How I Managed 120 Employees at Age 24 (Without Losing My Mind)

Summary

At age 24, Leila Hormozi managed 120 employees. She says the key to doing so without becoming overwhelmed was not a marketing or sales tactic, but making expectations clear at every level of the organization. Clear expectations help employees make decisions, understand how success is measured, and avoid filling gaps with assumptions.

The Four Levels of Expectations

1. Core values: The decision-making filter

Values should guide behavior and help employees make decisions in situations no written rule anticipated. Hormozi favors leading with values over long lists of rules: rules can encourage people to follow instructions narrowly, while values give employees a basis for judgment and initiative.

Values should fit the company’s strategy and risk profile. For example, “speed is king” may suit a fast-growing business, while “pace yourself” may better fit a regulated service business where quality and compliance are critical.

At Acquisition.com, the stated values are unimpeachable character, sincere candor, and competitive greatness. Hormozi connects these values to protecting the brand, getting honest information to advise portfolio companies, and building excellent work.

2. Brand promise: Turn internal values into an external commitment

A brand promise communicates what customers—or prospective employees—can expect. It can translate a value into a clear service standard.

Examples include:

• A haircut within a stated timeframe
• Answers to customer questions within five minutes
• Package delivery by 10:30 a.m. the next day

Only make promises the organization can reliably meet. Hormozi recommends setting a promise below actual performance so there is room to consistently meet or exceed it.

At Gym Launch, the customer-service promise was a response within five minutes. Hormozi says the team’s first response typically came within 90 seconds.

3. Departmental expectations and KPIs: Operationalize the promise

Translate company values and brand promises into measurable standards for each department.

For example:

“Speed is king” → Customer questions answered within five minutes → Measure how many inquiries are answered in under 120 seconds.

The internal KPI is stricter than the public promise, creating a buffer.

A salon example illustrates how a customer promise can shape a process: customers bring one to three haircut reference photos, the stylist confirms the desired look, and referrals are tracked as an outcome measure.

Measurements help managers determine whether values and promises are actually being delivered, rather than relying on slogans.

4. Individual role KPIs: Identify where to improve

Break departmental goals into expectations for each person. In the response-time example, a role-level benchmark might be that 80% of an employee’s inquiries are answered within 120 seconds.

Comparing individual performance with department results helps pinpoint who needs coaching. A department may be underperforming because of a few people, rather than the whole team. Managers can then target training and support instead of retraining everyone.

Frameworks and Operating Principles

• Expectation cascade: Core values → brand promise → departmental KPIs → individual role KPIs.
• Accountability: Hormozi describes it as expectations + measurement × reinforcement.
• Specific instructions: State the intended outcome, not just the task. For example, instead of asking someone to write a follow-up email sequence, specify that it should help reduce refunds within 24 hours of purchase.
• Make expectations explicit: Unclear expectations lead to assumptions, which can lead to missed goals. Employees may otherwise apply norms from a previous workplace to a new company with different standards.
• Use metrics to manage, not just monitor: Department-level results show whether the team is meeting its goals; role-level results help explain why and where intervention is needed.

Key Examples and Metrics

• Gym Launch customer service: A five-minute public response promise; typical first response reportedly within 90 seconds; an internal department KPI measuring responses under versus over 120 seconds.
• Individual benchmark: An example target of 80% of an employee’s inquiries answered within 120 seconds.
• Brand-promise examples: A haircut within a stated timeframe, customer questions answered within five minutes, and package delivery by 10:30 a.m. the next day.
• Management scale: Hormozi says she managed 120 employees at age 24.

Presenter/source: Leila Hormozi.