INSIDE LETTING-GO MENTORING
Let Managers Own the Number
You are signing off another overtime request from a site manager who could have decided it, if they could see what it did to the result. Ivanka Menken uses the Top-Bottom Bonus Map inside Letting-Go Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, to connect two decisions a manager owns to a visible top-line and bottom-line bonus. You leave with a one-page bonus map, reviewed in the monthly scorecard before the amount changes.
The Top-Bottom Bonus Map is a tool inside the programme, not a separate product. It is not employment or tax advice.
AN EXAMPLE TRADES BUSINESS
Three site managers, and every pricing call still reaches the founder.
- THE MANAGERSaccountable for output, not the result3 site managers
- THE DECISIONSjob pricing within a band, rosters and overtime2 handed over
- THE BONUS LINEof growth above the regular bonus budget4% top, 4% bottom
THE RULE
“The manager makes the two calls, sees the line move, and the amount only changes after the monthly scorecard.”
Your percentages and decisions will be your own.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Managers in place, decisions still on your desk
- 01You have managers and still approve pricing, rosters and overtime.
- 02Your managers cannot see how their calls affect the result.
- 03A bonus exists, and nobody changes a decision because of it.
THE HANDOVER, AS IT STANDS
- Site managers: three
- Pricing calls they make alone: none
- Rosters and overtime: approved by the founder
- Bonus: monthly, not linked to any decision
- Number a manager can see before acting: none
Accountable for output, blind to the result.
THE EXAMPLE CASE
The founder whose managers could not see the number
01
THE MOMENT
Three questions before seven in the morning
Three messages arrive before seven in the morning. One site manager wants to discount a variation, another wants two people on overtime, the third asks whether to take a small job across town. Each could decide it. None can see what the decision does to revenue or profit, so all three ask you.
02
WHAT THEY HAD TRIED
A monthly bonus and a new job description
In this case, the founder ran a 16-person trades business at about $2.4m revenue with three site managers. The obvious fix was a monthly bonus and a rewritten job description. The bonus was paid, the descriptions were signed, and managers still brought every pricing and staffing call to the founder.
03
WHAT IVANKA NOTICED
No visible line from decision to result
Ivanka noticed the managers were accountable for output but had no visible line between their decisions and the business result. The bonus did not move when they priced well or rostered tightly, so the safest choice was to ask the founder. The handover had stopped at the job title.
THE DIAGNOSIS
A missing profit-share gate, not weak managers
The real issue was a missing profit-share gate, not weak managers. Handing over a decision only works when the person who makes it can see the number it moves before they act.
The reframe: hand over the decision and the number together. Name two decisions each manager owns, tie them to a bonus line on both the top line and the bottom line above the regular bonus budget, and read it in the monthly scorecard before anyone changes the amount.
Hand over the decision and the number together.
THE COST OF STAYING STUCK
Every day the managers cannot see the number, the founder stays the approver for pricing, rosters and overtime, and the managers learn that asking is safer than deciding.
THE TOOL
The Top-Bottom Bonus Map, for three site managers
The Top-Bottom Bonus Map is how Letting-Go Mentoring connects a manager’s decisions to the result before the founder hands over more. It names the decisions the manager owns, the top-line and bottom-line growth above budget they can earn a share of, and the monthly review that keeps the line fair.
Tap a part. Your decisions and percentages will be your own.
Top-Bottom Bonus Map · a framework by Ivanka Menken
What it is
It is one page. On the left, the two decisions the manager owns: job pricing within a band, and rosters and overtime. In the middle, the two lines they move: revenue and profit, each with the regular bonus budget marked. On the right, the bonus line: 4% of the top-line growth and 4% of the bottom-line growth above that budget.
What it replaces
It replaces a monthly bonus with no link to any decision, job descriptions that hand over tasks but not judgement, and a founder who approves every price and roster.
It sits inside Letting-Go Mentoring, next to the Commitments-Kept Scorecard. The bonus line is read in the monthly scorecard, and the amount changes only after that review. It is coaching, not employment, payroll or tax advice.
THE MAP, AS WRITTEN
- 01The business: 16 people, about $2.4m revenue, three site managers
- 02Decision 1: job pricing, within a written band
- 03Decision 2: rosters and overtime on the manager’s sites
- 04The line: 4% of top-line growth above the regular bonus budget
- 05And: 4% of bottom-line growth above the same budget
- 06The review: the monthly scorecard, before any change to the amount
HOW IVANKA WORKED WITH THEM
From approvals to a bonus line
In the session, Ivanka asked the founder to list every call the site managers brought in the last fortnight and mark which ones moved revenue or profit. Two stood out: pricing and rosters. Together they wrote the band each manager could price within, the roster call they would own, and the 4% top-and-bottom bonus line above budget. The founder left with the map and a 14-day handover of both decisions.
THE BONUS MAP, AS WRITTEN
- Decisions owned
- Job pricing within the band; rosters and overtime on their sites.
- Top line
- 4% of revenue growth above the regular bonus budget.
- Bottom line
- 4% of profit growth above the same budget.
- Change rule
- The amount only changes after the monthly scorecard review.
- Review
- Day 14, then monthly at the scorecard
Your decisions and percentages will be your own.
THE FOUR-STEP LOOP
- 1The one thingManagers who ask because they cannot see the number.
- 2The numbers4% of top and 4% of bottom above the bonus budget.
- 3The storyWhy a bonus and a job description changed nothing.
- 4The commitmentTwo decisions handed over, read at the monthly scorecard.
THE QUESTIONS
- Which calls did your managers bring you this fortnight?
- Which of them moved revenue or profit?
- What band can a manager price within?
- What can they see before they decide?
- When will you review the amount?
Before the next session, the founder gave each site manager the pricing band and the roster call, answered no approval requests on either for 14 days and noted what came back anyway.
WHAT CHANGED
Managers who decide, then report
By month 6, each site manager owns two written decisions, sees the bonus line move with them, the founder hears about pricing and rosters afterwards, and the Commitments-Kept Scorecard shows which handovers stayed handed over.
BEFORE
- The founder approved pricing and rosters.
- A bonus linked to nothing.
- Managers asked because asking was safe.
- Job descriptions that handed over tasks only.
BY MONTH 6
- Two decisions owned by each manager.
- A 4% top-and-bottom line they can see.
- The founder told afterwards, not asked first.
- The amount reviewed monthly at the scorecard.
THE 12 FORTNIGHTS
- 1Call
- 2Call
- 3Call
- 4Call
- 5Call
- 6Month 3
- 7Call
- 8Call
- 9Call
- 10Call
- 11Call
- 12Month 6
The programme is the container: 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions, one handover each fortnight, and reviews at month 3 and month 6.
ILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
In this case, the founder wrote a 4% top-and-bottom bonus line, tied it to two manager-owned decisions and reviewed it in the monthly scorecard before changing the amount. Pricing and roster questions stopped arriving before seven in the morning, and the managers reported the calls they had made instead.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Hand over the number with the decision
Ivanka Menken built Letting-Go Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses who became the bottleneck. Managers who cannot see the result will keep bringing the decision back, however good they are.
This fits if you have managers and still approve their pricing, rosters or overtime. It does not fit if you want an employment contract, a payroll setup or tax advice on bonuses. The decision in front of you is one page. Name two decisions, draw the line and set the review.
“During our sessions Ivanka isn’t just talking theory. She is sharing her own lived experiences.”
Business owner
WHO IT IS FOR
It fits
- You have managers who still bring you pricing and staffing calls.
- Your bonus is not linked to any decision.
- You can share revenue and profit figures with managers.
- You will let two decisions go for 14 days.
It does not fit
- You want employment, payroll or tax advice on a bonus scheme.
- You want contracts drafted.
- You have no managers yet.
- You will not share the numbers with your team.
THE INVESTMENT
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
6 months · 12 fortnightly sessions
The Top-Bottom Bonus Map is part of Letting-Go Mentoring, a 6-month 1:1 programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.
- 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions
- One handover each fortnight
- The Commitments-Kept Scorecard
- Reviews at month 3 and month 6
Three founding places in total, shared across all 1:1 mentoring, are available at AUD $1,000/month ex GST, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. Claim a founding place.
The Top-Bottom Bonus Map is part of the programme. It is not sold separately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about a manager bonus line and handover
How do I get managers to make decisions without me?
Give them two named decisions and let them see the number those decisions move. Managers ask the founder when asking is safer than deciding. A visible bonus line on revenue and profit changes that. Ivanka Menken writes the decisions and the line with you inside Letting-Go Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
How does a top-line and bottom-line bonus work?
In this case, a site manager earned 4% of revenue growth and 4% of profit growth above the regular bonus budget, tied to the pricing and roster calls they owned. Profit growth stops a manager chasing revenue at any cost. Ivanka Menken maps it with you inside Letting-Go Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not employment or tax advice.
Which decisions should a manager own first?
The ones they bring you most often that move revenue or profit. In this case, job pricing within a written band, and rosters and overtime on their own sites. Start with two, not ten. Ivanka Menken helps you choose them from your last fortnight of approvals inside Letting-Go Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST.
When should I change the bonus amount?
Only after reading it in the monthly scorecard, never in the moment. A line that moves with every complaint stops meaning anything to the managers. Ivanka Menken builds that review into the map inside Letting-Go Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, and checks at day 14 which decisions still came back to you.
Draw the bonus line first
If your managers still bring you every pricing and roster call, start with Letting-Go Mentoring. The Top-Bottom Bonus Map is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether the programme fits.
Not employment, payroll or tax advice.