As your doors open for business today I want you to ask yourself the following questions. Do my people understand their objectives? Do they understand their pay plans? Are their pay plans and the objectives linked together?

My experience from the stores I have evaluated is that the answer to these questions is no. Most managers give out goals and objectives and get employees to sign pay plans, that’s it. Then, everyone freezes up over HOW to get it done. The overwhelming question” HOW are we going to reach that goal” goes unanswered day after day, month after month. Also, your people begin to feel that you are unreasonable to expect the objective in the first place. “How”, is not the right question to ask yourself or your people.

The power comes from WHY! I have seen (without replacing 1 employee) a 92% gross profit increase, by getting the front line people to understand clearly what’s in for them. By reviewing objectives and showing them what it means to their pay plan they begin to understand WHY you are asking this of them. You want them to earn more money and have an outstanding workplace, not just make them work harder. From this place of WHY, they become free to think, grow and solve the question of HOW.

This has never failed. Reasons come first and answers come later. Your ability to explain the true WHY behind your plan, will inspire your people and get the buy in you need to drive your store forward.