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PROFIT IN PLAIN SIGHT The Five Principled Paths to Passion Profit and Growth ANNE GRAHAM

PART II Shift to Practicalities Unlock the Power of Profit in Plain Sight 113 These Principled Paths Provide Solutions to Transform Five Key Market Driven Challenges into Passion Profit and Growth CHALLENGE 1 121 Earning Customer Loyalty and Retention Keep the Customers Who Keep You in Business from Cozying Up to Your Competition CHALLENGE 2 157 Generating Sustained and Steady Top Line Growth How to Sell More Products and Services to More Customers at Higher Prices CHALLENGE 3 185 Ensuring Bottom Line Growth in Profit Stop Vampire Customers from Sucking the Lifeblood Out of Your Business CHALLENGE 4 213 Developing a Corporate Reputation for Quality Don t Just Oil the Tinman Make Him Sing and Dance CHALLENGE 5 239 Stimulating Innovation and Creativity and Enabling Entrepreneurship 21 Paths to Innovation that Your Competition Can t Just Copy Summary 277 Shift to Practicalities xii Profit in Plain Sight

YOUR FINAL CHALLENGE 285 How Will You Transform Your Passive Book Learning into Impact Awareness and Good Intentions Don t Turn Up on Your Income Statement APPENDIX 1 PUT THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST 289 How to Transform Your Business in Less Time than You re Spending on E mail APPENDIX 2 A SOLUTION IN PLAIN SIGHT 295 Acknowledgments 297 Recommended Resources 299 Index 303 Table of Contents xiii

Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges into Passion Profit and Growth With Five Principled Paths that Deliver Results in Less Time than You re Currently Spending on E mail How much easier would igniting passion profit and growth be if everyone in your business embraced change and became part of it What would be possible if transforming your business felt more like play than like work How quickly could you turn good intentions into tangible results if you simply could take small steps that require less time than you are devoting to e mail in a given day IBM is a legendary company not only because of its enduring success for over 100 years in the fast changing world of technology but because it leads its category by a factor of four in terms of profitability and continues to transform itself to generate growth opportunities Customers are incredibly loyal the company has a stellar reputation for quality and as the holder of more patents than any other high technology company its strengths in innovation are readily apparent It seems that IBM has found ways to conquer some stubborn challenges doesn t it But it didn t start that way IBM s roots go back to the 1880s and at one time its products consisted of employee time keeping systems weigh scales automatic meat slicers coffee grinders and 1

5 Stimulating Innovation and Creativity and Enabling Entrepreneurship Why don t we ever get traction and put those Challenges behind us Because 70 years of thought leadership in the business press from universities and in executive programs has left us with more shoulds than hows and a lot of flavor of the month distractions that sound promising but are hard to translate into bottom line impact Let s change that This Book Is for You When most of the books you ve read are sitting on your shelf and have not had any impact on your business some of the books you ve read have inspired you but you struggled when you tried to put them into practice because the author shared the shoulds but left you to figure out the hows and you ve tried to implement ideas in the past as an army of one only to run out of steam run out of time or run out of focus when you find yourself spending more time trying to get people to change and get on board than actually implementing anything Move Beyond the Myths Here s your wake up call and a bold promise MYTH 1 We re Too Busy FACT All of us are busy None of us have spare time Or do we Over 90 of executives polled admit that they spend between 1 and 2 hours a day on e mail often more So here s your wake up call unless you work in the order entry department e mail does Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 3

not move the needle in your business because it does not create cash flow profit or growth In fact it leaves you working everyone else s agenda when as a leader it is up to you to set the direction and lead by doing E mail is a nice easy reactive way to start the day and waste most of the morning And it s killing your company MYTH 2 We Have to Be Always On FACT We re tethered to responding instantaneously to our phones our e mail and other interruptions and there are times when that s appropriate but more often it s simply busy work I m not saying that you have to abandon e mail it s a part of our lives in the 21st century just as the telephone and voice mail became a reality in the 20th But what is currently in your in box or on your priority list that is more important than securing the future of your business for your employees your family and your community What s more important than building a profitable growing business that can weather any economic turmoil that global change can throw at it MYTH 3 There s No Way Out FACT The noise is getting louder now that texting and social media elements are also in the mix of e mail voice mail and more Yet one simple shift is all that s required to completely transform noise into results and I invite you to share Appendix 1 with your entire organization to help them make that shift In the meantime here s my bold promise If you have time for e mail you have time to once and for all overcome the stubborn business challenges holding you back 4 Profit in Plain Sight

When you follow the Solutions in Plain Sight outlined in this book and access the Rapid Results Resources that ensure you never have to waste precious time reinventing the wheel you will transform your business in less time than you re currently spending on e mail First Expand Your Thinking to Close the Gap Our biggest challenge as business leaders at all levels is simply to overcome the thinking that s kept us stuck with those Challenges Many of us were taught old world thinking long before today s realities of the Internet globalization recurring corporate scandals all too frequent recessions and a rate of change that s difficult to keep up with It s time to hold our beliefs myths and common practices up to a very harsh light of uncommon sense and retool for the future It s time to replace them with a road map that delivers results This first section Possibilities is going to give you three powerful tools to do just that Most businesses won t succeed in making the shift They ll remain mired in the we ve always done it this way paradigm because they simply won t invest the time and energy to be open to new approaches and they won t take the time to build a road map that takes them to their Possibilities step by step They ll continue to default back to business as usual because they think it s easier even though they know it s not working and they need a new approach Unfortunately they re unknowingly making their lives and the lives of everyone in the organization more difficult and more uncertain Take a look at the shapes Figure 1 How many forms of transportation can you spot Look carefully as the shapes hold the key to your transformation How many did you see What were they Go to Appendix 2 for the answer Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 5

Figure 1 HOW MANY FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION DO YOU SEE IN THESE SHAPES Rapid Results Resources Put some energy into your regular meetings and start the process of Transformation with The 101 Questions You MUST Ask Your Leadership Team Use a couple of the questions every week to get your team thinking about Passion Profit and Growth and to get their creative juices flowing Download your copy at www ProfitInPlainSight com 101Questions Solutions in Plain Sight Inform Inspire Motivate Systematically Transform By opening the cover of Profit in Plain Sight you ve already taken your first step to becoming more open more focused and more successful You ve taken your first step towards creating a process for sustainable levels of increased profits And you ve taken your first step that will differentiate your business from your competitors when you implement well Just keep turning the pages to make it happen SOLUTION IN PLAIN SIGHT 1 Infuse Your Employees With Possibilities What does it mean to Infuse employees It means embedding the desire to be part of something more to be the best to behave every 6 Profit in Plain Sight

day in ways that add value to your customers and to earn profit with integrity that will help the entire company grow and succeed in the future Figure 2 INFUSE YOUR EMPLOYEES WHEN YOU INFORM INSPIRE MOTIVATE AND TRANSFORM IGNITE THE POWER OF INFORMATION IN TWO WAYS Move beyond the myths we ve all been taught by questioning what you think you know Use Whole Brain Thinking to Close the Gaps when you discover how a blend of logic and intuition can create AHA Moments that will shift your thinking forever TRIGGER TRANSFORMATION WITH FOCUSED TIME AND ENERGY Business leaders have over 260 windows of golden time in every quarter and I ve never met one yet who could fill each one of them with high value add activities Don t believe me See Appendix 1 That means that the problem with transformation is not lack of time it s lack of focus You ll find an Action Plan at the end of every Chapter All you need to do is focus and take action on the Assessments Rapid Results Resources and Action Items You can do it You will succeed Success stories will inspire you to get out from behind your desk instead of trapped behind it pushing paper All the fun in your business is on the other side of the desk The Rapid Results Resources deliver tools and techniques that are visual intuitive qualitative and playful CREATE INSPIRATION WHEN WORK BECOMES PLAY The only person who likes change is a baby with a wet diaper they go from a place of discomfort to a place of comfort Let s put you and your team in wet diapers so that you ll be motivated to change to dry ones You ll stretch your thinking in every Chapter with three types of provocative questions so that change becomes more desirable than where you re at today Possibilities Questions inspire and motivate you Tough Love Questions engage your team in the issues you re facing Reflective Questions provide deeper learning and sustainable transformation MAGNIFY MOTIVATION WHEN CHANGE IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN THE STAUS QUO Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 7

3 Achieve Passion Profit and Growth in less time than you re spending on e mail AC C TI AL L SO NS ENTHUSE YO UT I O UR Challenge 1 Customer Loyalty and Retention PO SS I B Challenge 5 Innovation and Creativity Challenge 2 Top Line Growth INFUSE YOUR E IES M PL Driver 1 Passion Return on People Driver 2 Profit Profitable Customer Ratio SOLUTIONS 3 Uncommon Ways to Eliminate Unnecessary Costs toServe ES YE O SOLUTIONS 21 Low Risk LowCost Paths to Innovation IT IL SOLUTIONS 7 Essential Elements for Value Creation CU ST OM E RS PR Figure 3 THE PROFIT IN PLAIN SIGHT FRAMEWORK SOLUTIONS 21 Safe Sustainable Ways to Price for Value Driver 3 Growth Whole Brain Thinking SOLUTIONS 5 Rs for Proactively Managing Customer Profitability Challenge 3 BottomLine Growth Challenge 4 Reputation for Quality 1 SOLUTION IN PLAIN SIGHT 3 Overcome Your Biggest Obstacles Right now you may be thinking you don t have the time Your people aren t onside You have other priorities that need your attention and focus You re uncertain of whether you can make a commitment Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 9

Take these Actions Resource 1 Download your copy of The 101 Questions You MUST Ask Your Leadership Teams at www ProfitInPlainSight com 101Questions to start changing the conversations at every level of your organization This is an ideal tool for executives and mid level managers to use to spice up your regular team meetings and begin to shift your culture to one of profit and growth 2 See Appendix 1 for the secrets of achieving focus and transformation in less time than you re currently spending on e mail Action Item 3 Check out Appendix 2 for the solution to the forms of transportation brain teaser at the beginning of this Chapter Small Steps Big Impact Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 15

4 How often do our people see our efforts as Kidney Stones because we fail to give them the big picture with a road map for implementation ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 5 How committed am I to create an environment where my horses are thirsty and the water is sweet ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Inform Inspire Motivate Transform Enthuse Infuse Are you ready to get started with the Three Drivers of Transformation that deliver big wake up calls and pave the way to transform your business more quickly and easily than you might imagine If you prefer you can go right to whichever Challenge is your greatest burning issue today and then work backwards to put the foundational work in place that may be required to trigger the transformation Prepare to Transform Your Most Persistent Market Challenges 17

I Start with Possibilities Your Wake Up Call Three Drivers of Transformation Set New Goals for Passion Profit and Growth Only a healthy bottom line keeps you in business IT I INFUSE YOUR E ES M PL Driver 1 Passion Return on People Driver 2 Profit Profitable Customer Ratio ES YE O L BI PO SS I PA R T Driver 3 Growth Whole Brain Thinking Your Three Drivers of Transformation are 1 The Passion Driver Your Return on People 2 The Profit Driver Your Profitable Customer Ratio 3 The Growth Driver Leverage the Power of Whole Brain Thinking 19

Growth New smaller markets couldn t support the highcost sales model that was used in larger markets but the Passion within the company drove a desire to expand the service to all seniors in all geographic locations When staff leveraged Whole Brain Thinking instead of we ve always done it this way they discovered a way to partner with major financial institutions as distribution channels Within less than a year the company had expanded across the entire country doubled its revenue and profit and a lucrative IPO followed Your Takeaway Profit Passion Growth All within your reach when you use your Drivers to infuse every employee as you inform inspire motivate and transform Part I Start with Possibilities 23

1 The Passion Driver Benchmark Your Return on People Shatter Your Speed Limits to Achieve Extraordinary Passion Profit and Growth We overestimate what we can achieve in 1 year and underestimate what we can achieve in 5 years IT I INFUSE YOUR E ES M PL Driver 1 Passion Return on People ES YE O L BI PO SS I DRIVER What would your life be like if you could double quadruple or even increase your profits by a factor of 10 safely sustainably and with integrity What would it mean to you and your family Would you finally relax and stop working such long hours Enjoy well earned rewards from profit sharing or other incentives Take the opportunity to reward good employees Finally invest with ease in your current business or a new one Bask in the respect 25

you re tired of meaningless stretch goals but still want to set the bar higher The second of the Three Drivers of Transformation is a key performance indicator that s rarely reported on by the business press yet holds the key for seeing what s possible and transforming your organization Return on People ROP as measured by Profitper Employee P E I ll share data that will enable you to Benchmark against 5 years of powerful statistics to spot trends in your industry and identify Possibilities by seeing what some of the bestknown companies in the world achieve You ll learn what to do to create pride and passion in your employees by linking the statistic of Profit per Employee to the positive emotional impact of Return on People Once you see the Possibilities for your firm you ll set new profitability goals and in the challenges and solutions that follow you ll learn how to transform Possibilities into bottom line impact Tough Love Ask Your Leadership Team Five Critical Questions 1 What is our industry standard for Return on People and where do we rank 2 How do we know with certainty that the profits we re earning today are the optimum for our business 3 How fully engaged are our people in behaving like owners passionate about profit and growth 4 Could key members of the executive team take a leave of absence knowing with certainty that our people will step up to create all the profits we need to do everything we want to sustain and grow our business for everyone Driver 1 The Passion Driver 27

5 How willing are we really to become a John Landy or Roger Bannister and lead our industry or is the status quo good enough for us Rapid Results Resources Take 6 minutes to complete the Are Your Employees Infused assessment at www ProfitInPlainSight com Infuse and receive a customized report showing you exactly where your greatest profit opportunities lie Now let s expose some common myths about profitability that keep you from seeing what s possible Move Beyond the Myths Which of these three myths are keeping you from realizing your Profit potential MYTH 1 Margins in Our Industry Are Relatively Fixed FACT I hear this myth constantly Do you So why is it that when you look at the Profit per Employee metric there are clear winners whose Return on People is substantially higher than their closest competitors They are more immune to recession and thrive even in very commoditized industries such as office supplies insurance chemicals communications equipment food and drug machinery and more Will you continue to settle for fixed margins or shatter that myth 28 Profit in Plain Sight

MYTH 2 You Have to Choose Either Profit or Growth You Can t Have Both FACT Often companies that make the fastest growing lists are not profitable which reinforces this belief And many publications suggest that to grow quickly you have to sacrifice margins or make large investments that take years to deliver their ROI With the Profit per Employee lens it becomes clear that many of the firms leading their industries in profitability are also experiencing high growth rates Large investments in people or capital are not required for profitable growth as you ll see in the many examples in the Benchmarking Report I ll share with you shortly When you think of the conversations in your company do they focus on Profit On Growth Or on profitable growth MYTH 3 Revenue per Employee Is an Adequate Measure FACT When you look at almost any Top 100 Top 500 or Top 1000 list based on revenue you ll find that one in five of those so called top companies are in fact losing money Typically of the companies on any list who experienced revenue increases from the previous year about half of them will find that profits fell Gross Margin or EBITDA Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation Amortization suffer the same myopic vision and hide the truth Measuring revenue per employee simply creates at best misleading information and at worst a false sense of security If you re not consistently profitable at the very bottom of your income statement you re simply not going to stay in business How often do you find you ve increased your revenues but there s nothing left when it comes down to the bottom line Frustrating isn t it Driver 1 The Passion Driver 29

Expand Your Thinking to Close the Gaps Is Your Business a Couch Potato Weekend Jogger or World Class Runner You measure ROA ROI ROE and more Why don t you measure ROP Return on People People are the most important asset investment and equity you have And when you value and engage them they re the only resource that can dynamically drive your results to new levels in good times and in bad Get ready to find out how to shatter your company s artificial barriers shatter its personal best to date and shatter the speed limits imagined by others in your industry once you re inspired by what others have achieved In 2005 I started tracking Profit per Employee as a way to measure Return on People with data based on 72 industry categories and over 500 multinational companies Since then I ve studied Canadian and global companies and found similar patterns Over the past several years some amazing results and fascinating trends have emerged You may be surprised at what you ll learn when you benchmark your firm Benchmarking against some of the best companies in your industry and in the world is going to vividly change your sense of Possibilities Rapid Results Resources Find out how big the gap is between where you are today and where you could be when you download the Profit perEmployee Benchmarking Report at www ProfitInPlainSight com Benchmark You ll spot trends as you look across 5 years of Profit per Employee data and you can get an applesto apples comparison with firms in your industry as well as an apples to oranges comparison with some of the leading companies in the world when you review all 72 different industry categories Download it right now to get the most from the how to s that follow 30 Profit in Plain Sight

The Profit per Employee Benchmark Remember your school days when teachers used to bell curve your grades The bell curve in Figure 1 presents the same concept ranking publicly traded companies on a Profit per Employee basis to create an initial Benchmark for you Figure 1 BENCHMARKING YOUR RETURN ON PEOPLE1 0 1 14 64K 34 34 14 F 369K 2 D C B 5K 24K 63K 89K Median Average 2 0 1 A 460K 2 4M So what does the bell curve tell us about your Possibilities for Return on People Half of the 500 companies in this benchmark earn less than 24K of Profit per Employee per year When you think about it that doesn t give the majority much room for investment in growth They are some of the largest companies in the world ranked by revenue but they are wrestling with five stubborn market driven challenges just like you Does that make big companies less intimidating when you think of benchmarking against them The average company earns 63K of Profit per Employee P E per year a solid C and up from 52K of P E last year The top 2 of companies earn an A by achieving in excess of 460K of Profit per Employee per year and many are 1 Results above are based on financial data reported in 2013 Download current results at www ProfitInPlainSight com Benchmark Driver 1 The Passion Driver 31

Figure 2 WHICH FIRM DO YOU WANT TO BE vs vs Average Company Top 10 earns 5 times the average Top 1 earns 10 times the average Your first reaction to your Benchmarking results may be But I m not a big multinational company or Our tax rates are different or It s the exchange rate differences or Bottom line profits can be manipulated top line revenue is a safer measurement I hear all of these reactions frequently and most of those leaders although they re doing a lot of right things usually find that their company earns substantially less Profit per Employee than the average company They re usually a D or even an F Since you re in the section of seeing Possibilities so that you can escape we ve always done it this way I m going to invite you to keep an open mind on this I ll show you why the statistics I m giving you are relevant regardless of how big or small your company is today or in which country your firm is headquartered If you have an accounting background you re probably thinking of all the ways companies work to minimize net profit by legally manipulating various charges to achieve a tax friendly bottom line Please set that aside for the moment because when all companies are doing so and doing so consistently it becomes irrelevant for the purposes of this Benchmark The Profit Per Employee Key Performance Indicator KPI is not designed to be a precise financial methodology but merely a tool to see greater Possibilities As with Driver 1 The Passion Driver 33

Here s a Whole New Meaning to Follow the Leader When I ask executive mentoring groups to share their Profitper Employee results in a round table environment there are inevitably a few in the negative ranks several clustered at the low end of the bell curve and one or two doing substantially better than everyone else The shift in mind set is immediate Every one of the executives wants to know what the successful group members are doing and they want to be the ones with the bragging rights Your Takeaway The scenery only changes for the lead sled dog The fastest way to ignite pride and passion is to see someone else in the lead and decide to achieve more GAP 2 Over Time Opportunities to Profit With Integrity Get Lost in Business as Usual Costs have a way of working their way into the system even good initiatives become outdated and market opportunities shift You may be wrestling right now with low margins in highly commoditized markets with no road map to address profit shortfalls with confidence Yet seemingly minor opportunities to improve revenues uncover new growth opportunities and reduce costs across a customer base can add up to big profits especially in low margin industries Reframing what is possible based on Profit per Employee holds the key A poll of over 1000 business owners leaders and key managers shows most are seeking to increase profits by 10 25 within 3 5 years until they see their greater Possibilities through the lens of the Profit per Employee Benchmark Then a seismic shift occurs Driver 1 The Passion Driver 35

They are shocked to find that in settling for incrementalism they re being left behind by others who are achieving those goals every year The Norm Is the Problem When management groups are asked What would the rest of your team describe as a reasonable goal for increasing profits the answers almost always come back in the single digits It s an answer they re not happy with because it s below their own expectations but it s an answer we ve all learned to accept as the norm Our Takeaway Use the Benchmark as a tool to break out of complacency GAP 3 You May Be Dismayed to Learn that Your Company Doesn t Compare Very Well Against the Benchmark Many business leaders initially find that their grade does not reflect all the time energy money and sacrifices they ve sunk into their business and you may initially find this too The Benchmark becomes a Driver of Transformation when implemented well and the good news is that the wake up call to your Possibilities is only the first step knowing where you rank is a powerful motivator Part II Shift to Practicalities will show you how to turn wherever you are today into a top performing score 36 Profit in Plain Sight

Figure 3 OUR BUCKET LIST WHAT S ON HOLD BECAUSE WE NEED MORE PROFIT Our current profits are preventing us from being able to check all that apply With a Sky s the Limit bottom line and a stronger balance sheet we would check all that apply Invest in new equipment Invest in new equipment Reduce debt Reduce debt Hire more talented people Hire more talented people Invest in acquire new facilities Invest in acquire new facilities Fund acquisitions Fund acquisitions Become fully automated Become fully automated Expand into new business sectors locations Expand into new business sectors locations Increase capacity Increase capacity Give raises to good people Give raises to good people Implement meaningful profit sharing Implement meaningful profit sharing Do more marketing Do more marketing Invest in training Invest in training Invest in technology Invest in technology Buy back shares Buy back shares Position for a liquidity event buy out Position for a liquidity event buy out Sleep more soundly Sleep more soundly Other ___________________ Other ___________________ On a scale of 1 10 how badly do On a scale of 1 10 how badly do I want us to recapture these lost I want these change the playingopportunities ______ field opportunities for us ______ Driver 1 The Passion Driver 39

Figure 4 CALCULATE YOUR RETURN ON PEOPLE RETURN ON PEOPLE Seeing What s Possible Write down your Net Income Number of Employees Net income Profit per employee Number of employees How do you KNOW with certainty if it s a good result for your business One of the challenges for some leaders is that they unintentionally game the metric That is they use various income numbers that are above the absolute bottom line or they round down the numbers of staff especially if they re a seasonal business Do yourself the courtesy of making this real The Benchmark is based on the bottom line income that publicly traded companies report in their financials and the employee numbers are based on their reported head count Plot your Profit per Employee result on the worksheet in the Benchmark Report you downloaded What s your grade Does it feel like the grade you want to earn based on how hard you work in your business and how much value you deliver to customers When you see what others have achieved do you see Possibilities to improve it Even if it s bad news it s better than not knowing because now you can take steps to change the status quo Driver 1 The Passion Driver 43

This Wake Up Call Delivered Results One CEO in the retail electronics industry shifted his expectations from maintaining where we re at today to a profit increase of 25 in the next year immediately after Benchmarking himself on the bell curve He then got very clear on where he added value that was different from the big box stores and that he could price for at a premium selectively applied price for value actions identified and cleared the sludge out of the service side of his business and implemented several of the 5Rs of proactive customer profitability management you ll learn about these in a later section He achieved the goal he never thought he could despite being in a highly competitive industry His business went from struggling to thriving Your Takeaway Take the time to Benchmark and get a wake up call that will be well worth the effort SOLUTION IN PLAIN SIGHT 2 Benchmark Against Your Industry Your next step is to Benchmark against your own industry to deepen your insights on your current performance and Possibilities The Benchmarking Report includes 5 years of data across 72 different industry categories and you ll be able to find industry names that you recognize Go ahead and plot your industry s results on the bell curve worksheet in the report Do you have some catching up to do or are you already performing at a higher level than your industry I often see leaders slip back into complacency if they find they re no worse than their industry That is not the point here Your entire industry may be settling for less as a couch potato or a weekend 44 Profit in Plain Sight

jogger If you want to achieve the investments in your business that you checked off on the Sky s the Limit list you ll want you to be Roger Bannister or John Landy The Good News If You re Not a Huge Multinational The good news is that you have an advantage if you re smaller and more nimble than the companies in this Benchmark You will see a notable shift in your Profit per Employee results more quickly and easily once you implement the near term Solutions in Plain Sight in Part II Shift to Practicalities Understanding Your Value Add Holds the Key Nine out of ten leaders and their teams with revenues of 15 250M find their grade to be a C or lower when they first Benchmark Of those who fully implement the systematic Profit in Plain Sight Framework more than 80 shift to a higher grade within a year How They fully engage their teams in hearing the voice of the customer and responding in value add ways You ll learn those exact steps to listen in new ways and respond in ways that add value as you work through the material that follows Your Takeaway When Benchmark results are shared broadly among all employees the outcome is the information inspiration and motivation to transform today s bottom line into industry leading results that reflect how much value you add to your customers Driver 1 The Passion Driver 45

Figure 5 YOUR NEW BELL CURVE Z X 0 1 2 14 YYYYYYYY 34 369K 64K 5K 34 14 D F C B 24K 63K 89K Median Average 2 0 1 A 460K 2 4M Organizations often find that they re currently at a D or a C and simply need to improve within a grade level or possibly move one grade higher to achieve their blue sky profit goal and bucket list We all used to be able to do that in school when we had to didn t we But it meant we needed to study harder get some help or even hire a tutor Rapid Results Resources Access free resources to help and even get tutoring at www ProfitInPlainSight com ProfitU Use the Comprehensive Resources Never Reinvent the Wheel Your path to Passion Profit and Growth is to share your Return on People information broadly across your organization If only the executive team sees the gap and the Possibilities then you ve missed out on your most powerful opportunity to ignite pride in your organization getting your people to want to lead the charge Your people know they re good They want to be the best They will help you close the gap if you show them what best is and ask for their 48 Profit in Plain Sight

help to get there When you show them what best is that will ignite their passion to make it happen One of the biggest problems leaders and managers who want to implement the Profit per Employee metric across their organization experience is that their initial thinking trends to frequent measurement breaking it down by department and using it to drive incentive programs This is exactly the wrong way to implement this I also see leaders who are uncomfortable with sharing Profitper Employee data with their employees especially if they re highly profitable or where unions are involved due to the fear of triggering the where s my share question Many of the most successful organizations have profit sharing plans that are completely transparent but if that s not in your comfort zone simply share the bell curve in Figure 5 without the numbers and ask for their help to make the shift to a better grade Rapid Results Resources There are straightforward ways to avoid these issues and implement for impact When you re ready to implement this powerful KPI to create pride and passion in your organization download specific considerations and recommendations for how to do it the right way with the Return on People Implementation Resources at www ProfitInPlainSight com ImplementROP The other big challenge for leaders and their teams who get inspired by the Possibilities they see here is that they try to achieve their goals using the same tired approaches they ve used in the past Cutting costs and discretionary spending Discounting to drive revenues Delaying good hires Stop This is about transformation and you can t shrink your way to Passion Profit and Growth You want to break free of the we ve Driver 1 The Passion Driver 49