Whether you get results or not, it's the same. I rebuilt an evaluation system that had been neglected for 20 years.
Those who achieved results and those who didn't received the same thing.
For a long time, that was how it was at our company.
It wasn't that we didn't know. In fact, we had known all along. It's just that we couldn't bring ourselves to address it.
There were too many immediate issues, so we couldn't allocate the money or effort, and frankly, the internal discussions hadn't matured enough either.
Besides, when things are tough, talk of systems doesn't really resonate. When you bring it up, everyone's reaction is actually the opposite.
It failed once before.
To be honest, this isn't the first time.
Seven or eight years ago, we tried to work on a company-wide system.
But it fell through.
Looking back now, I think we just weren't at that stage yet.
Conversely, we can make it in time now. Now is the right time.
The culprit wasn't the person in charge.
What pushed me was that one project. We finished a major job with almost no gross profit left.
When I found out, I almost blamed the person in charge at first.
But after thinking about it for a moment, my perspective shifted.
People act based on a balance of utility. If the rules are vague, they get lost on where to focus their efforts. Thinking 'this much is enough' is actually natural under that kind of system.
It wasn't the individual's problem. The system was driving them to act that way.
When I thought about it that way, I realized I was the one who should be blamed.
The job of a manager
Even if the individual isn't conscious of it, they naturally gravitate toward actions that generate gross profit. Moreover, that leads to their own personal satisfaction and higher take-home pay.
I believe it is the manager's job to provide such a system.
For a long time, we were missing two things.
One was training. A system to pass on the intuition for work that the founder could do but subordinates could not.
The other was a system. A mechanism to properly link the results produced with the compensation received.
What I created this time is the latter.
Don't let promises run ahead
In truth, I wanted to promise bonuses. I have always thought so.
However, promising bonuses without evaluation criteria would not be fair. I don't want anyone to feel like they 'achieved their goal but got nothing.'
At the same time, I don't think it's right to let promises run ahead while the criteria remain ambiguous.
That is why I created both at the same time: the promise and the criteria. If one is missing, the other becomes a lie.
Set it yourself, sign it yourself
The system itself is not that complicated.
Set a goal. Look at the results. If you achieve it, your compensation goes up. If you don't reach it, it doesn't go up. If you cause significant damage, it may even go down.
Instead of having evaluations handed down unilaterally from above, I have them set their own goals and sign off on them themselves.
I want to make this a company where what you do is clearly visible. The system is just a tool for that.
'An evaluation system is not the essence.'
An executive once told me that.
I understand what they mean. But my own thinking is different.
I believe this is one of the essentials. The system itself is not the goal; it serves as a guidepost to ensure that what we have decided is carried out correctly.
Without it, people wouldn't know where they should be aiming their efforts.
I didn't build it alone.
On the day I explained it to the employees, I was surprisingly calm.
I understood the reason immediately. It's because this system wasn't something I built by myself.
The colleagues I entrusted with HR turned each of my ideas into reality.
A system shouldered by one person stops if that person falls. But a system built by the hands of several people will continue to run properly even after that.
Every morning, in front of the household shrine
Every morning, I press my hands together in front of the household shrine and make a wish.
That we become a company that can properly pay bonuses to everyone who works for us.
It's embarrassing to admit, but for a long time, I wasn't able to do that.
But if we can finish this term strong, I can finally keep that promise.
Those who work hard are properly rewarded. When things go well, we share the fruits of that labor together.
I can't help but smile when I imagine it.
It took 20 years to finally get this far. The preparations are mostly complete.
This is where it gets interesting.
DW
P.S.
After such a serious discussion, I'd like to end with a little bit of small talk.
Last time, I ostentatiously put the use of AI in the title. Honestly, that was a failure.
While I'm at it, I'll confess that I'm using the power of AI to write this text as well.
...Though I suppose no one is surprised by that these days.
Everyone has probably realized it long ago. A certain percentage of the text circulating in the world has already been touched by AI. I think both writers and readers are honestly a bit overwhelmed by this technology, which is advancing at an incredible speed.
A year ago, calling something "AI-like" was usually an insult. Now, everyone is using it while saying exactly that. Our feelings have gotten used to it even before the technology itself.
Here is my method. I throw what I want to convey into it with all the passion and momentum I have. I have the AI organize the scattered words. It never complains, even in the middle of the night, and it doesn't flatter me. It calmly replies, "Your logic is jumping there." Honestly, that is a huge help.
However, the content is definitely my own. All the passion, hesitation, and embarrassing pasts. That is the one thing I haven't handed over to anyone or anything.
I will confess one more thing: having written this far, I re-read the first through third entries. And well, it's stiffer than I thought. It's a bit dark, trying too hard to look cool, and it feels cringey.
Maybe I was trying too hard before I got used to it.
So, I'm going to relax a bit from here on out. The content will be as serious as ever, but I think I'll bring the tone a little closer to how I talk in person.
I think that will make it last longer, don't you?
I look forward to your continued support.
Next time, I will write about the other thing that was missing: the topic of education, "handing over individual skills to the organization."