Show Me the Incentives

A few decades ago, Spencer Johnson wrote a surprisingly simple book entitled Who Moved My Cheese? The book explains why people resist change. It’s one of the all-time bestselling business books. 

Let me suggest the title of the sequel. A sequel which could easily capture the minds and hearts of anyone interested in understanding what makes people tick: I Always Get the Cheese.  

Resisting change is fundamental to the human condition. Equally fundamental is our consistent ability to figure out how to get the rewards and recognition in any system. Even, in some cases, if we have to fudge things a bit.

“Show me the incentives,” writes Charlie Munger, “and I will show you the outcome.” Great leaders know that rewards and recognition create cultures and drive performance. If you want to create a great place to work, get the incentives right. Everything else follows.