Whether we have any published data on benchmarking on IT industry or Technical Benchmarking for Individual roles? 3. What would be other ways to set Benchmarks on every functional role?

Lori’s Answer
(Answer shortened)

I love what you are doing. I agree it is a challenge in setting up, and you will face challenges in implementation, which we’ve discussed separately. To keep you moving now…

Plan for many phases with ample testing – mostly through conversation and analysis – as you grow this productivity measurement system.

Continue reading “Benchmarks for Productivity Target-Setting”

Posted on

How to motivate clients to move, so you can be more productive

Question: How do you motivate clients to move more quickly so you can increase your own productivity and tie up open projects?

Lori’s answer:

Ah, productivity tied to a customer’s timeline. Good question! Quick answer: Scarcity

You want to be responsive to the client when they need you. That is a good trait.

However you may find that your clients do not put as much value on this as you hope. It has been proven time and again that the busier and harder to reach you become (or are perceived to be) the more in demand you become. Honestly I’m still learning this myself, and it is a balance.

Continue reading “How to motivate clients to move, so you can be more productive”

Posted on

Marketing on auto-pilot for higher productivity and returns

Question: Most of my business has come from word of mouth. Most people don’t understand what we do! How can I market my company without going broke on advertising (read: productively)? I have already spent thousands.

Lori’s answer:

For you, weaving marketing into your work is important and when you do this well, such that you can then put much of your marketing on auto-pilot, you are going to feel –and be – both
productive and successful.

In your mail you identify an obvious niche….
… and it is challenging to get the attention of your market and your competitors are also after them.

You feel your marketing dollars are not being spent productively… you want an ROI (and fast payback!)

Continue reading “Marketing on auto-pilot for higher productivity and returns”

Posted on

Mixing passion for work with productivity and balance in life

Question: I am a very passionate person and when I am excited and engaged in a project I will often get drained afterward. How do I get a more balanced approach to my productivity, especially when I feel like my passion is a necessary component of my success?

Lori’s answer:

Passion in your work can be a great thing. If you are feeling drained, then I fear you are not finding flow…or you are not getting the rest or exercise that your body, and brain, need.

Since you mention the words “balanced” and “excited,” I am guessing finding flow is not the issue. Instead you may be feeling badly about what you didn’t do for yourself (or others) that is draining you at the end of the project. You may need to even take a break during these periods of mental flow. Here’s something I’d like you to do:

Continue reading “Mixing passion for work with productivity and balance in life”

Posted on

Motivating employees – discover their “WIIFM”

Question: How do you get employees motivated and passionate about the mission of the organization so that they strive for self improvement and improved work performance without micromanaging from management or finger pointing at their colleagues?

Lori’s answer:

You’ve put a lot of great keywords into your question: motivated, passionate, mission…
This tells me what a great leader you are – congrats!

But guess what? -No one in your company will care about the practice in the way that you do. That is because the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) for you IS your company; that’s not the case for your employees.

I also love that you brought up finger-pointing. It is a sign of unclear roles and expectations (read: measures).

Continue reading “Motivating employees – discover their “WIIFM””

Posted on

Wow! Alignment with Strategy

In keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving, which is “the” U.S. holiday bringing families together, this week’s “Wow!” goes to the team. Yes, it goes to all of you, and I will tell you why…

Here’s our “wow” for this week: Team, I am sending to you a “WOW!” because I am seeing our Strategy being executed. I am not simply talking about sales; I am talking also about learning and innovation, internal and customer goals that require teamwork, great communication, customer focus (incl. internal customers) mentoring, accepting guidance, self-management and personal improvement.

Continue reading “Wow! Alignment with Strategy”

Posted on

Wow! Building Trust

We had an interesting week. Most of us had our “heads down” …working with great focus to meet deadlines; moving fast – yet in a managed way. We’ve made some great inroads! But we’ve faced many distractions as well; the toughest caused by promises made, then not kept. We’ve also had new people come and go over the last week or two. Both are a huge time sinks for the company, and tear at our finances and emotions. You all have suffered when I am being taken advantage of. I am sorry for that, and I’m doing the internal work to have that not happen. What have I learned? To get back to our core team; to focus on and nurture the people that share the values set at the top of this company and who are sure to succeed in a pay for performance culture. Those who build value for this company WILL BE SUCCESSFUL- individually and as part of our team.

GOOD NEWS! We do have this strength within the team. I can select only one of you for this email. The person this email goes to has exhibited time and again that he cares about the company. At times he’s gone unnoticed for it. Today I will shout about how impressed I am…

This week’s “Wow!” goes to ——— for keeping an eye on our company even during a recent break.

Continue reading “Wow! Building Trust”

Posted on

Wow! Doing what it takes

You may have some idea how much I hate missing a deadline. Well, I just missed mine; I didn’t send out the Wow! this weekend. The good news is that it is not because there are no Wows! to give; there are plenty! This team continues to impress me every day. Typically I write the Wow! email after a long walk during which I get the pleasure of thinking about, and appreciating, all the great actions during the past week. This week I missed that walk due to a minor health issue, and it seems I mentally connected the Wow! email so closely with that long walk that I failed to send the email! So let’s get this out …now!

This week’s “Wow!” goes to ———- for his continued diligence in making a frustrating commute to perform the warranty work on the hardware located in our Bellingham, WA USA office.

Here’s our “wow” for this week: I am sending to you a “WOW!” as a person who is making a grand effort to keep C-Secure going when we realize it would be so easy to just not go to the trouble. It is worth it, and in the long run there will be even greater benefit realized for every one sticking with C-Secure.

Continue reading “Wow! Doing what it takes”

Posted on

Wow! S-P-E-E-D

Last week I focused on s-p-e-e-d. This week is about another driver of our success: smart use of TIME!
… that is your time and others’ time.

On the subject of time management, this week’s “Wow!” goes to ———-.

Here’s our “wow” for this week: I am sending to you a “WOW!” as a person who works in steps so that you can get input and stay on track. You get stuff done, with effective use of you time, and mine.

Why is this “wow!”?
Here’s what we don’t want:If you’ve managed others you may have run into the type of person who, if there is a deadline tomorrow, happily gives themselves until the end of the day (usually waiting until the last minute to even start after having plenty of time) not showing drafts along the way so the manager has no clue if it is on track (even if asked for, and promised repeatedly), leaving it to the manager to now make up for the lost time after hours …and leaving no time to correct the work if what was done was not what was expected. Or at times the results are coming, “today!,” “tomorrow for sure!”… and then never comes at all.

Continue reading “Wow! S-P-E-E-D”