MANAGEMENT Process
1
Position Agreements
Creating the road maps
for your employees’ success
MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
1
Position Agreements
Overview
A Position Agreement is a written agreement
between a manager and an employee. It explicitly states the result the employee is accountable for, as well as the work and standards
necessary to produce that result.
The job description, an unsatisfactory but common alternative, is often a glorified to-do list
that is more of an organizational formality than
a document which serves a greater purpose.
Position agreements reflect the role each position holds within your organization. They are
not tailored to an individual’s skills or interests
— that would lead to people dependency. The
accountabilities go with the position, and the
person accepts the position with all its inherent
accountabilities.
To achieve the result of a position, the employee may perform strategic and/or tactical work.
The work of a position is itemized in the work
listing section of the Position Agreement.
To ensure success, the Position Agreement
describes the standards for how the work must
be done. Standards consist of quantity, quality,
and behavior and can be based on objective
(measurable) or subjective (non-measurable)
criteria.
Elements of the
Position Agreement
Position Agreement
Implementation
Process
Review your organization chart
and result statements
Position Identification
Result Statement
Work Listing
Plan your approach for
developing position agreements
Develop your position
agreements
Meet with employees and sign
position agreements
Review and revise position
agreements periodically
The Position Agreement, a primary agreement
in good faith between employee and manager,
creates a solid foundation for working together
to achieve extraordinary results in the business.
It serves as a road map that guides employees
to achieve their own success.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreements Are All About Accountability
What are your employees doing all day, every day? How
are they spending their time? Are they doing what you’re
paying them to do? What are you paying them to do? In
the busy, “doin’ it, doin’ it, doin’ it” of our daily lives, we
can often forget that each person in the business is there
to do one thing: to produce a result! That’s why one of
the most fruitful endeavors you will undertake in your
business is to put systems in place that help people produce the best results possible.
Taking on the accountability to produce a result is what
every person in your company did, whether they realized
it or not, the moment they walked in the door on their
first day of work. Position agreements identify the essence of that accountability.
Position Agreements are written agreements between
managers and the employees who report to them.
They’re agreements between responsible adults, grounded in mutual respect and a clear understanding
of what has to be accomplished.
The basic idea is simple: the Position Agreement lays out
the employee’s accountabilities, the employee agrees to
them, and the manager agrees to support the employee.
How does a Position Agreement help employees to be
accountable for achieving the results of their positions?
By capturing, in a clear, orchestrated way, three specific
elements:
The result statement, which tells an employee
why that position exists in the company
Some companies give their employees job descriptions
during the hiring process or on the first day of work.
Although it’s better than nothing, a job description is little
more than a glorified “to-do” list. Often, a job description
is something kept on file in the personnel office to meet
legal requirements of labor laws. When used on
the job at all, it’s usually a formality or a demand handeddown from a boss to a subordinate. A job description is
not an agreement, and contains too much of the wrong
information. Information that doesn’t help anyone actually accomplish anything. It lacks the results orientation
that keeps people on track, the right track. Your employees deserve better. They deserve a real tool that will help
them achieve success by giving them a clear view of their
accountability.
When you have accountability, you’re responsible for
producing a result. You may do the work yourself, or
delegate some or all of the work to someone who reports
to you. When you delegate, you haven’t given away
your accountability, you’ve created a new accountability
for someone else. Your employee is now accountable
for producing a certain result associated with the work
items you’ve delegated. But you remain accountable for
the overall result. This concept can be seen in the result
statements written in conjunction with your company’s
organization chart. The result of each employee feeds
into, or is a subset of, the result at the next level, ultimately becoming part of your company’s Strategic Objective.
The work listing, which specifies exactly what work is
required to produce the result
The standards, which describe how the work should
be performed
The Position Agreement is the road map that the company gives each employee so that everyone can do the right
work and get the right results.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Linking Your Employees to Your Strategic Objective
Your Strategic Objective tells everyone what the future
of your business looks like. It shapes your organizational
strategy and the business systems your organization will
be operating. Position agreements put your people into
that picture — where they fit into the organization, which
business systems they’ll be accountable for, and what
results they’ll be producing.
acountabilities and then ignore them. Everyone does their
own work, monitors the work of those who report to
them and reports their results to those above them. The
links binding the organization into an integrated organism (rather than a fragmented group of workers) are the
position agreements and each individual’s agreement to
achieve the result inherent in it.
Position agreements link everyone in your business
directly with your Strategic Objective. The person at
the top, the president or chief executive officer, has the
overall accountability for achieving the Strategic Objective. Results and work necessary to achieve the Strategic
Objective are identified and delegated to senior managers, who in turn delegate to lower level positions, and
on down the organization chart. Eventually, everyone is
accountable for producing results that directly contribute to the company’s success. No one can hand off their
There’s no uncertainty, no misunderstanding, no doubt.
Every employee with a Position Agreement knows exactly what he has to accomplish and how it must be
accomplished. That kind of clarity is a blessing. It sets the
tone for working relationships that are both professional
and productive, and warm and respectful. It places your
employees on the right path, contributing directly and effectively to your vision for the future of your business.
Position Agreements Are Not Negotiable
A Position Agreement is shaped by the owner’s vision
for the business, by the systems the business operates,
and by the organizational strategy. It cannot be the result
of give-and-take negotiations between manager and
employee based on personal needs and preferences. It
defines a position based on the needs of the business to
produce results that contribute to the greater purpose.
That’s not to say position agreements are cast in concrete; they’re not. After their initial writing, they must be
revised periodically to respond to changing circumstances as the business grows and adapts to its markets. The
employees who occupy the positions are often the first to
detect the need for change and make specific
suggestions in that regard. It’s all part of the innovation
that’s an essential feature of a business that works.
Changes in Position Agreements over time are the result
of cooperation and agreement between managers and
employees, but the manager makes the ultimate decision
to change the Position Agreement. The process involves
exchanging ideas and fully discussing alternatives, until
it is time for the manager to make the decision. Then,
there are no further compromises, no votes, no shaping
the position to the individual’s tastes and personal needs.
This decision is made by the manager based on the needs
of the business, and the employee agrees to the revised
Position Agreement. If he or she doesn’t agree, the result
may be reassignment or an amicable parting of ways.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Elements of the Position Agreement — an Overview
The Position Agreement contains five parts:
Position identification:
The titles of the position, the manager’s position,
and all reporting positions. The position identification
locates the position within the organization chart. The result statements of the reporting positions are also shown,
because a manager must always be aware of the results
he or she is supporting employees to achieve. Since nonmanagers don’t have other positions reporting to them,
omit the “Reporting Positions” formatting from your Position Agreement template for nonmanagerial positions.
Result statement:
A statement of the result the position is required to produce. It should be the same as the result statement established in the organizational strategy. The result statement indicates what you want to have happen and why. It
keeps everyone focused on the results of their positions.
Work listing:
A list of the work to be performed by the person occupying the position. It will include some combination
of strategic and tactical work. Inherent in each work item
listed is a system for how to perform the work.
Standards:
Requirements for achieving the result and for performing
the work. Standards are easiest to determine if you consider a given position and ask yourself what works and
what doesn’t work as the employee performs this role.
Signatures:
Both the manager and the employee accepting the position sign the Position Agreement. By doing so, employees
indicate their agreement to accomplish the result, and
managers agree to support their employees to achieve
the result. All position agreements have these same
elements. Your company’s position agreements should
conform to format and language conventions. One such
convention is beginning all result statements with the
word “to” (e.g., a bookkeeper’s result: To maintain the
company’s financial records.). Position Agreement templates are provided at the end of this booklet. Let’s take a
closer look at the elements of a Position Agreement.
Position Identification
and Result Statement —
The Big Picture
Elements of the
Position Agreement
These sections are essentially a fill-in-the-blanks exercise. The position title, the manager’s position and any
reporting employees’ positions come directly from your
organization chart. The results statements come from the
results listing you have already prepared.
Position Identification
Result Statement
Work Listing
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreement
POSITION TITLE: Manager, Accounts Payable
MANAGER’S POSITION: Director, Finance
RESULT STATEMENT: I am accountable for producing the following result:
To optimize company’s cash flow, protect its creditworthiness, and effectively manage vendor relationships through the establishment and implementation of policies and
systems for the payment of company liabilities.
REPORTING POSITIONS: These positions report directly to me and are accountable
for producing the indicated result:
Position: Accounts Payable Associate
Result: To assist in maintaining an optimal and orderly cash flow
by tracking company liabilities and preparing payments.
Position: N/A
Result: Work Listing — Strategic and Tactical Work
At EMyth, we speak to the distinction between working
on your business and working in your business. It defines
strategic work as shaping the business enterprise itself,
and tactical work as producing and delivering your products and services and performing the administrative work
required to support your business.
At EMyth, we talk of the mindsets of the entrepreneur,
the manager, and the technician, and the fact that small
business owners usually have some of each. Your internal
entrepreneur is the part of you that sees the opportunities, has the vision of what the business could be, and understands all its many possibilities. Your internal manager
is the part of you that creates order, does the planning,
directs the activities of others, and is the pragmatist within
you. And your internal technician is the part of you that
does the hands-on, do-it-yourself work in your business.
Now it’s time to see how those ideas can be put to use in
your organizational strategy. In each Position Agreement,
you will distinguish accountabilities as strategic work or
tactical work.
Strategic work is entrepreneurial, creating the vision
and the Strategic Objective. It is establishing high-level
business policies and developing strategies that shape
the business. This is the work of the owner, and later the
president. When they implement high-level strategies,
senior level managers also perform entrepreneurial work.
Strategic work is also managerial. It’s the work of getting
results through others. It includes the development of
specific business systems, planning, organizing, supervising, mentoring and training, setting goals and standards,
budgeting — any kind of work that directs, regulates, and
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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elevates the work of others and develops and installs systems that are operated by others.
Much of the work that managers do is generic to all managers and can be built into all your managerial
position agreements.
Tactical work is the actual hands-on work of producing
and delivering your company’s products and services, or
doing the administrative and support work of your business. Basically, it’s operating the systems of the business.
For example: doing the bookkeeping, ordering the office
supplies, baking the cookies, assembling the bicycles,
delivering the pizzas, restocking the shelves, tailoring
the suits, paying the payables, collecting the receivables,
writing the advertising copy, and handling customer
complaints. Tactical work is the work of the technician or
non-manager. It is specific to the particular technician’s
position, but includes items from generic categories (production processes, administrative processes, etc.)
Shaping the business is entrepreneurial work, doing the
hands-on labor is technical work, and managerial work
is the bridge between the two. Each position has its own
particular focus, depending upon its level in the organization.
Here is a rough diagram showing the distribution of
accountabilities in a well-developed, successful business:
Here is a rough diagram showing the distribution of accountabilities in a well-developed, successful business where
the strategic work is at the top and the tactical work is at the bottom:
STRATEGIC WORK
POSITION TYPE
POSITION FOCUS
TACTICAL WORK
Entrepreneurial
Managerial
Technical
“Vision”
“Getting it done”
“Doing it”
80%
20%
—
20%
80%
—
—
80%
20%
—
—
100%
In a startup business, a very small business, or one whose
owner doesn’t understand business development, the
mix is very different. Often, the owner will do almost
no entrepreneurial work, little management work, and
mostly technical work. It’s the curse of the “entrepreneurial seizure,” when a technically competent person thinks
technical expertise is all that’s needed to run a business
and doesn’t recognize that business development and
management are distinct and essential skills.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreement
POSITION TITLE: Manager, Accounts Payable
WORK LISTING: List all strategic and tactical work for which this position is accountable.
Strategic Work:
1. Evaluate the quantification related to accounts payable systems.
2. Evaluate the performance and results of the accounts payable function.
3. Recommend and develop improved systems, policies, and procedures
for the accounts payable function.
4. Plan and implement work schedules.
5. Hire and train people in the Accounts Payable Associate position.
6. Manage and coach all Accounts Payable Associates.
7. Prepare and deliver performance evaluations to all Accounts Payable Associates.
8. Provide input and assistance to other members of the Finance Department
toward the achievement of the department’s overall result.
9. Provide information and assistance related to accounts payable to company
employees.
Tactical Work:
1. Review and approve all invoices received by the company.
2. Code, allocate, and voucher all invoices, check requests, and expense reports.
3. Prepare all checks for payment of the company’s liabilities.
4. Prepare and deliver accounts payable reports and related information and
documentation.
5. Review, complete, and submit government agency reports.
The example above shows the recommended formatting
and language conventions for the work listing section of
your position agreements:
For clarity, create separate lists for strategic and tactical work. Eliminate sections that don’t apply, such as
strategic work for non-managerial positions.
If you have a relatively long list of work items, you might
also create separate sections for different subcategories
of work. For example, a salesperson’s work might be
divided into customer service, product knowledge, and
administrative functions. Subdividing lists into categories helps you write the Position Agreement, and also
helps the employee make sense of its contents. Do what
makes the most sense in your environment; just be sure
to maintain as much consistency as possible throughout
your company.
Start each work item with a verb. In our example, this is
evidenced by such words as: evaluate, review, recommend, plan, hire, prepare, code, and provide.
Number or letter each work item to make it easy to
reference.
When writing the work listing, aim for a broad level of
detail, not narrow and specific. Use titles of systems for
which the position is accountable. Contrast the work
listing in our example with the following:
Access the accounts payable system.
Enter the vendor code for the payment being prepared.
Secure a signature on each check.
Seal envelopes with payments enclosed.
These entries are much too specific for a Position
Agreement. They belong in your accounts-payable
systems documentation.
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Standards — Quantity, Quality, Behavior
Standards for achieving the result and doing the work of
the position focus on how much you do (quantity), how
well you do it (quality), and exhibiting appropriate behavior while doing it. They complete the picture of the position by describing how work is to be done.
Standards help insure that your people will produce the
required results. Most of them will truly appreciate having
clear, specific standards because they provide a sense of
clarity and direction.
No more need to “read the boss’s mind” or to “figure out
what’s expected of me.” It’s all clearly spelled out in the
Position Agreement.
Quantity. You can specify quantity in two main ways:
1. stating the actual numerical standard (95% of current
liabilities will be paid within 30 days of the invoice), or
2. referring to one that’s explicitly stated elsewhere
(current liabilities will be paid according to the monthly
cash plan). If it makes sense, write the quantity standard
into the Position Agreement. In many cases, however,
it’s best not to include the specific numerical standards.
That’s because quantity standards can change periodically, depending on the needs or conditions of the business.
Instead, refer to established standards for sales, production, lead generation, etc. The actual numbers should be
documented in budgets, system action plans, marketing
plans, and production plans. The Position Agreement
would simply state the general standard and refer to the
document that specifies the actual numbers. For instance,
a standard for a toy assembly worker could be: “Minimum
daily production of widgets will be in accordance with
current production plans.” A standard for a department
manager might be: “Personnel headcount and department expenses may not exceed approved monthly budget levels.”
Position agreements should be relatively stable, changing
only with significant changes in the business itself but not
with short-term shifts in sales, profitability, cost and quality requirements. That’s what budgets, marketing plans,
and production plans are for.
Quality. Standards for quality include both the quality of
tangible products and services, and of intangible characteristics of your business and products. A tangible quality
standard might be: “Customer inquiries will be answered
within two business days.” An intangible quality standard
might be: “We will treat customers in a polite, friendly,
and respectful manner.”
Behavior. Behavioral standards have to do with the manner in which work is done or the conditions under which
it is done. This can take many forms:
Appearance (describe dress, cleanliness, grooming requirements).
Honesty and ethics (“the confidentiality of client and
company information will be maintained”).
Demeanor and interpersonal skills (describe traits
that impact others, such as tone of voice, use of
language, positive attitude).
Personal performance (such as communication skills,
punctuality, level of participation, willingness to give
extra effort, demonstration of commitment, helpfulness).
What standards do we want our Manager, Accounts
Payable to exhibit?
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreement
POSITION TITLE: Manager, Accounts Payable
STANDARDS:
List quantity, quality, and behavior standards for which this position is accountable.
Position-Specific:
1. Vendor discounts for early payment will be taken 75 percent of the time in any quarter.
2. All invoices will be checked for approval and accuracy prior to payment.
3. All accounting entries will be thoroughly documented to create an effective audit trail.
4. Late payments will be reported to the vendor by telephone or fax no later than one
business day following the due date, and preferably prior to the due date, to protect
company’s credit worthiness.
Company wide:
1. All work will be performed according to company policies and standards, in the spirit
of the company’s strategic objective.
2. All work will be orchestrated and quantified when appropriate.
3. All telephone calls, both internal and external, will be returned within two hours
whenever possible, and within one business day at the latest.
4. All proprietary company information will be held as strictly confidential outside the company.
5. Immediate manager will be notified of any issues that cannot be resolved, or
deadlines that cannot be met, within a reasonable time frame, and before the deadline has arrived.
6. The company’s dress code will be followed at all times.
The conventions for writing standards:
Write standards in the passive voice, using “will be”
whenever possible. This level of consistency is helpful
for both writing and understanding position agreements, and clearly distinguishes standards from work.
Make sure the standard isn’t just a restatement of a
work item.
As with the work listing, keep your standards general,
rather than too specific. Very detailed or specific standards usually belong in your system action plans rather
than in your position agreements.
Use separate subsections for position-specific
standards and companywide standards. If you have
a lot of common standards for managers, you might
even create a subsection for managerial standards.
The variety of standards is virtually infinite. The trick is to
be as complete as possible, yet not overwhelm people
with a huge volume of trivial or narrowly applied standards. Strike a balance by asking yourself what is most
important, what must occur, what would be the most
troublesome if it were not done right? Let your common
sense and judgment be your guides.
Signatures — Getting the
Commitment, Securing the
Agreement
The final element of the Position Agreement is getting the
employee’s commitment to be accountable for the result
of his position. In return, the manager also pledges her
commitment to support the employee in accomplishing
the result in a way that imbues the employee with pride
and personal satisfaction. “We’re ready to formalize our
agreement to work together. Let’s sign!”
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreement
POSITION TITLE: Manager, Accounts Payable
SIGNATURES
Statement Of The Position Holder:
I accept the accountabilities of this position and agree to produce the result,
perform the work, and meet the standards set forth in this Position Agreement.
Date:
April 3, 2013
D.Sanchez
Signature:
Printed/typed name: Daniel Sanchez
Statement Of The Position Holder’s Manager:
I agree to provide a working environment, necessary resources, and appropriate training
to enable the accountabilities of this position (result, work, standards) to be accomplished.
Date:
April 3, 2013
P. Monroe
Signature:
Printed/typed name: Pamela Monroe
Now What?
How does all this background information about results,
work, and standards, and even position identification
and signatures, help you manage your business? It gives
you a way to fine-tune your organizational structure.
Position Agreements get the results you want by directing your employees’ activities for maximum effectiveness
and personal satisfaction. It also helps you decide the skill
sets you’re looking for in the people you recruit into your
business.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Implementing Position Agreements in Your Business
Now that you’ve had an in-depth look at the structure
of position agreements and why they’re so important for
getting the results you want, you’re ready to create and
implement them.
1
Review your organization chart and result statements.
Because your organization chart contains a list of every
position in your company, you already have a list of all
the position agreements you’ll need to develop. You also
have the result statements, which are a key element of
your position agreements.
2
Plan your approach for developing position agreements.
As you begin, three questions will immediately come to
mind. Who will write all these position agreements? Do
they all have to be done at once? In what order should
they be written? Any number of approaches will work
well, depending on your particular situation.
The Centralized Approach:
Have one person or a small team of people write all
the Position Agreements for the entire company. The
main benefit to this approach is consistency in the final
product. Consider three ways to sequence the process
and decide which works best for you:
The “top down” approach. Start at the top of your
organization chart, with the president’s position, and
work your way down. This is a good conceptual approach, because you’re starting with the Strategic Objective — the result of the president’s position. All the
other results and work are derived from the Strategic
Objective.
The “needs based” approach. Look at every position
and evaluate how urgently you need a Position Agreement — urgent, near-term or low priority.
Urgent priority includes all the positions for which you
are now actively recruiting, and those that are currently
occupied by someone not performing well. Position
Agreements are a must for effective hiring and for helping
people get in touch with the accountabilities of their job.
Near-term priority includes those positions which you
intend to fill in the near future. Prioritize them chronologically in the order you expect to hire. Near-term also
includes all other occupied positions, which you can
prioritize in either a top-down or bottom-up fashion.
Low priority includes unfilled positions which are likely to
remain unfilled for some time. You have some latitude as
to when to write these Position Agreements. The hiring
plan you developed when you created your organization
chart will help. You can write these in any order as long as
you do it before people are hired to fill the positions. It’s
best to write them as soon as possible.
The Decentralized Approach:
The benefit of the decentralized approach is that you can
get a lot of development done in a relatively short time.
Consider two ways to go about this:
The “manager” approach. Managers write the Position
Agreements for all the positions that report directly to
them. The president, in addition to the Position Agreements for his reporting positions, writes his own.
The “employee” approach. Employees draft their own
Position Agreements, and then the manager reviews
and finalizes them.
The “bottom up” approach. Start with your nonmanagerial positions and work your way up the organization chart. This approach appeals to people who find
it easier to write agreements for technical positions.
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
If you prefer the decentralized approach, keep in mind
that the content needed in the Position Agreement may
be different than what employees currently have in mind.
Managers must shape the Position Agreement draft to fit
the vision of the Strategic Objective, of which individual
employees might not be aware.
So, decide on which approach you want to use and assign the accountable person and due dates for each Position Agreement. That’s your Position Agreement Development Plan.
One more thing regarding your initial development of Position Agreements: If your business is a startup business,
you probably have people who simultaneously occupy
more than one position. That’s to be expected. As your
organization develops and your business grows, these
people will be replaced by new people. But do not write
any “combined” or “temporary” Position Agreements.
Write your Position Agreements to accurately reflect your
organization chart. People who occupy more than one
position will sign separate Position Agreements for each
position they hold.
Position Agreement
Implementation
Process
Review your organization chart
and result statements
Plan your approach for
developing position agreements
Develop your position
agreements
Meet with employees and sign
position agreements
12
3
Develop your Position Agreements.
Now that you’ve planned your approach, use the worksheets and guidelines to make your own templates. And
then write. It’s a good idea for you or a senior manager
to review and approve all Position Agreements before
presenting them to employees.
4
Meet with employees and sign Position Agreements.
When it’s time to implement Position Agreements, have
managers meet with each of their reporting employees to
review and explain the Position Agreement. Both manager and employee should sign the agreement, indicating their joint commitment. Having new employees sign
their Position Agreement will become part of your hiring process. Existing employees require slightly different
handling.
First, make sure they understand the purpose of a Position Agreement. Explain the underlying concepts of
agreement, accountability, and mutual respect and trust.
If you are making substantial changes to some employees’ accountabilities, they may feel threatened, fearful, or
upset. They may be reluctant to sign the Position Agreement.
When faced with resistance or uncertainty, be understanding, respectful, and reassuring. Spend a reasonable
amount of time discussing the Position Agreement with
them. Point out how having the Position Agreement is in
the employee’s best interests. Offer them time to think
about it.
Ultimately, you must be firm about your intentions to
organize the company and create the necessary positions to get the job done. Don’t allow their misgivings to
sway you. If they choose not to sign the agreement, you
may have to part company. They may not want to reaffirm their commitment, or they may want to move on to
something else. Encourage the pursuit of their Primary
Aim and personal objectives; only then can you retainthose who are truly committed.
Review and revise position
agreements periodically
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MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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5
Review and revise your company’s Position Agreements
periodically.
Position Agreements will need to be updated as your
business changes. The appropriate time to revise Position
Agreements is when your organization chart changes. If
your Position Agreements don’t keep pace with significant changes in your company, they will become obsolete, and you’ll lose the benefits of this effective management tool.
Position Agreements Mean Commitment
Position Agreements are serious business, not just paperwork. They are the tangible expression of a philosophy,
a way of doing business. At their best, they embody the
spirit of how people throughout an organization can
work together to achieve their accountabilities and feel
the power of their personal successes.
Position Agreements focus on results, not just activity. And they get results, not just activity. They help your
employees move together toward your vision. You’ll no
longer feel compelled to make sure your employees stay
busy, because you’ll know that they’re engaged in something more productive and satisfying — the work of creating a successful business.
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Worksheets
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
15
Strategic Work Listing
ENTREPRENEURIAL WORK
1. Develop and lead others in achieving the Strategic Objective.
2. Create and implement the Organizational Strategy.
3. Develop and lead others in a Management Strategy.
4. Develop and lead others in a People Strategy. Be an EMyth Mentor.
5. Create a Systems Strategy.
6. Develop the Marketing Strategy.
7. Using EMyth principles and systems, lead the company in business development in all seven
centers of management attention through all three phases of development.
8. Develop the Strategic Management Team using EMyth principles and systems for all seven
centers of management attention, in all three stages of development.
9. Engage in routine strategic planning sessions with employees to develop short- and long-term
strategies and tactics for the achievement of the Strategic Objective.
10. Increase the attractiveness and value of the company as perceived by customers, investors,
employees, and vendors.
MANAGERIAL WORK
1. Plan department’s tactics for achieving the Strategic Objective, including a profit center plan.
2. Use EMyth principles and systems to become an EMyth Mentor to employees.
3. Use EMyth principles and systems to achieve the Strategic Objective.
4. Quantify the overall performance and results of the department.
5. Innovate, quantify, and orchestrate processes and systems for doing and managing department’s work.
6. Maintain Operations Manual for department.
7. Utilize budget, budget variance, cash plan, and cash variance reports for control and planning.
8. Recruit, hire, and train personnel for department.
9. Execute Position Agreements and legal documents related to employees.
10. Deliver the Primary Aim process to each employee.
11. Engage in regular Employee Development Meetings with employees.
12. Evaluate the performance of employees.
13. Provide staff with information, advice, and support related to department’s function.
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample
POSITION TITLE: Owner as President
MANAGER’S POSITION: Not Applicable
RESULT STATEMENT: I am accountable for producing the following result:
To achieve my Strategic Objective, and, in so doing, live my Primary Aim.
REPORTING POSITIONS: These positions report directly to me and are accountable
for Producing the indicated result(s):
Position: Vice President, Internal Operations
Result: To provide staff support for the acquisition and retention of clients through the
planning, evaluation, monitoring, and improving of financial, information technology,
and administrative systems, in a way that promotes an effective smooth-running
organization.
Position: Vice President, Client Fulfillment
Result: To retain long-term, quality clients for the company through the development
and implementation of service, production, and delivery systems that fulfill the
company’s marketing message and contractual obligations to clients, and the
company’s financial and strategic objectives.
Position: Manager, New Business Ventures
Result: To assist in achieving the company’s Strategic Objective by providing management
with information and recommendations related to new business opportunities.
Position: Vice President, Marketing
Result: To acquire long-term, quality clients for the company through the creation of the
company’s positioning, sensory packages, and marketing strategies, and the
development and implementation of lead generation and lead conversion systems.
Position: Vice President, Field Operations
Result: To acquire and retain clients via the branch network through the implementation
of orchestrated marketing, client fulfillment, and internal systems, and through the
development and implementation of branch systems, so that clients’ needs and
expectations, and the company’s financial objectives, are met or exceeded.
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample
POSITION TITLE: Owner as President
WORK LISTING: List all strategic and tactical work for which this position is accountable.
Strategic Work:
1. Develop and lead others in achieving the Strategic Objective.
2. Create and implement the Organizational Strategy.
3. Develop and lead others in a Management Strategy.
4. Develop and lead others in a People Strategy. Be an EMyth Mentor.
5. Create a Systems Strategy.
6. Develop the Marketing Strategy.
7. Using EMyth principles and systems, lead the company in business development in
all seven centers of management attention, through all three phases of development.
8. Develop the Strategic Management Team using EMyth principles and systems for all
seven centers of management attention, in all three stages of development.
9. Engage in routine strategic planning sessions with employees to develop short- and long-term strategies and tactics for the achievement of the Strategic Objective.
10. Increase the attractiveness and value of the company as perceived by customers,
employees, and vendors.
Tactical Work:
Not Applicable
STANDARDS:
List quantity, quality, and behavior standards for which this position Is accountable.
Position-Specific:
1.
2. 3. All decisions will be made in alignment with the Strategic Objective of the company.
Owner will become free of the business within 5 years.
Strategic management team will be in place and sufficiently developed to handle
daily operations within 3 years.
Company wide:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. All work will be performed in accordance with all government laws, regulations,
ordinances, and court rulings in those jurisdictions in which the company operates.
All routine work will be documented in an operations manual. The information
included in the operations manual is proprietary.
All work will be performed according to company policies and standards inherent in
all Position Agreements, system action plans, employee manuals, ongoing policy
memoranda, and facilities and dress codes.
Client and company information will be held strictly confidential outside the company.
All telephone calls, both internal and external, will be returned within one business
day and within two hours whenever possible.
Manager will be notified in an exception report of any issues to be resolved or dead-
lines that cannot be met by reporting position, prior to the due date.
All innovation will be quantified, tested, and improved, then documented for routine
implementation (i.e. well orchestrated once proven).
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample (contd.)
8. Problems with any system must be brought to the attention of manager in an
exception report, so the system can be improved within the structure of the
operations manual.
9. All policy memoranda indicating changes in policy and/or procedure will be stored in
each employee’s operations manual, until an updated procedure is provided.
10. Employees will provide staff assistance as requested; each employee may be asked from time to time to cover other areas of accountability and/or departments.
11. All business communications, whether verbal, visual, or written, whether for internal or external use, will be professional in tone and content and in accordance with
applicable and existing company policies and standards.
12. Employees will respect each other’s time, space, and need for concentration.
Socializing and interruptions must not impede workflow.
13. Employees will have weekly, regularly-scheduled meetings with their manager.
14. Employees are encouraged to recommend ideas for the improvement of their
department and position that are consistent with the company’s Strategic Objective.
SIGNATURES
Statement of the position holder:
I accept the accountabilities of this position and agree to produce the results,
perform the work, and meet the standards set forth in this Position Agreement.
Date:
April 3, 2013
W.Goodwin
Signature:
Printed/typed name: William Goodwin
Statement of the position holder’s manager:
I agree to provide a working environment, necessary resources, and appropriate training
to enable the accountabilities of this position (result, work, standards) to be accomplished.
Date: Not Applicable
Signature: Not Applicable
Printed/typed name: Not Applicable
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample Template
POSITION TITLE: MANAGER’S POSITION: RESULT STATEMENT: This position is accountable for producing the following result:
REPORTING POSITIONS: These positions report directly to me and are accountable
for Producing the indicated result(s):
Position: Result: Position: Result: Position: Result: Position: Result: Position: Result:
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample Template
POSITION TITLE: WORK LISTING: List all strategic and tactical work for which this position is accountable.
Strategic Work:
Tactical Work:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. STANDARDS:
List quantity, quality, and behavior standards for which this position Is accountable.
Do not include those that belong on a system action plan.
Position-Specific:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Company wide:
1. 2. 3. 4. All work will be performed in accordance with all government laws, regulations,
ordinances, and court rulings in those jurisdictions in which the company operates.
All routine work will be documented in an operations manual. The information
included in the operations manual is proprietary.
All work will be performed according to company policies and standards inherent in
all Position Agreements, system action plans, employee manuals, ongoing policy
memoranda, and facilities and dress codes.
Client and company information will be held as strictly confidential outside the
company.
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Managerial Position Agreement Sample (contd.)
5. All telephone calls, both internal and external, will be returned within one business
day and within two hours whenever possible.
6. Manager will be notified in an exception report of any issues to be resolved or dead-
lines that cannot be met by reporting position, prior to the due date.
7. All innovation will be quantified, tested, and improved, then documented for routine
implementation (i.e. well orchestrated once proven).
8. Problems with any system must be brought to the attention of manager in an
exception report so the system can be improved, within the structure of the opera-
tions manual.
9. All policy memoranda indicating changes in policy and/or procedure will be stored in
each employee’s operations manual, until an updated procedure is provided.
10. Employees will provide staff assistance as requested; each employee may be asked from time to time to cover other areas of accountability and/or departments.
11. All business communications, whether verbal, visual, or written, whether for internal or external use, will be professional in tone and content and in accordance with
applicable and existing company policies and standards.
12. Employees will respect each other’s time, space, and need for concentration.
Socializing and interruptions must not impede workflow.
13. Employees will have weekly, regularly-scheduled meetings with their manager.
14. Employees are encouraged to recommend ideas for the improvement of their
department and position that are consistent with the company’s Strategic Objective.
SIGNATURES
Statement of the position holder:
I accept the accountabilities of this position and agree to produce the results,
perform the work, and meet the standards set forth in this Position Agreement.
Date:
Signature:
Printed/typed name:
Statement of the position holder’s manager:
I agree to provide a working environment, necessary resources, and appropriate training
to enable the accountabilities of this position (result, work, standards) to be accomplished.
Date:
Signature:
Printed/typed name:
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Non-Managerial Position Agreement Sample Template
POSITION TITLE: MANAGER’S POSITION: RESULT STATEMENT: This position is accountable for producing the following result:
TACTICAL WORK LISTING: List all tactical work for which this position is Accountable.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Non-Managerial Position Agreement Sample Template
POSITION TITLE: STANDARDS:
List quantity, quality, and behavior standards for which this position Is accountable.
Do not include those that belong on a system action plan.
Position-Specific:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Companywide:
1. All work will be performed in accordance with all government laws, regulations,
ordinances, and court rulings in those jurisdictions in which the company operates.
2. All routine work will be documented in an operations manual. The information
included in the operations manual is proprietary.
3. All work will be performed according to company policies and standards inherent in
all Position Agreements, system action plans, employee manuals, ongoing policy
memoranda, and facilities and dress codes.
4. Client and company information will be held as strictly confidential outside the
company.
5. All telephone calls, both internal and external, will be returned within one business
day and within two hours whenever possible.
6. Manager will be notified in an exception report of any issues to be resolved or dead-
lines that cannot be met by reporting position, prior to the due date.
7. All innovation will be quantified, tested, and improved, then documented for routine
implementation (i.e. well orchestrated once proven).
8. Problems with any system must be brought to the attention of manager in an
exception report so the system can be improved, within the structure of the opera-
tions manual.
9. All policy memoranda indicating changes in policy and/or procedure will be stored in
each employee’s operations manual, until an updated procedure is provided.
10. Employees will provide staff assistance as requested; each employee may be asked from time to time to cover other areas of accountability and/or departments.
11. All business communications, whether verbal, visual, or written, whether for internal or external use, will be professional in tone and content and in accordance with
applicable and existing company policies and standards.
12. Employees will respect each other’s time, space, and need for concentration.
Socializing and interruptions must not impede workflow.
13. Employees will have weekly, regularly-scheduled meetings with their manager.
14. Employees are encouraged to recommend ideas for the improvement of their
department and position that are consistent with the company’s Strategic Objective.
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Non-Managerial Position Agreement Sample Template
SIGNATURES
Statement of the position holder:
I accept the accountabilities of this position and agree to produce the results,
perform the work, and meet the standards set forth in this Position Agreement.
Date:
Signature:
Printed/typed name:
Statement of the position holder’s manager:
I agree to provide a working environment, necessary resources, and appropriate training
to enable the accountabilities of this position (result, work, standards) to be accomplished.
Date:
Signature:
Printed/typed name:
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012
MANAGEMENT Position Agreements
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Position Agreement Development Plan
If applicable, list positions in priority order: urgent, near-term, low. Make additional copies as needed.
Position Title Position Accountable Target Due Date
A Business Development Publication of EMyth. Copyright © 2012