Generate a Return for Your Company

My friend and I had lunch at the Peak yesterday, and he was giving me a ride back home afterwards. We passed by a ritzy block of apartments and he said "This is where we put up one of our expats, costs about $150,000 a month (USD 19,404)". I observed that the company must regard him as a heavy revenue generator as his total compensation package must be a considerable amount. "Oh we don't think this way ..."

Why not?

"Well, it is hard to quantify."

That may be the case, but why don't they "think this way"? Shouldn't that be the first thing they think about? If the lucky chap were to run his own business today, I am sure he will be thinking that constantly. Can I generate a return on my cost? Can my company generate a return on me? I am not talking about merely breaking even either, I am taking about generating enough positive cash flow to keep the business afloat, to generate returns for shareholders and to reinvest into the business. If not, why should the company continue to invest in me?

We may work for other people's business, but we should think like owners. You might not be the owner of the business that you work for, but you are certainly owners of the business called "You". "You" are a business that sells services and generates a return for your employer. Like any other businesses, you won't be in business too long if you don't generate a good return for your customers.