4 Things EVERY Employee Should Know
Scott Bahr
Leader, strategist and one who gets it done. Author. Bar raiser. Mentor. Dad. Former President & CEO.
Almost 30 years ago, my first mentor, then the President of Holden Australia, shared with me a truth that has held with me through my career and is just as important today. As a leader, regardless of whether you're running a repair shop or running Amazon, it is critical that everyone who works for you knows four things:
- WHAT IS MY JOB
Everyone deserves to know and be held accountable for the essential aspects of their job. Without knowing what they're responsible for, they can't hope to achieve those things.
2. WHAT IS NOT MY JOB
If you're distracted doing things someone else is supposed to do, you'll never finish your own work. Pitching in to help when someone's out or a role is vacant is great, but focusing first on your own job is a pretty central norm to achieving success.
3. HOW AM I EVALUATED
Nobody should be surprised in an appraisal. It signals a poor manager as much as a poor employee. We should know what we're being personally evaluated on and have a good idea of how we'll be rated long before we sit down for that actual discussion.
4. HOW AM I COMPENSATED
Knowing in detail all direct and deferred compensation, stock grants, options, benefits, RSUs, and other benefits is fundamental and any mistakes here will get you sued in a big hurry. Double check and get this right every time!
Hopefully they know a lot more than these four things, but at the very least they need to know, with certainty, these four essential facts. Having these discussions during onboarding of new employees and regularly as part of the evaluation and promotion cadence will ensure basic alignment among your team members and will reduce the amount of conflict which slows down your ability to operate, pivot, and grow.