The Business Problem:

The Manager-Employee Gap 

Simms Fishing Products has a strong history of innovation and passion. Founded in 1980, their ongoing commitment to creating leading-edge fishing apparel led them to greatly expand the business in 2012 by becoming the sole fishing wader manufacturer in the USA.

The Simms team was dedicated to their mission, but at times disconnected within the vertical layers of the organization. Senior leadership wanted to improve employee engagement, but was frequently overlooking this objective to pursue other goals. 

Performance reviews were held annually, which meant that employees had only one opportunity per year to go in-depth with their managers about job performance and career growth. Moreover, concrete employee performance metrics were lacking, leading to somewhat subjective conversations that didn’t set the stage for practical improvements.

How Rhythm Helped:

Keeping Engagement Front and Center

Simms transitioned their pre-existing KPIs to the Rhythm tool and created new metrics to improve employee engagement and performance. One of their KPIs was the Engagement Survey, which served a critical role in keeping employee engagement top-of-mind for leadership. Discussing this metric at their Weekly Adjustment Meetings drove senior leaders to proactively address engagement issues as they arose.

Shifting to a Proactive, Coaching-Oriented Approach to Performance Management

Simms made a strategic decision to transition to a quarterly cadence for performance reviews—an ambitious shift requiring disciplined execution and a clear strategy. To ensure the project’s success, the HR/OD team prioritized it as a top goal in Rhythm, holding themselves accountable for timely delivery.

Moreover, the Simms team used Rhythm to make an overall mindset shift around employee performance. Their new approach would be more timely, objective, and coaching-oriented. If Rhythm data indicated that an employee’s performance was below-par, their manager would develop an improvement plan for them. This did not have to coincide with an active review; rather, managers prompted performance adjustments as soon as possible without waiting weeks or months to tell the employee that they had fallen behind. 

Implemented Regular, Focused Communication to Enhance Goal Progress and Collaboration

Rhythm provided tools for managers and their reports to frequently align on goal progress, job performance, career growth, and other relevant topics. Simms added weekly 1:1s to their teams’ calendars, as well as Weekly Adjustment Meetings. Every meeting had a distinct purpose and a focused agenda to help participants stay on-topic and accomplish what needed to be done. These meeting rhythms reduced misalignment and grew stronger person-to-person relationships. 

The Results:

Turning Employee Engagement into Long-Term Retention (and Business Growth)

Simms has always been committed to developing and retaining their talent, understanding that employee engagement is critical to long-term business growth. By fostering a culture of coaching and continuous development, Simms has not only strengthened individual performance but also built a more cohesive and resilient organization.

Using Rhythm tools and processes, Simms was able to:

• Increase senior leadership focus on employee engagement 
• Multiply communication opportunities and performance conversations 
• Improve employee retention 

This strategic investment in their people not only paid off in improved retention but also created a stronger, more engaged team driving the business forward. CEOs looking to create long-term organizational growth can learn from Simms’ approach: invest in people, communicate effectively, and align leadership focus to drive meaningful results.