Keeping track without terror: How to keep tabs on your workforce without being a tyrant

Elon Musk’s leadership style has always been a lightning rod for discussion, and his recent directive to federal employees is no exception. His demand? List five things you did last week – refusal will count as your resignation.

It’s classic Musk: blunt, high-pressure, and results-driven. But while his approach might work in some high-stakes environments, for most organisations, it’s more likely to create fear and disengagement than productivity. Also, let’s be honest, who hasn’t had a week where you’d struggle to come up with five genuinely impressive things? We’ve all had weeks where reorganising our desk drawer might sneak in at number 5.

Rather than enforcing rigid, top-down reporting, great CEOs focus on building a system that works for both leaders and employees. The key? Helping employees understand how they deliver value, giving them the tools to track success, and ensuring performance measurement is fair, transparent, and constructive. Here’s how to do it right.

The real problem: Employees don’t know how they contribute

The harsh reality is that most employees don’t have a clear understanding of how their work connects to company success. Jim Harter, Chief Scientist at Gallup, found that only 35% of firms have a structured process to give employees clear direction on what they should be doing and how to measure success. That means two-thirds of employees are flying blind, unsure of what really matters. No wonder so many meetings feel like a collective guessing game.

When employees lack clarity, it leads to frustration, disengagement, and inefficiency. Instead of waiting until performance reviews to talk about progress, businesses need a more dynamic, ongoing way to track contribution.

The power of the weekly check-in

Jim Harter also describes the 10-minute weekly check-in as the single most powerful management hack. Instead of demanding arbitrary reports, leaders should focus on regular, meaningful conversations that provide:

• Clarity – Employees should know exactly what is expected of them.
• Recognition – A chance to praise good work and boost motivation.
• Course correction – Identify challenges early and provide support where needed.

This is where Musk’s approach misses the mark. A forced list of achievements might ensure accountability, but it does nothing to help employees succeed. The goal should be a process that feels helpful, not punitive. After all, if employees feel like they have to justify their existence every week, they’re more likely to spend their time crafting impressive-sounding bullet points rather than doing meaningful work.

Building a better system: Scorecards and shared metrics

One of the best ways to bring clarity to performance measurement is through scorecards—a system that lays out what success looks like in a simple, transparent way. We have a scorecard framework we use when we work with companies who want to scale up while bringing their existing workforce on the journey. It focuses on key metrics that are:

1. Aligned with business goals – Every employee should understand how their work contributes to company success.
2. Measurable and objective – KPIs should be clear, fair, and trackable.
3. Shared and visible – Everyone should be able to see progress, not just managers.

When employees know what they’re aiming for, they can take ownership of their work, rather than feeling like they’re constantly being scrutinised. It also means they can answer the dreaded “What have you been working on?” question without breaking into a cold sweat.

The Gallup Q12 question every CEO should ask

Gallup’s Q12 survey, one of the most well-known frameworks for measuring employee engagement, includes a crucial question: “Do I know what is expected of me at work?”

This might seem basic, but it’s a critical driver of productivity and job satisfaction. Employees who can confidently answer “yes” to this question are far more engaged than those who can’t. CEOs should focus on creating an environment where every team member knows:

• What they need to achieve each week
• How their work contributes to company goals
• How success is measured and recognised

Because let’s face it—no one enjoys working in a state of perpetual uncertainty. Clarity means fewer panicked Monday mornings spent deciphering vague objectives.

Timely feedback matters more than tracking everything

Rather than forcing employees to justify their existence each week, great leaders prioritise timely, constructive feedback.

• Recognition fuels motivation – Praise for a job well done creates a positive feedback loop. Everyone loves a gold star (or at least a well-timed “Nice job!”).
• Real-time course correction – Instead of waiting for quarterly reviews, small tweaks can be made instantly.
• A culture of improvement – Employees become more invested in their work when they see their progress clearly.

When CEOs focus on coaching, not policing, they create an environment where employees feel supported, not fearful. The last thing you want is people spending more time crafting an impressive-looking work log than actually doing their job.

A smarter way forward

Musk’s approach might work in high-pressure, high-turnover environments, but for most businesses, a culture of trust, clarity, and regular feedback is far more effective. The best CEOs understand that keeping track of employees is not about catching them out—it’s about setting them up for success.

By implementing structured weekly check-ins, using scorecards, and ensuring clear expectations, businesses can create a system that works for everyone. Employees stay engaged, leaders stay informed, and the entire company moves forward with clarity and purpose. So, before you demand a weekly list of tasks, ask yourself: Do your employees actually know what success looks like? If not, fixing that is the real priority. And if you ever find yourself tempted to send out a company-wide email demanding five bullet points from everyone, maybe take a deep breath and consider a quick chat instead. It’ll probably be more effective—and definitely less terrifying.

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Written by business coach and leadership coaching expert Dominic Monkhouse. Contact him to schedule a call here. You can order your free copy of his book, Mind Your F**king Business here.