In leadership, one of the most important roles you play is ensuring your team understands their contribution to the company’s success. To inspire profit-driven growth, you must make sure that everyone on your team knows their “number.” Every employee, no matter their position, should be tied to a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that shows how they contribute to the overall goals of the company. When everyone is accountable for a specific number, they are not only clear about how they’ll be measured, but they also know exactly how they’re helping drive growth.
1. Assigning a Number: The Foundation of Accountability
Think of your team like a football team. Each player has a role, and each role comes with clear expectations. A wide receiver knows they’re measured by the number of touchdowns they score, while a defensive end knows they need to sack the quarterback. In the same way, every employee in your company should know their number—what they’re responsible for and how they’re contributing to the bigger picture.
When you assign a number to each team member, you’re giving them a specific, measurable goal. It’s not enough to say, “Do your job well.” You need to break it down into clear, actionable metrics. This could mean setting a revenue target for salespeople, a specific number of leads for your marketing team, or customer satisfaction scores for your client service team. The key is to make it relevant to their role and critical to the company’s success.
Without a number to focus on, employees can feel lost or disconnected from the company’s overall objectives. By giving each person a clear KPI, you help them understand their purpose within the organization and how their efforts directly impact the company’s profitability.
2. Helping Your Team Achieve Their Number
Once everyone has their number, your job doesn’t stop there. A great leader provides the tools, resources, and support necessary for the team to hit those numbers. It’s like a football coach who doesn’t just give the playbook but also trains the players, equips them with the right skills, and creates a strategy to win.
Regular check-ins, training, and coaching are essential to helping your team stay on track. If someone is falling behind, you need to step in and offer support. Maybe they need additional training, or perhaps they’re facing roadblocks that need to be removed. Whatever the case, it’s your responsibility as the leader to ensure that your team has what they need to succeed.
Setting clear goals also allows for more focused and productive feedback. Instead of vague advice, you can give specific guidance based on their progress toward their number. This level of accountability makes it easier for both you and the employee to understand where improvements can be made and how to course-correct before it’s too late.
3. Holding Everyone Accountable
Accountability is where leadership really shines. If your team knows their number but isn’t held accountable for achieving it, the whole system falls apart. As a leader, you need to create a culture where accountability is valued, and everyone understands that they are responsible for hitting their targets.
This doesn’t mean micromanaging or punishing employees when they don’t meet their numbers. It’s about fostering an environment where everyone feels ownership over their role and is motivated to reach their goals. When employees know they’ll be held accountable for their performance, they’re more likely to stay focused and driven.
Establishing regular review periods, whether they’re monthly or quarterly, helps keep accountability front and center. During these reviews, you should discuss progress, celebrate wins, and identify areas for improvement. These check-ins aren’t just for you as a leader—they give employees the opportunity to self-assess and take ownership of their growth.
4. Celebrating Wins and Learning from Losses
Just like in sports, it’s important to celebrate wins and learn from losses. When someone hits their number, it’s a victory for the whole team, and recognizing that success goes a long way in motivating others. Publicly celebrating milestones, whether big or small, reinforces a culture of achievement and growth.
At the same time, it’s important to treat missed targets as learning opportunities rather than failures. If a team member doesn’t hit their number, sit down with them to analyze what went wrong. Were there external factors that got in the way? Was the target unrealistic? Use these moments to coach and adjust strategies, ensuring that the team is better equipped to succeed moving forward.
Conclusion
Leadership that drives profit-focused growth requires more than just setting company-wide goals. You need to assign specific numbers to each team member, help them achieve those goals, and hold them accountable. This approach, much like coaching a football team, ensures that everyone knows their role, understands how they’re measured, and is motivated to succeed. When your entire team is aligned with their KPIs and focused on hitting their targets, you’ll see your agency grow faster and more profitably than ever before.